A Note from the Superintendent

Welcome to the 2020-21 school year – a school year that promises to be like no other. To begin, after San Mateo County joined the State’s COVID-19 monitoring list, all of its TK-12 schools – public, private, and charter – are now required to start the school year with distance learning. Schools quickly put on hold their carefully developed plans for hybrid and in-person learning and turned their attention to providing all students with high-quality distance instruction. Fortified with specialized training and experience gained during the spring and summer, teachers are entering their online classrooms with more confidence, skills, tools, and awareness of what it takes to provide engaging instruction via digital platforms.
 
Many schools are anticipating they will be able to get students on campus sometime soon. This could take place through one of three ways: a waiver process, a change in the county’s monitoring list status, or special State authority to bring back small groups of students.
 
Through a waiver process, co-created by the San Mateo County Office of Education and San Mateo County Health, those schools with TK-6th grade students can apply to bring students on campus for in-person instruction. The waiver application was released today, and if early indications are correct, demand for the waivers, especially among private schools, will be strong.
 
Once San Mateo County is off the State’s monitoring list for 14 consecutive days, all schools have the option to reopen to in-person learning while continuing to implement the Four Pillars for a safe return to school. This is of greatest interest to schools serving middle and high school students.
 
The third option is also in the hands of the State, as it announced earlier this month that it would provide conditions under which in-person instruction and services for small sets of students would be permissible. This might include students with special needs or those for whom online learning is extremely challenging. Guidance on this is expected any day.
 
If that seems confusing, imagine what it is like to run a school or school district these days. You have very little information that is always changing and no shortage of strong, and often conflicting, opinions about the right approach. So, when you get the chance, be sure to thank your school leaders. They are doing everything in their power to do the right thing for our county’s students and families.

Nancy Magee, San Mateo County Superintendent of Schools

San Mateo County Highlights

Throughout the spring and summer, the County Office of Education worked closely with its many partners to help schools meet the needs of students so they could continue to learn and feel supported. In this edition of Spotlight, we highlight four of these initiatives, including the Pandemic Recovery Framework, the COVID-19 Education Partnership, the Distance Training for Educators partnership, and the Wireless Connectivity for Students project. We are deeply grateful for our partners and all they do to serve the children and youth of San Mateo County.

San Mateo County Pandemic Recovery Framework

The Pandemic Recovery Framework provides guidance on physical distancing and other health protocols.

The San Mateo County Pandemic Recovery Framework (PRF) has provided school leaders with the health, education, and legal guidance needed to develop local plans for a smooth return to in-person instruction and learning after campus closures in response to community spread of COVID-19 beginning in March 2020.
 
Based on science and public health best practices, the PRF is aligned with and reflects California Department of Public Health, California Department of Education, and San Mateo County Health guidance. The PRF centers on the Four Pillars for a safe return to school – health and hygiene, face coverings, physical distancing, and limiting gatherings – and operationalizing equity, specifically calling on schools to develop their plans around their students with the most urgent learning needs.
 
The San Mateo County Superintendent of Schools, leaders from San Mateo County Health, school district superintendents and staff, and members of the San Mateo County Counsel’s Office collaborated on drafting the Framework. The Steering Committee of the county's Coalition for Safe Schools and Communities and members of San Mateo County School Boards Association reviewed the Framework and provided recommendations.

COVID-19 Education Partnership

San Carlos School District staff prepare devices for students (courtesy of San Carlos School District).

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent shelter-in-place orders had a significant impact on students and their families, affecting their ability to continue learning, access food, and manage stress. School districts faced the challenges of providing support for distance learning, nutritional, mental health, and other essential needs to students and their families. The Silicon Valley Community Foundation and Genentech, in partnership with the San Mateo County and Santa Clara County Offices of Education, stepped up to help students and their families with the establishment of the COVID-19 Education Partnership. Designed to expand the local capacity of school districts to address the extraordinary educational and mental health needs of students as efficiently as possible, districts felt the positive impact of the Partnership immediately.

Grants from the COVID-19 Education Partnership allowed the Pacifica School District to continue serving breakfast and lunch during the summer months to students in need and provide Chromebooks to students. Jefferson Elementary School District was able to provide students with technology, including Chromebooks, for use in distance learning. The La Honda-Pescadero Unified School District connected families with academic tutoring, food distribution, mental health services, as well as orientation programs for middle school students and their families.

Distance Instruction Training for Educators

San Mateo County educators participated in distance instruction training programs this summer.

During the summer, the County Office of Education and San Mateo County Community College District (SMCCCD) jointly launched a series of training programs for teachers across the county to help them deepen their skills in online instruction. More than 350 TK-12 teachers participated in the summer program, which was offered in three two-week sessions.
 
A cadre of experts from organizations as well as Bay Area distance learning educators delivered the program, which was tailored specifically for TK-12 teachers. The training sessions combined SMCCCD’s extensive experience in developing and delivering online education with the County Office of Education's deep content and pedagogical knowledge to create a comprehensive training program for teachers of all grades. 
 
Teachers' post-survey results showed they found the training exceptionally useful and demand for the training remains high. School districts continue to seek out this partnership training to provide teachers with additional confidence and skills to deliver high-quality distance instruction.

Wireless Connectivity for Students 

The County of San Mateo County partners with local school districts to improve students' internet connectivity.

The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors supported a new and innovative partnership with local school districts that will bring high-speed internet access to thousands of students in rural communities and low-income households. The initiative will provide connectivity options for students who do not have ready access to the internet, a basic requirement to participate successfully in distance learning.
 
To accomplish this ambitious goal, the County is teaming up with Ravenswood City, La Honda-Pescadero Unified, Redwood City, and Sequoia Union High school districts to quickly deploy wireless connectivity to communities where students lack high-speed internet access in their homes.
 
Superintendent Magee is working with a group of community leaders to explore options for sustaining and expanding this program across the county.

San Mateo County
School District Highlights

New Superintendents in San Mateo County

Pictured from left to right: Dan Deguara, Chris Mount-Benites, Debra French, and José Espinoza.

Four San Mateo County school districts welcomed new superintendents this summer. Each superintendent brings a wealth of experience and deep commitment to serving students.

DAN DEGUARA - Belmont-Redwood Shores School District
Superintendent Deguara has 25 years of educational experience, having served as a classroom teacher, elementary and middle school site administrator, and assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction in the Evergreen School District in San José. He holds an M.A. in Educational Administration, a B.S. in Psychology, and a B.A. in Liberal Studies, all from Santa Clara University.

CHRIS MOUNT-BENITES - Burlingame School District
Superintendent Mount-Benites has served as a teacher, site administrator, district administrator, and associate superintendent in multiple districts. He received a School Business Management certificate from the University of Southern California and earned an M.A. in Educational Administration from CSU Dominguez Hills, an M.A. in European and Asian History from SUNY Cortland, and a B.A. in Secondary Education and History from SUNY Oswego.

DEBRA FRENCH - Millbrae School District
Superintendent French has 28 years of experience in public education and has served as a teacher, principal, assistant superintendent of educational services, assistant superintendent of human resources, and superintendent. She earned a B.A. in Communications from CSU Fullerton, and an M.A. in Elementary Education and an M.A. in Organizational Management from the University of La Verne.

JOSÉ ESPINOZA - San Bruno Park School District
Superintendent Espinoza has been an educator for 24 years, serving as a teacher, site administrator, director of English learner services, and associate superintendent. He holds a B.A. in Political Science and Rhetoric from UC Berkeley and an M.A. in Education Leadership and Administration from CSU Fresno, and is on track this year to complete a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership at UC Davis.

Looking Ahead at SMCOE

Upcoming Events and Programs

Legal Aspects of 504 and Distance Learning

The County Office of Education is hosting Dora Dome, Esq., to assist school districts in understanding the legal aspects of 504s and distance learning. She will discuss what is required, the eligibility process, and how to think about accommodations for students in this uncertain time. The event is Monday, August 24, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Register here.

Future of History

Save the date for the Future of History Conference, which will focus solely on embedding Social/Emotional Learning (SEL) and LGBTQ/Sexual Orientation Gender Identity (SOGI) into school curriculum and culture. The conference will be held over several days from October 19 to 22, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. daily. Registration link is coming soon.

Additional Events and Professional Development
Visit the San Mateo County Office of Education's website for information on additional events and professional development opportunities.

• Events Calendar