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Charles DiFazio
October 01, 2025

We have an interesting set of topics on this week’s agenda at the Mountain View Whisman School Board, covering student services, financial updates, policy, and our overall governance calendar. Additionally, we will be discussing the handoff to the MVW Residences Corporation, the nonprofit housing corporation that will govern our staff housing.

At our last meeting, I was honored and delighted to be nominated and unanimously elected to serve as a board member on the MVW Residences Corporation, as one of the seats is to be held by a member of the Mountain View Whisman School Board. I am eager to serve with the other members of the MVW Residences Corporation board, and I look forward to working together to ensure our staff housing’s success and stability.

If you ever have questions, comments, or feedback, don’t hesitate to send me an email at my official district address, [email protected] or click the button below to schedule office hours with me.

Board Meeting

The Thursday, October 2, 2025 meeting begins at 6 PM with a school showcase by Graham Middle School, followed by closed session. Here are some items on the agenda once we return to open session:

McKinney-Vento Update

We begin the discussion and action section of the meeting with a student-centered topic, an update on supporting a group of students in the district.

Staff will present for discussion an update on our efforts to support McKinney-Vento students and their families.

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is a federal law that, among other things, ensures children and youths experiencing homelessness have the right to an education and access to educational opportunities. The district is committed to supporting these students, both according to the McKinney-Vento act and our own goals around supporting an inclusive and welcoming culture for all families.

Due to the housing crisis in the Bay Area, our school district has one of the larger populations of students qualifying for McKinney-Vento services in Santa Clara County. One of the key duties of the district, and public education in general, is to ensure that each and every child we serve gets the support they need and an opportunity to thrive regardless of their circumstances. This update gives us information on how those services are progressing and what challenges remain.

Budget Scenarios

Next, we continue the threads from previous meetings, where the Board is tasked with ensuring stability for the district during the coming economic uncertainty:

Staff will present an overview of MVWSD's Multi-Year Projection (MYP) with multiple scenarios in response to a board request.

Because Mountain View Whisman is a Community-Funded, also known as Basic Aid, district, property taxes are our main source of revenue. With the shifting financial landscape, the growth in assessed value has slowed significantly. Thankfully, we have maintained healthy reserves, so we do not need to take drastic actions like mid-year cuts or program cancellations. However, now is the time to carefully evaluate expenditures to protect student learning and maintain our financial stability.

It’s been said “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future,” but these Multi-Year Projections are going to be one input into the process of navigating that uncertainty. Planning now and considering our options will give us the best chance to smoothly navigate that uncertainty while preserving student services and achieving excellence in our schools.

Transitioning Staff Housing to Corp Board

We will cover some of our final direct Board actions with respect to our Staff Housing at the Sevens.

Staff recommends that the Trustees provide input on the next steps of the transition to the MVW Residences Corporation Board.

Having formed the non-profit corporation to govern our staff housing and appointed its board, the Mountain View Whisman Board will provide some guidance to that board on the work to be done. We want to ensure that we fulfill the mission of attracting and retaining staff, so staff has prepared some recommendations for actions that align with those principles. Ensuring that we support our staff, allowing them to live in the community they serve, should ultimately benefit every student in our classrooms.

Governance Calendar

The Trustees will review and discuss anticipated agenda items on the 2025-2026 Governance Calendar. Agenda items listed for a designated month on the Governance Calendar may be subject to change.

A long-standing portion of our agenda that shows up in the Future Board Meetings section, our governance calendar allows us to keep track of our responsibilities and timelines for action. It also allows the community to know what our schedule will look like over the coming year. While the specific dates can vary, this gives a good overview of the work to be done in the district.

Board Policy Updates (First Reading)

The Board Policy Committee met on September 17, 2025, and reviewed CSBA's recommendations

Trustee Henry and I continue our work, supported by staff, in keeping our district policies up-to-date and making recommendations that we consider appropriate for the district. As noted above, this batch is the result of the September 17, 2025 meeting of the Board Policy Committee. This will be the first reading of the following policies, and with final approval coming at a second meeting:

  • BP 1312.3 - Uniform Complaint Procedures

  • BP 4030 - Nondiscrimination in Employment

  • BP 4119.11 - Sexual Harassment

  • BP 5117 - Interdistrict Attendance

  • BP 5131 - Conduct

  • BP 5145.7 - Sexual Harassment

  • BP 5146 - Married/Pregnant/Parenting Students

  • BP 6145.2 - Athletic Competition

  • BP 6162.51 - State Academic Achievement Tests