Superintendent reflects: MVWSD's progress

Dear Editor:

Mountain View is a city in transition. More and more people, like myself, are moving here and finding it a great place to call home. As I reflect on my first year in Mountain View, I cannot believe all of the amazing things that are happening at the Mountain View Whisman School District.

Day in and day out, I get the opportunity to witness, work, laugh and be inspired by educators, administrators, trustees, staff members and parents who have been working tirelessly, and quietly, for the good of kids and families in our community.

As a member of the community, I think you should know your return on the investment you make in our District is high.

Remarkable gains in student achievement. Our students showed both remarkable and consistent gains on this year’s state (CAASPP) tests. We showed a 6 percentage point increase in the number of students meeting or exceeding standards in math and English Language Arts. Some schools and grade levels even made double digit gains.

Strong academics. Many people have heard of Common Core, but may not realize our District is ahead in creating frameworks and adopting curriculum to meet new California State Standards. We will continue to collaborate and use data-driven instructional decisions to ensure students are learning what they need to know to be successful in high school and beyond.

Strategic Plan 2021 to guide the work. More than 3,000 people were involved in creating Strategic Plan 2021 that clearly describes what we want our kids to know and be able to do by the end of eighth grade. We are already working on the goals outlined in this plan that will guide us in meeting the needs of all of our students.

School construction and repair. Measure G, the voter-funded effort to repair and upgrade our schools, is in the news a lot. What you might not have heard is that this year we developed a clear process and timeline to touch every school with improvements and renovations within budget. We are creating the schools our community expects, while saving money whenever possible. This year, the District saved taxpayers $2 million through elimination of future fees and refinancing of existing bonds by issuing all the construction bonds now. District staff also saved $300,000 on Casto construction by rebidding projects and adjusting timelines.

Overwhelmingly-supported labor agreements. Our teachers passed the District - MVEA agreement overwhelmingly. Our contract with classified staff raised salaries, as well as restored employees' benefits for our non-teaching staff members. We will continue to invest in teachers, leaders and staff to ensure we are the place talented educators choose to work.

Increased communication. In the course of this year, the level of District communication has increased tenfold. Parents have told me that they feel better informed. We are on the right path, and we’ll continue to work to communicate consistently and in a timely way.

While we celebrate these successes, there is still more to do. As outlined in Strategic Plan 2021 (http://tinyurl.com/MVWSD-SP), our District will continue to set goals and execute strategies that target these areas of improvement.

Thank you for your continued support of our schools. We have set a new course for our students and our District, and I am grateful to be on this journey with you.

Dr. Ayindé Rudolph
Superintendent