A Note from the Superintendent
 With the growing sea of pumpkin orange along our coastal roads, the hint of chill in the late afternoon air, and the Friday night lights of the football stadium, it’s clear: fall has arrived. I find comfort in these seasonal reminders, and as a life-long educator, I am especially fond of the hustle and bustle of a new school year. Our students are certainly as busy as they can be – learning, growing, in some cases, even marching, but with every day, sharpening their skills for future success.
Nurturing safe and supportive environments for our students and the adults who guide and inspire them every day is the focus of this month’s Spotlight. Programs like The Big Lift and SMCOE’s Camp LEAD, initiatives like RESPECT! 24/7 and International Walk to School Day, and the collaborative efforts to solve challenges like educator and workforce housing in San Mateo County all add up to a caring community that values and invests in the potential of every young person. I will continue to enjoy the special beauty of the fall, but the ultimate comfort for me lies in our collective efforts to do all we can every day to provide a high-quality education for every child and young adult in San Mateo County.
Nancy Magee, San Mateo County Superintendent of Schools
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Spotlight in Education: School Staff Housing
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School districts across San Mateo County report that one of the greatest challenges they face in hiring and retaining excellent teachers and staff is the lack of affordable housing. Now, several organizations, school districts, and the County Office of Education are working together to develop solutions to this challenge. They recognize that the education of our county’s youth depends on it.
The lack of affordable housing for school staff is a persistent and growing problem in the county. Research has shown that in almost a third of Bay Area school districts, a first-year teacher would have to spend more than half of their salary to rent a one-bedroom apartment. In San Mateo County, that percentage is even higher. For experienced teachers, a three-bedroom rental unit is unaffordable in every district included in the report except for one. In that case, renting the three-bedroom unit required 30-50 percent of an experienced teacher’s salary. And this is only rental housing. Buying a home in San Mateo County is even more challenging for school staff, unless there is considerable additional income in their household. For early education teachers and staff, the situation is even more grave as their salaries are often considerably lower than those of district employees.
As a result of these conditions, school staff often live outside the county, commuting great distances and incurring stress that impacts both their personal and professional life. Schools and districts often struggle to hire and maintain highly skilled teachers and staff. Who suffers the most? Students.
In this edition of Spotlight, we highlight a variety of innovative efforts underway in the county to help school staff find and afford housing in San Mateo County. These include Jefferson Union High School District’s effort to provide housing to its school staff; the collaborative efforts of the county’s Home For All initiative, which includes representatives of government, education, and non-profits as well as local elected officials; and a new website resource page created by the County Office of Education with assistance from HIP Housing. Please let us know if you would like to join us in these efforts.
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Jefferson Union High School District is developing employee housing.
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Jefferson Union High School’s Proactive Approach
In June 2018, Jefferson Union High School District (JUHSD) became the first school district in the nation to pass a bond measure supporting the development of affordable housing for faculty and staff. These bonds will fund planning, design, site development, and construction. The current district office in Daly City is the site of future homes for more than a hundred faculty and staff.
Plans are moving forward quickly. A builder has been selected, and ground will break in Winter 2020. The four-story development will have at least 100 units offering below market rent to eligible faculty and staff. The first residents may move in as early as Fall 2021.
“Building affordable housing makes the district more competitive in attracting and retaining highly qualified employees,” said Dr. Terry Ann Deloria, Superintendent of Schools for JUHSD. “By paying lower rents, faculty and staff will be more able to save and buy their first home in this current housing climate.”
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Partnerships for Educator and Workforce Housing Task Force at its first meeting.
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New County Task Force Focuses on Partnerships to Address School and Workforce Housing
On October 3rd, the Partnerships for Educator and Workforce Housing Task Force held its first meeting at the Millbrae Library, as part of San Mateo County’s Home for All initiative. The meeting included school superintendents, school board trustees, city council members, and representatives of government agencies and other organizations. San Mateo County Superintendent of Schools Nancy Magee co-hosted the meeting with Jessica Mullin, Program Manager of Home for All; Georgia Jack, Board president, Sequoia Union High School District; Shelly Masur, Member, Redwood City Council; and Armando Sanchez, Executive Director, HEART of San Mateo County.
At the meeting, the group reviewed key statistics on the availability of affordable housing in San Mateo County, discussed how cross-sector partnerships might provide opportunities and challenges to meeting the need for affordable housing, and planned its next steps.
"The Task Force provides us the opportunity to hear diverse perspectives on this multi-layered and complicated issue and then lean in together to propose real solutions,” explained Superintendent Magee after the meeting. "I am excited to see what we can accomplish together."
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Attend Housing Leadership Day
The Housing Leadership Council (HCL), a local advocacy group that works to preserve and expand the range and supply of adequate, accessible, and affordable housing for residents and workers of San Mateo County, is hosting Housing Leadership Day on Friday, October 25th. School staff housing is an important focus of the conference, which will feature State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond as well as breakout sessions addressing a variety of topics related to school staff housing. The event will be held at the College of San Mateo. Register to attend. |
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The County Office of Education provides resources on housing for Peninsula educators.
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Housing Resources for School Staff
The County Office of Education and its partners at HIP Housing have pulled together resources to make it easier for school employees to find housing. The information is included on the County Office of Education’s website. With tabs including Finding an Apartment, Home Sharing, Help with Home Ownership, and Affordable Housing Development, school staff have a variety of up-to-date resources at their fingertips. The County Office hopes this resource can provide additional support to districts and schools in linking their staff to housing resources.
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Students Have a Transformative Experience at Camp LEAD
Camp LEAD is a transformative experience that engages high school students over three days in a series of activities designed to improve understanding and respect among students and foster leadership development. Click on the video link to hear students and faculty share how they were inspired by attending Camp LEAD this past summer.
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San Mateo County
School District Highlights
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Students and their families walk to Roy Cloud Elementary School in the Redwood City School District.
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Schools Participate in International Walk to School Day
Each October, students across the world participate in International Walk to School Day to build healthier habits, create a cleaner environment, promote safety, and improve their community. This year, 48 schools in San Mateo County participated by hosting walking school buses, assemblies, resource fairs, and other events to promote walking and biking to school and improve driver safety.
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Spotlight on SMCOE
Programs and Events
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County Office of Education staff participate in a workshop led by Zoe Weil.
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Zoe Weil Led Workshops in Solutionary Units of Study
The County Office of Education invited educator, author, and long-time humane education pioneer Zoe Weil to lead workshops in developing solutionary units of study, a guiding framework for County Office programs such as the Solutionary Civics in Action Project and the San Mateo Environmental Literacy Collaborative.
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Dr. Phillip Gardiner speaks on how tobacco use negatively affects African American males.
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County Office of Education Hosts Tobacco-Use Prevention Summit
The County Office of Education hosted the Tobacco-Use Prevention Education (TUPE) Summit on September 27th. San Mateo County educators and community partners learned about and discussed strategies to reduce the use of tobacco, vaping, and marijuana among students.
The summit featured guest speaker Dr. Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, professor of adolescent medicine at Stanford University. Dr. Halpern-Felsher is widely known as the founder and Executive Director of the Stanford Tobacco Prevention Toolkit, an online database of resources used by educators to reduce students' use of tobacco and nicotine. Also featured was guest speaker Dr. Phillip Gardiner, Senior Program Officer for the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program at the University of California, who spoke on the impact of menthol and flavored tobacco products on the African American community.
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The Big Lift hosts a panel on strategies to support family participation in the 2020 Census.
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The Big Lift Fall Meeting Focuses on the Importance of the 2020 Census
The County Office of Education hosted The Big Lift's fall collaborative meeting for early childhood educators and service providers on September 27th. The Big Lift is a collective impact initiative led by the County of San Mateo, the County Office of Education, and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation and aims to boost third-grade reading proficiency for students countywide. Participants learned about the positive impact of The Big Lift and discussed ways to encourage and support family participation in the 2020 Census.
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Students at the 2018 Youth Advocacy and Social Summit discuss the importance of Gender Sexuality Alliances (GSAs).
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County Office of Education Recognizes LGBTQ+ History Month and National Hispanic Heritage Month
The County Office of Education endorses October 2019 as LGBTQ+ History Month as a way to recognize the national and international contributions of members of the LGBTQ+ community. It also recognizes September 15th to October 15th as National Hispanic Heritage Month to celebrate the contributions of Latinos to the United States, the county, and our school communities.
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The RESPECT! 24/7 Conference will be held Thursday, October 10.
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Register for These Upcoming Events and Programs
2019 RESPECT! 24/7 Conference
The fourth annual Respect! 24/7 Conference on Thursday, October 10th, will focus on improving school climate with an emphasis on supporting English language learners and newcomers, promoting staff connectedness, and addressing relational violence.
No Such Thing as a Bad Kid
Prominent youth care expert Charlie Applestein will discuss his acclaimed book, No Such Thing as a Bad Kid, at three different events co-hosted by SMCOE. Applestein will share positive principles and techniques on how to build powerful and transforming relationships with children and teens. Event registration is free and open to parents, students, educators, and community members. Simultaneous Spanish interpretation will be available at both evening parent events.
For school administrators, counselors, support staff – October 24, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., Crowne Plaza, Foster City
For parents and community members – October 23, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m., Mills High School
For parents and community members – October 24, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m., Menlo-Atherton High School
Second Annual Youth Advocacy and Social Summit
The second annual Youth Advocacy and Social Summit (YAASS) on Tuesday, November 19th, aims to support the work of LGBTQ+ high school students and their allies to make all high schools safer and more inclusive.
Policy, Partnership & Practice: Intersections for Early School Success
The County Office of Education is co-hosting a conference on Wednesday, November 20th, that is focused on promoting and building effective early learning communities in the Bay Area. School administrators, government officials, and nonprofit leaders are invited to join us to explore how to use policy, partnership, and practice to create successful preschool through third grade programs.
Additional Events and Professional Development
Visit the San Mateo County Office of Education's website for information on additional events and professional development opportunities.
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