Three of Castilleja's proposed designs include 52 underground parking spaces, while two other options have 57 and 69 underground spaces, respectively. "Every year spent in process negotiation and compromise has resulted in scores of young women being shut out of joining the Castilleja community," Burch said. "He and others suggested that Castilleja's project is being unfairly held up by a small but vocal group of opponents who are continuously moving the goal posts. Threatening the well-being of protected oaks and redwoods; "Castilleja operates under a CUP (conditional use permit) which is a privilege and not an entitlement," Sylvester said. It would occupy about 24,294 square feet, which is 8,186 square feet less than in the original proposal. ""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. Nanci Kauffman, head of Castilleja, said Monday that the school is prepared to reduce its proposed square footage in accordance with the council's direction, but said she hopes this "minor change . I am currently a senior at Castilleja, and I would never choose to attend another high school. 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) . "We just want to be educating girls," Kauffman said. PR MediaRelease Bill Burch fell squarely in the latter camp. So, no garage needed. While Castilleja has maintained that it added the garage to its plans at the behest of neighbors who wanted cars off the street, Levitsky and other members of the neighborhood group suggested on Wednesday that the facility remains incompatible with the surrounding community. This process has dragged on for ten years. From that moment on, I was determined to make excellence in single-sex education accessible to as many girls as possible. Endorse Castilleja School. A veteran teacher and administrator, Nanci has worked almost exclusively at all-girls schools. This is not about education, it is about greed and hubris. "I feel strongly that no modifications or adjustments are needed," Lee said.Thompson also suggested that the building, in its current iteration, "has a design intent. Why are people who dont live on the street moving against the wishes of people who do? Alcheck asked his colleagues.The revised proposal includes five garage designs, though only three of them meet the council's March direction of the underground facility to include no more than 50% of the required on-site parking, which amounts to 52 spaces. Castilleja School's polarizing bid to rebuild its Bryant Street campus and construct an underground garage will return to the spotlight this week, when Palo Alto's two main land-use bodies start reviewing the school's plans.The school's bid to expand its enrollment and reconstruct its facilities has been moving through the city's approval process since 2016, when Castilleja applied for a new conditional-use permit that would allow it to gradually grow its student population from its current level of 426 to 540. This time it's in the form of a planned. Tuition Insurance (optional): $325 [10], The school's core values, known as "the 5 Cs," include conscience, courtesy, character, courage, and charity. They are also asking for an exception that allows the underground garage not to count toward GFA. So, anyone with the resources to outlast the opposition should prevail? Neighbors and some council members have been distrustful of the school since learning in 2013 that it had been violating its 415-student enrollment cap for decades. Here, however, the split occurred between the five board members, who were charged with further refining the building's faade. Just a thought! Dear Abby: My wife said she doesn't like it, but it's part of my life, Harriette Cole: I don't want the neighbor's kids at my house, Ask Amy: I feel guilty for not speaking up about my co-worker's activities, Ask Amy: I'm your cabin housekeeper, and you apparently have no idea what I do. Downtown parking garage. Privacy Policy Rob Levitsky, who lives near Castilleja, sees the situation differently. I am watching to see if PTC and CC are serious about climate change mitigation and sustainability. Coach one after school team each season and fitness classes during the . "But Mary Sylvester, co-founder of PNQLNow, argued at the architectural board meeting that the revised design particularly, the garage continues to clash with the surrounding context. Nanci Kauffman is Castilleja's sixth Head of School. Thats legal now. Jul 2010 - Present12 years 7 months. And because Lew's term is about to conclude and he is not seeking another term, the ultimate decision about whether the new design passes muster could hinge on a board member who has not yet been appointed and who may have other ideas about the building's design. Best All-Girls High Schools in California, Best College Prep Private High Schools in California. In fact, even if they got more students, they have enough surface spots on-site to accommodate them with the (planning) director's discount. with Embarcadero and a part of Melville shutdown for months; The other two alternatives with 52 underground spaces have drawbacks that make them either less feasible or less desirable. Perhaps because the opposing group is such a small but very vocal minority? "Barring intergenerational wealth or a very high-earning spouse, I struggle to see how teachers (or most families in the bay area) could afford to live anywhere near Castilleja. California high school scheme used fake documents to get basketball players on team, report says He said the council did the right thing in continuing the discussion to a later date. Stay informed on important city government news. Castilleja School Foundation - Nonprofit Explorer - ProPublica CASTILLEJA SCHOOL FOUNDATION PALO ALTO, CA 94301-3507 | Tax-exempt since Aug. 1943 EIN: 94-0373222 Classification ( NTEE ). As a first-year teacher at an all-girls school, I was immediately impressed by my confident,decisive eleven-year-old students, who had acquired strengths and skills many of us work a lifetime to master. Mobile site. Blogs Prior to becoming Head on July 1, 2010, Nanci served as Associate Head of School and Dean of Faculty. One option they suggested was to find a temporary campus, although no location was now known. He said other schools that wanted to grow have moved to places with more acreage or created two locations., He added that if staff had come to us and said they have this issue about underground structures in (a residential neighborhood), maybe council couldve weighed in earlier., Castilleja Head of School Nanci Kauffman scoffed at the idea that the proposal came as a surprise, saying it was iterated multiple times based off feedback from city staff., She said she didnt understand why the council wouldnt support educating more women when were talking about not adding traffic and building a sustainable project.. However, if you tackle it methodically, you will get good results. [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. Isn't Palo Alto already funding and developing a teacher's housing project? I am sure Casti supporters are tired of speakers against the proposal coming up with new arguments (ground water?) In 1907, Mary Lockey opened the doors to Castilleja School to pursue a revolutionary ideato provide young women with the educational opportunities needed to seek a college education. After four years, I have found that the academic rigor has only improved my experience and has never lead to competition between classmates. Another member of the public said a garage would invite more traffic. Let me repeat their findings: Alternative 4, the Disbursed Circulation/ No Garage Alternative-would meet the Citys Municipal Code requirements providing 104 parking spaces, which is based on the number of teaching stations. Just think about what that means. -- on larger lots with 1-acre+ zoning 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. Director of Operations Castilleja is a private, all-girls school located in Palo Alto whose mission is to educate motivated young women to become confident thinkers and compassionate leaders with a sense of purpose to effect change in the world. "With public testimony stretching until nearly midnight, the planning commission deferred its own discussion of Castilleja's plans until Dec. 15. We may remember differently the outcome of that discussion. @Rita Vrhel, 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. Will the decisions about Casti be consistent with the decision about the downtown garage? Why, then, doesn't the school submit plans that comply with existing code? In both cases, the public hearings are intended to solicit early feedback and will not include any formal action.Among the biggest differences between Castilleja's prior plan and its current one is the size of the proposed underground garage. She currently serves on the Boards of Trustees of the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS), Wagner College in New York City and the Peninsula Bridge organization in San Mateo. The 7/23/21 Fehr & Peers Castilleja Parking Study commissioned by Castilleja School indicates a parking garage of any size is NOT NECESSARY. But as two recent public hearings on the Castilleja project showed, these moves have done little to make Castilleja's project less polarizing. Castilleja has presented many solutions, it's time to let them move forward with this project. As has been pointed out, the plans have been reviewed by numerous City bodies (ARB, PTC, Planning Department, City Council). The City Council, ARB & PTC members have had YEARS to consider the schools many proposals, each of which has sought to compromise in ways that responded to neighbors concerns. Become a Member Gennady Sheyner covers the City Hall beat in Palo Alto as well as regional politics, with a special focus on housing and transportation. These including new shuttle and bus routes, a bike-share program, a "guaranteed ride home" program for employees who don't drive but who need may need to leave the school for an emergency (they would be reimbursed for the cost of transportation) and a new Castilleja Lyft program that will provide free midday rides for faculty and staff, according to the plan that the school released last month. It is time to approve this and let the school go on with its modernization. Blogs Low-income included. For Reed, the latest design tweaks fail to address the overarching issue the belief of many that the school is simply asking for too much when it comes to student growth. "Additionally, such reduction responds to concerns expressed by some community members about the size of the originally proposed structure. Castilleja School Photo #9 - The Class of 2013 is all smiles at the splish-splash party! Please include any comments on: The Harker School vs. Castilleja School Varsity Womens' Basketball. Education | Everyone in Palo Alto will be affected, including emergency responders. "Our plan now checks all the boxes," Kauffman told the planning commission Wednesday night. If the project advances, the floor area would be 128,687 square feet, according to planning staff. Become a member today. Fall 2019: Volume 17 Number 1 My life is forever changed and I will bring the lessons you have taught me throughout the rest of my life. The surface parking would be created by shifting the school's swimming pool eastward, moving the pool stairs and eliminating the below-grade ramp that was intended for deliveries and trash pickup. world. 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.. I firmly support Castillejas right to update its campus. Castilleja School is an independent school for girls in grades six through twelve, located in Palo Alto, California. Yes, misogyny and discrimination are blatant here in Silicon Valley. If memory serves, that commissioner has a niece who attends Casti (she may have graduated by now) and a business relationship with the lawyer representing the school. Before joining the Palo Alto Weekly/PaloAltoOnline.com in 2008, he covered breaking news and local politics for the Waterbury Republican-American, a daily newspaper in Connecticut. Castilleja has 75% of the students coming from outside of Palo Alto and I continue to be so confused as to why they cannot move somewhere where this is much more space for them to continue to expand. Place a Legal Notice Special Pubs Uploaded: Thu, Dec 9, 2021, 9:43 am Mask stepped down as the head coach at Pell City High . A North Texas high school is mourning the loss of a beloved wrestling coach. One commissioner, Michael Alcheck, suggested at the onset of the meeting that the city's concerns about the proposed garage may be overblown. The projects density isnt relevant, Kauffman said, adding that whats relevant is its impact. "I feel strongly that no modifications or adjustments are needed," Lee said. Head of School. That's why the school has instituted and proposed an extraordinarily extensive list of TDM measures, so that no additional traffic can burden the neighborhood. of students agree that they feel safe at their school. The city council landed on around 89 parking spaces required, which already exists on campus. Are you suggesting that Palo Alto's 25K taxpaying household provide/ subsidize housing for a private school whose students are 75% commuters? Andie Reed, one of the group's co-founders, noted that even the revised project includes elements that residents have consistently deemed to be problematic namely, an underground garage that many believe is incompatible with the neighborhood. "We are saving more trees in the newest version and we're actually reducing our footprint," Kauffman said. These including new shuttle and bus routes, a bike-share program, a "guaranteed ride home" program for employees who don't drive but who need may need to leave the school for an emergency (they would be reimbursed for the cost of transportation) and a new Castilleja Lyft program that will provide free midday rides for faculty and staff, according to the plan that the school released last month.If the school fails to meet its trip cap numbers, it would also establish a "Kiss n' Ride" program that allows parents to drop off and pick up their children at an off-site location about 15 minutes before school starts. Castilleja is a non-profit institution. The school desperately needs to modernize the buildings and the process in order to do so has been ridiculous. "If they were to request a 10% enrollment increase, we'd be looking at about 450 students and there's there's sufficient parking on-site for 450. "We don't need a CO2-belching industrial concrete garage in our neighborhood," Levinsky told the commission. Plain and simple. 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. I am one of the Casti supporters who stayed up way too late to speak at the meeting last night. To sfvalley: [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. Education | It makes sense that it is time for Castilleja to modernize its campus. The school's new plans include five garage designs, though only three comply with the council's request that underground parking make up no more than 50% of the total spaces on campus. Casti is a bubble that feels very, very wealthy, and very liberal. It is calculated using the reported number of students and full-time equivalent teachers. "Does it seem to you that this is going to bite us in the rear when we look at this project in the future and ask, 'Why did we make a big deal out of this minor difference in underground parking?'" for a responsible and inclusive community. Student-Teacher Ratio may not be indicative of class size. Nanci Kauffman, Castilleja's head of school, assured both panels in recent meetings that the school has already made many compromises with neighbors and urged them to approve the project and allow . So far, planning staff is leaning toward what's known as "Scheme E," which combines a 52-space underground garage with 11 new at-grade parking spaces. Community Calendar Sexism. Here, however, the split occurred between the five board members, who were charged with further refining the building's faade. Independent Teacher. The faculty consists of approximately 70 full-time and part-time women and men. Come on, the teachers deserve better than that. I live within steps of people who have posted above and are persistently concerned about the "expansion". 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)." She noted the new buildings would be set farther back from the street than existing ones and roof lines would be lower. He was one of many residents and Castilleja supporters who told the commission on Wednesday that the review process has gone on for long enough and that it's time to approve the project, which includes reconstruction of three academic buildings, relocation of the school's swimming pool and construction of a garage. The school's new plans include five garage designs, though only three comply with the council's request that underground parking make up no more than 50% of the total spaces on campus. @Staying Home - In PA, housing is effectively a finite resource. He said the council would like to explore whether there are slightly less ambitious alternatives to accomplishing the schools goals. DuBois said the schools plan would lead to increased density in one of Palo Altos oldest neighborhoods, a proposition that the slow-growth council isnt likely to support. "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. While this would require a 14% reduction in the parking requirement, Planning Director Jonathan Lait suggested in a report that staff would be amenable to adjusting the parking requirements, given Castilleja's suite of measures that discourage driving to school. As in the past, the public was split between those who believe Castilleja is still asking for too much, particularly when it comes to its proposed underground garage, and those who argued that Castilleja's project is worthy of approval and that the city's process has already dragged on for too long.Bill Burch fell squarely in the latter camp. "We take cars off the street, we save additional trees, we reduce our footprint, we exceed Palo Alto's sustainability goals and we educate more girls. All rights reserved. Miss Manners: I shouldn't call because the phone scares people? of students and parents agree that lots of students participate in clubs and organizations. real-world experiences, which develop in each student the skills I think you misunderstand my above post. This is a wonderful neighborhood, but it simply isn't practical to block all new development in an attempt to pretend it's still 1990. Short term inconveniences of construction for 100 plus more years of educating young women seems like a small price to pay. Advertising Info Christian high school basketball team forfeits tournament rather than play against transgender player, Opinion: Gov. Set aside the rhetoric and focus on the practical issues. In previous meetings, PNQL members have stated that they're fine with the enrollment increase as long as the garage isn't built. Barring intergenerational wealth or a very high-earning spouse, I struggle to see how teachers (or most families in the bay area) could afford to live anywhere near Castilleja. This suggestion would decrease construction time by 1.1 years from 34 months to 21 months. Here's the new, best answer. Now they don't want a garage. Obituaries And for what? In late 2007, the Wall Street Journal identified Castilleja School as one of the world's top 50 schools for its success. "If they were to request a 10% enrollment increase, we'd be looking at about 450 students and there's there's sufficient parking on-site for 450. Not recognizing the impact to traffic, safety issues for bike boulevard, taking old trees out, and not even thinking about the impact of this project with the Churchill proposal. Not 26 (although you might be referring to previous iterations). Embarcadero Media Castilleja School offers 11 interscholastic sports: Basketball, Cross Country, Golf, Lacrosse, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Tennis, Track and Field, Volleyball and Water Polo. "There's a lot of breaks happening in its faade, there's a lot of void. The school, which charges an annual tuition of $52,000, has 426 students and hopes to enroll 540 once the expansion is finished. In 2019, the school submitted plans to rebuild most of its campus, which calls for demolishing and rebuilding three buildings on its campus, relocating the swimming pool and adding an underground parking structure. 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