We are proud and humbled to bring together highly-motivated, intellectually curious young women from diverse backgrounds to collaborate within our community. Now they propose that the building be 3 feet taller and even more massive than the previously approved design. They are also increasing underground square footage by adding an additional 36,000 square feet underground. National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS), top 20% of private schools in California for most sports offered, private school tuition across the country, Editorial: Veenker, Lauing, Lythcott-Haims for Palo Alto City Council (2022), Castilleja School claims Palo Alto's move to reduce proposed garage is illegal (2022), On the eve of graduation, high school seniors celebrate with a car parade (2021). Now Castilleja wants to wreck it all with this proposal. Web Link They applied for a variance to keep the same square footage, but they base it on having a large lot. What do YOU think is in this community's best interests? 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"). "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. Threatening the well-being of protected oaks and redwoods; Based on recent reviews by an independent consultant, the city determined that Castilleja has an existing gross floor area of 138,345 square feet. Please include any comments on: The Harker School vs. Castilleja School Varsity Womens' Basketball. I'm pretty sure no neighbor that's not a parent has ever agreed with proposed enrollment increase. Uploaded: Wed, Dec 1, 2021, 3:03 pm A veteran teacher and administrator, Nanci has worked almost exclusively at all-girls schools. Thompson also suggested that the building, in its current iteration, "has a design intent. It still has bearing on the abilities and mindset of the "planners" who could appear to recommend proceeding on Casti without having a complete set of documents on which to base their decisions. In fact, even if they got more students, they have enough surface spots on-site to accommodate them with the (planning) director's discount. Because of the scale of the proposed development in an R1 zoned neighborhood, the project has experienced considerable opposition among neighboring residents. The other, known as Scheme A, creates 104 spaces but it does so by utilizing space on an athletic field, an option that both staff and Castilleja are hoping to avoid. In fact, even if they got more students, they have enough surface spots on-site to accommodate them with the (planning) director's discount. Sign up for the Peninsula Foodist newsletter. March 1, 2023 at 6:20 p.m. St. Ignatius announced Lenny Vandermade as the team's head football coach via a press release on Wednesday. They care about you and your health. This project has been under consideration SINCE 2016 - likely the longest project in Palo Alto history - because the demands keep shifting. Community Calendar Castilleja School. After graduation, 100% of students from this school go on to attend a 4-year college. 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. While emphasis is 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. TownSquare Maybe the Casti parents could start addressing it in their own companies, law firms and vc firms?? 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 uncomfortable as it might be to tell Castilleja NO to the garage, that is the only way to move forward in a way that aligns with the Citys S-CAP goals. 5,490 were here. Here's the new, best answer. Come on, the teachers deserve better than that. "The review process has gone on for long enough" is perhaps the worst argument for approval I've ever seen. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. This is not about education, it is about greed and hubris. Palo Alto: Castilleja School expansion plan, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Alameda County DAs new policy will reduce prison sentences through widespread elimination of sentencing enhancements, Palo Alto: Castilleja School expansion plan held up by parking garage debate, Santa Rosa high school student stabbed to death in classroom, Exactly what I needed: Los Gatos teachers move into affordable units, Teacher at California high school arrested after recording devices found in restroom, California high school scheme used fake documents to get basketball players on team, report says, Stockton elementary school teacher arrested on charge of being intoxicated on campus. I have a lot of empathy for the commission members who volunteer their time to go through hundreds of pages of documents and sit through hours long meetings only to go through it all over again because of an inflexible, vocal minority. All rights reserved. "Castilleja operates under a CUP (conditional use permit) which is a privilege and not an entitlement," Sylvester said. Head of School. Promotions "It's ridiculous. Average ACT composite score out of 36, as reported by Niche users from this school. This is Andie Reed. "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. I have participated in some of the S-CAP meetings. After four years, I have found that the academic rigor has only improved my experience and has never lead to competition between classmates. Related Articles The school has made compromises many of them and it begins to feel like (it) will never be enough. Visitor Info, Send News Tips Best All-Girls High Schools in California, Best College Prep Private High Schools in California. It is responsive and thoughtful. The pursuit of our motto, "Women Learning, Women Leading," has Thank you Castilleja! 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. 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. This is all at a time when accommodations such as Castilleja is seeking need to be made for "overriding public needs" such as affordable housing, which the Castilleja property would be an excellent home for! "We think a 30% increase in enrollment excessive," Reed said in an interview. With sixty girls in one grade, it would seem that competition would be prevalent, especially during the college process. "Castilleja operates under a CUP (conditional use permit) which is a privilege and not an entitlement," Sylvester said. "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.". "The other two alternatives with 52 underground spaces have drawbacks that make them either less feasible or less desirable. A related question to massing of the Kellogg building is Why did the ARB reverse its decision of early this year to approve the Kellogg building design, when NO changes had been made to the design since then? If I were a Republican I would not feel safe voicing that aspect of my identity. I suggest that anyone wishing to comment start off by remembering the feedback from the council earlier this year Web Link as noted at the time on PA Online. Redwood City Pulse, 2023 Palo Alto Online This has taken way too long to resolve, and has cost the school way too much money. and variances that the general public wouldn't receive; @midtownmadness: I call BS that this issue is due to Palo Alto housing problem. To assuage the community's fears about the traffic impacts of its expansion, a key area of concern for council members and project opponents alike, Castilleja is now proposing several new policies to discourage driving near the campus. Because it is not. Are they housing teachers and staff? Vice Mayor Burt co-chairs those meetings so he hears the communitys concerns. Castilleja School Photo #4 - Freshman are introduced to "blinkie bugs" and other hands-on physics expiraments. Because Castilleja needs to provide at least 104 parking spaces to be zone complaint, this means no more than 52 can be below grade, according to staff. 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. This time it's in the form of a planned. Finally, one question about the massing on Kellogg. . Laptop: $1,000 - $2,000 of students and parents agree that the teachers adequately lead and control the classroom. Santa Rosa high school student stabbed to death in classroom I bet you wouldn't be able to fight that project! Express / Weekend Express Castilleja School's revised modernization plan is set for hearings before two Palo Alto city commissions this month. Uploaded: Thu, Dec 9, 2021, 9:43 am This process has continued to devolve, as each time Castilleja changes its plan in deference to the naysayers, those [portion removed] pivot to some other minuscule detail to complain about. Sports So, anyone with the resources to outlast the opposition should prevail? . Privacy Policy 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. Thats legal now. I firmly support Castillejas right to update its campus. Castilleja supporters far outnumbered the critics. Nor is concrete. If some people thought those speeches are unnecessary, they are probably against having the school in Palo Alto in general or else they don't understand the point of the school's proposed modernization. Roy, I'm well aware that the earlier discussion about PTC decision-making wasn't specifically related to Casti but to the "Planning" department's overall performance. and Dudeks 11/17/21 report on Castilleja School Building Survey and Gross Floor Area Assessment. 2. Finding the right school for your child is a major project. "So this plan is quite appropriate for the sustainability and mobility not just for the school but for the city. Here's the new, best answer. Years from now Palo Altans will be proud.. "Additionally, such reduction responds to concerns expressed by some community members about the size of the originally proposed structure.". Alcheck asked his colleagues. In 2009, Castilleja was given the highest accreditation rating by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Castilleja is a non-profit institution. "There's a lot of breaks happening in its faade, there's a lot of void. "If Castilleja really wants 500 to 600 students, it's time to move or open another campus like so many others do. Because current floor area is significantly in excess of what's allowed when you tear down 5 buildings to be replaced by 1 building, that's why they need a Variance. Special Pubs 1. ""It's doing something that is really powerful and I want to emphasize that," Thompson said. 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. Time to read: about 5 minutes. He graduated from the University of North Texas with a degree in print/digital reporting and a minor in political science and German. real-world experiences, which develop in each student the skills Process, finger-pointing and arcane arguments should never be allowed to obsucre common sense. Niche users from this school are most interested in the following colleges. non-sectarian all-girls middle and high school in the San Francisco Despite all that, deep pockets, and an army of experts, repeated trips to the drawing board are not resulting in a viable expansion plan. 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