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CityView A round-up
of Palo Alto government action this week
City Council (Nov. 7)
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Page 8 • November 11, 2016 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com
Bridge: The council approved a design for the new U.S. Highway 101 overpass at Adobe Creek. Yes: Unanimous Fees: The council approved revisions to the city’s fine schedule, which includes a new fine of $2,500 per day for violations of “planned community” zoning conditions. The fine, which could be raised to $5,000 a day if violations persist, would pertain to Edgewood Plaza, where the developer has not been able to provide the required grocery store. Yes: Unanimous
Planning and Transportation Commission (Nov. 9)
Housing: The commission discussed recently conducted traffic speed surveys and considered updates to the zoning code that would help the city implement the policies in its Housing Element. Action: None
News Digest Community discusses renaming schools Four panelists with diverse expertise relating to history, race, education, social justice and ethics urged the Palo Alto Unified School District at a town-hall meeting Monday night to think about a current debate over whether to rename three of its school sites as an educational opportunity and potential catalyst for deeper change. The panelists provided historical context about the three namesakes in question for their prominence in the eugenics movement — David Starr Jordan, Lewis M. Terman and Elwood Cubberley — as well as their perspectives on how these histories impact students today, particularly students of color. Tony Platt, a University of California, Berkeley affiliated scholar described the long-lasting impact of eugenics, including sterilization, immigration restrictions and a belief that some races, religions and identities are inferior compared to others. Joseph Brown, associate director of Stanford University’s Diversity and First Generation Office, urged the community to seize the renaming discussion as an opportunity to seriously examine the school district’s larger strategies around inclusion, equity and diversity. Mary Rorty, a clinical associate professor at the Stanford Medical Center and fellow at the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics, responded that “changing names doesn’t solve problems; it might make it easier to pretend they don’t exist.” Platt acknowledged that those in the community who oppose renaming have connections to the generations of history and community linked to the names of these institutions. “It’s a very difficult process to change decades and generations of doing things in a particular way, and I understand why there’s a lot of resistance to that,” Platt said. “But it’s also an opportunity to reset the values and goals and aspirations of an institution,” Platt added. The committee’s next meeting is Monday, Nov. 14, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the district office, Room A, 25 Churchill Ave. Q — Elena Kadvany
Paly pushes back on board’s GPA decision Despite a unanimous school board vote to report weighted grade point averages (GPAs) on current high school seniors’ mid-year transcripts earlier this week, Palo Alto Unified School District Superintendent Max McGee and Palo Alto High School Principal Kim Diorio wrote in an email to the board Thursday, Nov. 4, that administrators are “reconsidering the necessity” of doing so. Paly will not be sending transcripts with weighted GPAs to schools that seniors applied to early unless students make a written request, Diorio wrote in a message sent to students. Staff plans to bring a new short-term proposal to the next board meeting on Nov. 15, despite the fact the board approved a short-term solution — report the weighted GPAs for current seniors in January, and determine a longer-term plan later on — on Tuesday. McGee stated that adding weighted grades to seniors’ transcripts “is not in the best interest of several students.” Three petitions were started before the meeting to support weighted GPAs, and another in opposition was launched the day after the meeting. McGee wrote in his memo that he will make a recommendation to the board on what the district should report on students’ transcripts in the long-term before April 1. Q — Elena Kadvany