The school's "transportation management plan" includes, among other features, shuttles, carpool programs and a 2015 policy that requires staff to rely on alternative modes of transportation at least three times per week. [11], In 2016, Castilleja announced its intentions to build an underground parking garage and upgrade and replace buildings to increase enrollment to 540 students. On Wednesday night, as Castilleja held its first hearing in front of the Planning and Transportation Commission on its new plan, the panel heard from more than 50 residents, who in some cases pooled their allotted time to make longer presentation. Every single one of my classmates will become amazing women when they grow up, and Castilleja has been instrumental in developing our confidence, poise, ability to express ourselves, and compassion for others. Originally from New York, Nanci has lived in the Bay Area since 1997. Very bad timing on this report. Amazing work from Castilleja. OOPS! Were really digging to see how we could get to yes, but I fear the conclusion may be no. It is responsive and thoughtful. Casti families are hardly impoverished; 75% come from wealthier communities than Palo Alto with more expensive housing -- Los Altos Hills, Woodside, Portola Valley, Atherton, etc. Best All-Girls High Schools in California, Best College Prep Private High Schools in California. -- on larger lots with 1-acre+ zoning Sexism. Many of the parking/traffic remediation plans are intended to reduce car use among staff, and these likely wouldn't be required if staff could actually find moderately priced housing nearby. I live within steps of people who have posted above and are persistently concerned about the "expansion". Staff's preferred design combines these underground spaces with 11 new at-grade spaces and 26 existing ones for a total of 89 spaces. Kauffman said Castilleja has followed the citys process every step of the way and been working with staff for quite a long time. She said there appears to be a lack of trust between the council and staff and wondered whether this process would be a lot less challenging if there were more trust to the work that has been done.. In this article, Andie Reed states that she's most concerned about the enrollment proposal. And Online Name is right to be skeptical about the no new trips claim. The two major points were a scaled down garage and a plan to manage traffic. "Staff conceptually supports a parking adjustment for the project given the Council's direction to reduce the size of the garage and Castilleja's robust TDM plan," Lait wrote. He is a Venezuelan-American raised in Texas with bylines in the Champaign, Ill. News-Gazette, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and The Dallas Morning News. A smaller footprint. True belonging is the spiritual practice of believing in and belonging to yourself so deeply that you can share your most authentic self with the world and find sacredness in both being a part of something and standing alone in the wilderness. Castilleja School Photo #6 - Sophomores tackle chemistry class. Currently Castilleja pays no property taxes on its prime real estate holdings where the school is located nor do they pay a penny for the public services they receive to this school, "There are elements of the building that could be cut back and there's the space between that no longer needs access to the cellar," Hirsch said. We are proud and humbled to bring together highly-motivated, intellectually curious young women from diverse backgrounds to collaborate within our community. ", Palo Alto backs e-bike ban on Baylands trails, Stanford sues Santa Clara County over tax exemptions for faculty residences, Hit-and-run driver kills man, crashes into five cars Sunday morning, Santa Clara County wants to put millions into child care, California homelessness: Where are the state's billions going? He and other members of the group Preserve Neighborhood Quality of Life Now (PNQLNow) argued that it is the school and planning staff who are responsible for the process taking so long. Nanci Kauffman is Castilleja's sixth Head of School. Thanksfor the article on Castilleja'sexpansion. Community Calendar "We are looking at a successful program that has every advantage to perform and every element was reviewed: bicycle, walking, transit, carpool, the outreach, the monitoring and the penalty aspects," Hughes said. This has taken way too long to resolve, and has cost the school way too much money. [13][14] One concern has been traffic impact. The school has been allowed to grow over the past many decades without going through the normal processes (some buildings were built pre-code, some built after code, but apparently not reviewed for GFA). The interior of Castilleja School's campus on July 16, 2019. Thank you Castilleja! Stockton elementary school teacher arrested on charge of being intoxicated on campus I don't agree that it doesn't matter the size of enrollment, because more student bodies means more parents and cars and staff, teachers, volunteers and event attendees. of students agree that they like their school and feel happy there. ", Baltay suggested that by failing to reach a consensus, the board is "doing the applicant a disservice by not providing the applicant with a solution.". I am sure Casti supporters are tired of speakers against the proposal coming up with new arguments (ground water?) educating the whole person and to developing commpassionate and Education | It's much more relevant to the Casti discussion than the long-winded speeches about how only Casti can end sexism, misogyny and discrimination when all those conditions have been and continue to be so blatant in Silicon Valley, Just follow the news for all the lawsuits and multi-million-dollar discrimination. It was then that I recognized the unique potential of an all-girls learning environment to empower young womento find their voices. The message from the Head of School reads, in part, "Understanding the importance of actively teaching and learning antiracism, our leadership competencies prepare Castilleja graduates to lead . Be careful what you wish for neighbors!! Because a 4,000-square-foot parking garage would be considered too large to meet city building codes, school officials hoped that designating it a basement instead would allow the square footage to count as part of the overall school buildings. Their enrollment cap since 2000 is 415 students, but they've exceeded that number since 2002. Education changes. And here we go again. Because it is not. 5. The school's gross floor area is significantly in excess of what is allowable by code (81,385SF). "If Castilleja really wants 500 to 600 students, it's time to move or open another campus like so many others do.". More than 100 years since its founding, Castilleja I remember the theoretical discussion about "if enrollment was increased to 1000 and there were no impacts or increase in traffic, would that be OK?" Obituaries "With public testimony stretching until nearly midnight, the planning commission deferred its own discussion of Castilleja's plans until Dec. 15. When is enough enough ? of students and parents agree that students at this school are athletic. intellectual advantages of all-girls education. 6. [8] She was encouraged by Stanford's first president, David Starr Jordan, to start a school that would offer girls a comprehensive, college preparatory education. Even more important than numbers was the message. It's a game of pay-to-play musical chairs, with more people constantly being added, but basically the same number of chairs then only the wealthiest players can afford a seat and everyone acts surprised that prices keep skyrocketing. It's short-sighted, selfish, and embarrassing. Now they don't want a garage. I hope that Palo Alto City Council will press for safety over the desires of the elites who want their cozy Palo Alto location. "The project encountered a similar division at the Architectural Review Board hearing on Dec. 2, which focused less on transportation and more on the design of the building. A veteran teacher and administrator, Nanci has worked almost exclusively at all-girls schools. Exactly what I needed: Los Gatos teachers move into affordable units Because of its aggressive transportation-demand-management program, which includes shuttles, carpool programs and a requirement that staff drive no more than twice per week, Castilleja would also receive a 14% reduction in parking requirement from the cityThe planning commission, which had already reviewed and approved an earlier version of this plan, is expected to dive into the details of the current one at its upcoming meeting. This project is worth fighting for. Nielsen Buchanan opposed the garage due to its impact on climate change. Castilleja supporters far outnumbered the critics. "That can be reduced so the building would be pushed back. Castilleja's pedagogical approach is shaped both by tradition The City Council concurred with some of the arguments from the project's critics in March, when it reviewed Castilleja's plans and directed it to reduce its proposed underground garage a target for project opponents and to further refine the design of its buildings to make it more compatible with the residential areas that abut its campus at 1310 Bryant St. "So this plan is quite appropriate for the sustainability and mobility not just for the school but for the city. The planning commission, which had already reviewed and approved an earlier version of this plan, is expected to dive into the details of the current one at its upcoming meeting. Privacy Policy I agree it's a lot to ask of the teachers and I wonder why aren't **the girls** parking a distance away from the campus? Who is trustworthy in this process? Castilleja's 6th through 12th grade program offers opportunities for girls across all grade levels to develop a keen sense of self and an unbridled zeal for exploration, innovation, and friendship. Castilleja School ranks among the top 20% of private schools in California for: Castilleja School's tuition is approximately $49,900 for private students. The Almanac I have spent my career in girls' education, and I am proud to carry on the legacy started by Mary Lockey. PR MediaRelease @Rita Vrhel, PA didn't just become "one of the most expensive neighborhoods in CA" by accident, residents MADE IT THIS WAY through decades of artificially constraining housing supply in an incredibly job-rich (and therefore high housing demand) area. But with enough housing to reduce these insane prices (or at least slow increases), many more staff/students could live close enough to walk or bike, and there'd be far less need for parking (and fewer complaints about traffic). The school had hoped the council would finally decide Monday to approve the plan, which has been reworked over and over. If the project advances, the floor area would be 128,687 square feet, according to planning staff.Nanci Kauffman, Castilleja's head of school, told this news of organization that the school believes its new plans "check all the boxes" when it comes to addressing concerns from residents, city commissioners and the council. The length and complexity of the approval process has not discouraged the school, Kauffman said, given the improvements in the project. I cant but help think that if Casti truly feels it is so important to increase the number of young women benefiting from their education, Casti would want to move to a location where they can grow and not limit this wonderful opportunity to only 540 young women. Time and time again, Castilleja has revised their plans to meet the demands of the neighbors, yet the neighbors turn down every solution. Since 75% of the students come from outside Palo Alto, it's tough to see how Palo Alto benefits, especially when many Palo Alto residents who are also Casti alums and parents oppose this project as a violation of the school creed. This time it's in the form of a planned. Not moving the pool and keeping the parking lots as-is saves a whole lot of the changes the school is going through. The neighbors asked for a garage. @Online Name - It's worth noting that 21% of Castilleja students receive tuition assistance, so the students are clearly *not* all from wealthy families who you implied could easily afford to live in PA but choose not to. Whats interesting is that when this goes to CC it will be reviewed by 5 council members who, in 2019, were part of a unanimous 7-0 vote to NOT build the promised downtown garage. It would occupy about 24,294 square feet, which is 8,186 square feet less than in the original proposal. Mobile site. Laptop: $1,000 - $2,000 The goalposts keep moving [portion removed.] Dear Castilleja Community, Many of you remember that each year at Castilleja, we explore a guiding theme to frame our social and emotional learning as we . Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. heart." Surely the large contingent of supporters of Castilleja could pitch in to help them find an alternate location for a temporary campus in existing buildings or in temporary mobile classrooms (ie as now planned on their athletic field) . Surely environmental science is part of the curriculum. With its split verdict, the board gave Castilleja a somewhat confusing message, which was made more so when Lew declined to articulate what exactly he wants the school to change (the middle of the building, he said, is a "little bit muddled"). ""We have not compromised internally enough to give them a fair description of what they need to do," Baltay said.Both the architectural board and the planning commission plan to hold further meetings on the proposal before it goes back to the council next year for another hearing. Promotions Recently, 2 extremely important reports were released to the public: Fehr & Peers 7/23/21 Castilleja Parking Study commissioned by Castilleja School "They must take into account the impact they make in the health, welfare and quiet enjoyment of their neighbors.". is the city committing to enforcement? I also want to point out that there are underground garages in residential neighborhoods in Palo Alto. Now they propose that the building be 3 feet taller and even more massive than the previously approved design. remains true to its mission to give each young woman an "educated One reason this has taken so long is that the applicant has persisted with plans that include an enormous garage. Therefore, as discussed above, based on historical parking data, information from other institutions and available published industry standards, 104 parking spaces would be appropriate for an enrollment of 540 students. You want to educate more women to be leaders? Alcheck asked his colleagues. [16], Castilleja is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools, the National Coalition of Girls' Schools, and the College Board. So, I asked ChatGPT to explain itself. While emphasis is "Castilleja operates under a CUP (conditional use permit) which is a privilege and not an entitlement," Sylvester said. As has been pointed out, the plans have been reviewed by numerous City bodies (ARB, PTC, Planning Department, City Council). Jul 2010 - Present12 years 7 months. 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