May 3, 2023
Dear Members of the Parks and Recreation Commission
As the City prepares to develop a long-term plan for parks and open space we wanted to share information about the Shoreline Regional Park Community and the Joint Use Agreement for school fields that may be helpful in your discussions. We appreciate the opportunity to open dialogue with you about these important community issues.
Growth and green space: As development continues across the City, the District has to prepare to house an influx of students. We are expecting more than 1,400 students to come from North Bayshore development. This does not take into account the East Whisman Development, as well as the various developments along El Camino and throughout the city. By 2030, a majority of MVWSD schools are expected to exceed their available capacity. This will be particularly acute for schools supporting North Bayshore and East Whisman where long-term and large-scale residential redevelopment has been approved. Currently, the only short-term option is to place portables on our campuses. While many ideas have been offered to house students nothing has been committed formally. However, everyone should be aware that school fields may eventually have classrooms placed on them.
Resources for Enrollment Growth: The District continues to work with the City on the allocation of the Shoreline Regional Park Community funds. An increase in Shoreline funds to MVWSD is crucial to not only accommodate student growth, but also address the severe needs that have arisen since the pandemic; mental health, homelessness, food insecurity, and of course academic supports that help to eliminate the achievement gap.
Some ask why we don't use school properties that are currently leased out for increased enrollment. The fact is, without additional resources, this lease revenue is critical to supplement what we are not getting from Shoreline. In fact, the amount MVWSD receives in lease revenue for district properties very roughly equates to the additional amount we would have received if the full amount of Shoreline funding was allocated to MVWSD. Thus, MVWSD is dependent on lease revenue to meet our current students’ needs.
Attachment 2
Public access to District green space: Most importantly, regardless of the status of the Joint Use Agreement for the use of school district fields, please know that MVWSD has no intention of limiting public access outside of school hours. We have consistently welcomed the public onto our fields after school hours as was especially evident during the COVID shutdown when our fields were a place where the community could come to exercise and enjoy open space. We are fortunate to have a supportive community that has consistently funded our bond measures, thus our schools belong to the community, regardless of who is managing the rentals.
Park Space: Whether the City can count school fields as park space can be determined as part of joint use negotiations. MVWSD is interested in helping the City meet the minimum required acreage as long as the District’s legal and financial responsibilities are met.
Potential Solution: MVWSD has kicked off an initiative that will green school campuses and fields for both students and community members. Additionally, the District is adding public restrooms at Imai, Landels, and Castro/Mistral with a partial contribution from the City because MVWSD fully supports community access to our campuses. No other school district in the area provides public restrooms on school grounds.
Rental fees: The District has no intent of charging the maximum fee amount allowable by law for any of our facilities. Instead, we are to charge our district's direct costs only for rentals; this will help to eliminate the current commentary that the city is contributing to the district's operations, as the true beneficiaries of our JUA are the citizens and the sports teams. Our Board Policy 1330 regarding fees states that, “Community use of school fields shall not result in additional costs to the district.” Below is a comparison of rental rates charged by neighboring districts as well as what the City charges. As you can see, MVWSD rates are significantly lower than other districts. The City has its own rate structure that charges groups based on being a resident vs. non-resident and youth vs. non-youth. The rates charged by the City are less than the cost to maintain the fields, which require the City to subsidize the cost of maintenance. Field space is a highly-sought after among groups outside of our city because of the artificially low rates, making field times more scarce for Mountain View groups.
MVWSD Rates
Explanation of Tiers 1
District and
school-
related orgs
and
activities
2 Activities
oriented
toward
community
youth that
are
sponsor- ed
by
recognized
non-profit
orgs
3 Other
community
activities
sponsored
by
recognized
non-profit
orgs or other
public
agencies
4 Activities and events sponsored by
for-profit organizations or individuals
requesting facilities for personal use
City Rates
Renters: The District is bound by the Civic Center Act which legislates, among other aspects of rentals, that public schools treat all groups consistently for the purpose of facilities rentals. This means that MVWSD is not allowed to prioritize any one group over another for rentals. If a church group wanted to rent a space, the District must give them the same priority as a residential youth sport. The City’s current practice of giving rental preference to sports groups or distinguishing between residential vs. non-resident would not withstand a court challenge, and MVWSD would be liable.
The District understands that the City wishes to support residential use of the fields and has requested that the City agree to indemnify and defend the District against
any challenge. The City declined to do this which leaves the District liable for a lawsuit.
Potential Solution: City rent the fields from the District: The District has proposed that the City rent the fields from the District which would allow the City to manage the rentals however they see fit and bring us into compliance with the Civic Center Act and reduce MVWSD’s liability without the City having to indemnify the District. The City could still choose to continue subsidizing the rental rates for community groups.
Potential Solution: Public rents the fields from the District:
The District already has a system in place to rent facilities to the public. If the District were to take over field rentals, groups would simply go to Facilitron to rent field space. This approach could be used in conjunction with the City renting fields from the District, or to supplant it.
Potential Solution: The District maintains the fields at a lower cost: The City’s cost to maintain the fields was $1.2 million in 2019. If the District were to take over the fields, it would cost the District approximately $500,000 a year to maintain. This includes hiring 3 new groundskeepers, equipment, and supplies. In 2019 the City rented the fields out for 20,523 hours. If the District were to charge $24 an hour for a non-profit rental, maintenance of the fields would be cost neutral for the District. This proposed option may also be the most beneficial for tax payers
We welcome the opportunity for continued collaboration with the City and with our community groups.
Respectfully,
Ayindé Rudolph, Ed.D.
Superintendent