Citizens Advisory Committee on Enrollment

• CAC Meeting Report
• Slide Presentation

• CAC Meeting Report
• Slide Presentation

• CAC Meeting Report
• Slide Presentation

• CAC Meeting Report
• Slide Presentation

• CAC Meeting Report
• Slide Presentation

In 2016, the FUHSD Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) was established to study the enrollment needs of FUHSD, with a focus on the declining enrollment of Lynbrook High School. The efforts of the committee resulted in the FUHSD Board of Trustees' approval of a plan to supplement Lynbrook's enrollment. Since that time, enrollment has continued to decline across FUHSD, with other campuses beginning to see the impacts of fewer students. For this reason, Superintendent Graham Clark  decided to reconvene the CAC and continue the work of the group to discuss strategies for balancing enrollment across all five comprehensive high schools beginning in the 2023-24 school year. Strategies that may be considered by the reconvened CAC do not include school closure. An initial outcome of the CAC will be to provide a report to the Board of Trustees at the November 15 Board meeting to enable them to make decisions around enrollment for implementation in the 2023-24 school year.    

While many of the original CAC members will be continuing their service on the committee, applications from other individuals who were interested in joining the committee were solicited in August 2022. Applications were only solicited from individuals living within the Cupertino, Fremont, Homestead and Monta Vista boundary areas, in order to balance the committee membership. The original committee was formed with the highest number of members coming from the Lynbrook High School attendance area, as Lynbrook was most affected by the decline in enrollment at the time of the CAC's forming. For this reason, new applications were not accepted from the Lynbrook community, as the school remains well represented by a strong contingent of members who remain committed to this work. The final selection of new members will be determined in adherence to the goal of forming a committee that is representative of a variety of stakeholders throughout the Fremont Union High School District. 

• Meeting Report
• CAC Update Presentation
• Introduction to Housing Presentation

The Citizens Advisory Committee met on Tuesday, Dec. 19, for their second follow up meeting with FUHSD staff since the conclusion of the CAC’s initial activities in November 2016 and the passage of the Lynbrook Supplemental School Assignment Plan (LSSAP) by the Board on November 15, 2016. The purpose of the meeting was to review the results of the LSSAP for the current school year, determine a recommendation for the Board for the 2018-19 school year in regards to Lynbrook High School enrollment, discuss the need for a long-term plan and gain feedback about how effective communication with community members has been around the issue of enrollment and the work of the CAC. FUHSD staff, including Superintendent Polly Bove, Assistant Superintendent Trudy Gross, Director of Business Services Jason Crutchfield, Manager of Enrollment and Residency Julie Darwish and Principals Maria Jackson and Kami Tomberlain, made a presentation to the group which covered the following topics:

• Summary of applicants and transfers under the LSSAP;
• Effects on the Lynbrook and Cupertino campuses and the students that chose to transfer; and
• Current enrollment numbers.

Demographer Tom Williams also made a presentation on updated enrollment projections for the next five years (refer to page 14 in the presentation below).

CAC members had the opportunity to ask questions throughout the presentation. Following the presentations, CAC members and staff discussed the enrollment data and possible solutions both in the short and long term. A proposal was made to recommend that the Board continue with the LSSAP for a period of up to two years, with a maximum of 90 student transfers per year, to provide time for the District and the CAC to examine potential long-term possibilities and solutions. The CAC members in attendance unanimously approved this proposal, and also made an agreement to continue to work together long-term on the issue of stabilizing enrollment. The CAC's recommendation will be brought to the Board of Trustees at the next regularly scheduled Board Meeting on Jan. 9. A second informational review meeting for the CAC members who were unable to attend the official Dec. 19 meeting was held on Jan. 4.

• Update on the Lynbrook Supplemental School Assignment Plan (LSSAP)
• Meeting Minutes - Dec. 19
• Meeting Minutes - Jan. 4

The Citizens Advisory Committee met on Wednesday, May 24, for their first follow up meeting with FUHSD staff since the conclusion of the CAC’s initial activities in November 2016 and the passage of the Lynbrook Supplemental School Assignment Plan (LSSAP) by the Board on November 15, 2016. FUHSD staff, including Assistant Superintendent Trudy Gross, Director of Business Services Jason Crutchfield, Manager of Enrollment and Residency Julie Darwish and Principals Maria Jackson and Kami Tomberlain, made a presentation to the group which covered the following topics:

• LSSAP resolution as passed by the Board in November;
• LSSAP application and enrollment goals;
• LSSAP communication plan;
• Application results;
• Confirmed transfers by area and school, (also displayed on a map);
• Effects on students that have already transferred; and
• Updated school enrollment projections for the coming school year.

CAC members had the opportunity to ask questions throughout the presentation. There were questions on why some parents had chosen to withdraw their applications to Lynbrook, whether sibling transfers were locked in for the future and whether the latest enrollment projections were showing any different trends. Several members were also interested to know at what point the District might chose to look for a more permanent solution, specifically a boundary change. Staff shared that more time and data will be needed before beginning to think about a different solution. The committee members suggested that the next follow up meeting be held sometime shortly after the 40th day of school when the District’s enrollment numbers have stabilized, in order to have an accurate picture of what is happening at each site.

• Update on the Lynbrook Supplemental School Assignment Plan (LSSAP)
• Meeting Minutes

On Nov. 15, the FUHSD Board of Trustees voted to accept the recommendation of the Citizens Advisory Committee regarding the stabilization of enrollment at Lynbrook High School. Please view this community letter for more information on the adopted recommendation, which was approved via Board Resolution No. 1617-08: Approving a Supplemental School Assignment Plan, and implementation of the plan.

On Wednesday, Nov. 9, the Citizens Advisory Committee presented their findings and recommendations on the issue of enrollment, specifically the declining enrollment at Lynbrook High School, during a special board study session. Members of the community were invited and given the opportunity to share their thoughts and opinions during an open session.

For more information, please view the CAC's presentation.

On October 26, the CAC met for the tenth and final time to review the committee’s final report to the Superintendent and FUHSD Board of Education. The seven-member Communications Subcommittee reviewed the presentation they will be giving to the Superintendent, Board and community members at the November 9 Special Study Session at Fremont High School.

On October 12, the CAC met for the ninth time to finalize the committee’s recommendations to the Superintendent and Board of Trustees. During the last CAC meeting, committee members had a long discussion about possible future need for more definitive solutions to the problem of declining enrollment at Lynbrook High School in the CAC’s final recommendations. Committee members were presented with three different language options by facilitator Minh Le. They then discussed edits and changes to these options, and committee members were given the opportunity to advocate for their preferred option. Committee members subsequently voted on the three language options, but were divided between the three choices (Language Option 1 received 11 votes, Language Option 2 received 11 votes, and Language Option 3 received 8 votes). Mr. Le suggested to the group that a consensus on this additional language was not required, and that all three language options would be incorporated in the final report to the Superintendent and Board of Trustees so that they would be aware of the full range of sentiments from the committee about this question.

The committee then discussed the creation of a Communications Subcommittee. CAC members nominated and subsequently elected seven CAC members. Several additional nominations were made, but those individuals declined. The seven-member subcommittee is tasked with relaying information to the community at large and presenting the CAC’s final report to the Superintendent and Board at a special study session on Wednesday, Nov. 9. At the end of the meeting, Superintendent Polly Bove reviewed the logistics, timing and preparations that would be necessary for the subcommittee to follow in order to have the CAC’s final report ready for the Nov. 9 Board study session. 

Meeting Minutes

The eighth meeting of the CAC provided an opportunity for committee members to submit proposals for a solution to the Lynbrook High School enrollment issue, to advocate for those proposals and vote upon them. Facilitator Minh Le set an ambitious goal for committee members, to achieve a consensus with at least 80% majority vote in recommending an enrollment stabilizing solution. Following the nomination of 8 separate proposals, the committee went through three rounds of voting. Before each vote, committee members were invited to briefly advocate for their preferred proposal. The results of the final round of voting indicated that 76% of the committee supported what was named Proposal A, which was a combination of the following enrollment stabilizing options: Option 7G (All 8th Graders at Miller Middle School have the option to choose to attend LHS), Option 8G (All 8th graders at McAuliffe Middle School have the option to choose to attend LHS) and Option 6 (All 8th Graders in the Hyde Middle School attendance area have the option to apply to attend LHS), with each option implemented concurrently. This did not reach the 80% threshold that the facilitator was looking for. However, together with another compromise solution, Proposal D, an 83% threshold was reached. Proposal D is made up of Option 6 (All 8th Graders in the Hyde Middle School attendance area have the option to apply to attend LHS), Option 7 (All 8th Graders in the Miller Middle School attendance area have the option to apply to attend LHS) and Option 8 (All 8^th graders at McAuliffe Middle School have the option to apply to attend LHS). The next meeting of the CAC will be held on Oct. 12 at which time CAC members will finalize their recommendations regarding the longer term enrollment stabilization of LHS and determine how to present their recommendations to the Superintendent and the Board. 

Meeting Minutes

The seventh meeting of the CAC provided an opportunity for committee members to acknowledge and resolve past dynamics and to continue discussion about possible solutions to the issue of declining enrollment at Lynbrook High School. The committee reviewed the eight available options that have been discussed over the past several meetings and discussed their pros and cons, as well as the various criteria that should be used in choosing a solution(s) and making a recommendation to the Superintendent and the Board of Education. Several proposals were put on the table by members of the committee, however no formal votes were taken. The CAC will reconvene for their next meeting on Sept. 28 to continue working towards consensus on a recommendation to the Superintendent and the Board and to discuss the formation of a Communications Subcommittee that would be tasked with sharing information with the broader community.

Meeting Minutes

The sixth meeting of the CAC provided an opportunity for committee members to review and narrow down enrollment stabilizing options, while considering both practicality and reasonability. Committee facilitator Minh Le revisited some comments made by the district’s Enrollment Projection Consultant Tom Williams, regarding his belief that after the year 2020 a significant decline in enrollment could occur across the entire district. Minh reminded the committee that at this time, this is not yet an official forecast, and if and when that projection shows up within the 5-year forecast window, there will be plenty of time for planning and appropriate strategies to be developed to address that development if necessary. The committee subsequently discussed target setting for the attending enrollment at Lynbrook and arrived at consensus that 1850 is the ideal minimum attending enrollment at this time. Director of Business Services Jason Crutchfield provided a brief overview of class size ratios and the section allocation process, while Associate Superintendent Graham Clark gave a short presentation on the planned school and facilities improvements at Lynbrook from Measure K. The CAC members reviewed the methods available to the district for stabilizing enrollment and discussed the pros and cons of several of these methods. During the course of this discussion, Minh suggested that because community buy-in on a boundary change would be very difficult to achieve at this time, the committee might consider removing this method from consideration. Three CAC members were in disagreement with this motion. Minh recognized the objection from these three members and acknowledged that more discussion was desirable. At the close of the meeting, Minh asked committee members to think further about eliminating from consideration the most contentious “win-lose” methods in preparation for the next meeting of the CAC on Sept. 14. 

• Lynbrook Facilities Improvements Presentation
• Meeting Minutes

The fifth meeting of the FUHSD Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) provided an opportunity for the CAC’s Enrollment Projection Subcommittee to report out to the entire committee on their enrollment data analysis and key findings. This analysis was developed after several subcommittee meetings with internal and external subject matter experts to review and analyze the enrollment data. The subcommittee determined in their key findings that while near-term projections were more accurate than long-term projections and that the accuracy level was not completely uniform across all of the high schools, the best case scenario still indicates that there is a decline in enrollment at Lynbrook and a need to take measures to address this decline. The members of the subcommittee stated that they had verified the enrollment projection methodology and did not believe a second opinion to be necessary. The subcommittee included in their recommendations to the CAC that committee members think of enrollment projections as a range, rather than a single data point and to focus on a solution that would allow flexibility for long-term success.

The district’s enrollment projection consultant Tom Williams also made a presentation to the committee, which included information on enrollment trends throughout the Bay Area, the impact of both new housing and the cost of living/housing prices on student enrollment, trends in FUHSD enrollment over the last decade and data and trends from FUHSD’s two feeder districts – Sunnyvale School District and Cupertino Union School District. FUHSD staff provided information about enrollment and its effect on course options and the levels below which comprehensive education course options are compromised. Following the evening’s presentations, the CAC members were asked to state individual conclusions that suggested a high level of general agreement that more students are needed to boost enrollment at Lynbrook High School in order to maintain a comprehensive high school experience and robust course offerings for all students.

The first five meetings of the CAC up to now have provided an opportunity for members to learn more about FUHSD, accountability requirements and the interdependence of enrollment, funding, staffing and course offerings. Beginning with the next meeting, the committee will begin to consider possible solutions to address the declining enrollment at Lynbrook High School.

• Enrollment Projection Subcommittee Presentation
• Enrollment Projection Consultant Presentation
• Meeting Minutes

The focus of the fourth meeting of the FUHSD Citizens Advisory Committee provided the opportunity for CAC members to more deeply understand the different enrollment options that are available for their consideration, such as area of choice, open enrollment, boundary change, program location or relocation, and intra-district transfers. Attorney Ed Sklar was present to provide legal information about the viability of different enrollment strategies and options. FUHSD Superintendent Polly Bove continued with her practice of participating in a question and answer session with the CAC and at this meeting questions were asked about Proposition 51 (concerning the fees that developers pay to school districts) and an inquiry about whether or not FUHSD was yet in receipt of updated enrollment numbers for this school year. 

• Meeting Minutes
• Staff Presentation

The third meeting of the FUHSD Citizens Advisory Committee provided another good opportunity for CAC members to learn more about FUHSD operations and realities that directly affect enrollment decisions. In this meeting’s question and answer section with Superintendent Polly Bove, questions were asked about the proposed redevelopment at Vallco in Cupertino which ranged from why she agreed to have her photograph included in promotional material about the Vallco project to the parcel taxes that new Vallco units will be required to pay. Polly was also asked about why FUHSD didn’t ask for new high school classrooms instead of space at Vallco. Also included in the meeting was the opportunity for CAC members to learn more about aspects of greatness at each of the five FUHSD high schools. FUHSD staff members made a presentation about a variety of topics including how the funds that FUHSD receives per student compare with neighboring school districts, the sources and distribution of FUHSD funding, section allocation and school capacity information, the benefits of the respectful and productive relationship with FUHSD employee groups, and information about how the FUHSD values guide decisions and prioritization. The next Citizens Advisory Committee is scheduled for August 3.

• Meeting Minutes
• Staff Presentation
• Aspects of FUHSD's Five High Schools
• District Funding Comparison
• Analysis of School Capacities

The work of the Citizens Advisory Committee continues to progress well and the June 8 meeting focused on providing information to familiarize CAC members with the accountability requirements and the constraints under which FUHSD operates. This foundation of information will be essential to know when the CAC contemplates future enrollment recommendations. A regular feature of each CAC meeting is to provide an opportunity for CAC members to ask FUHSD Superintendent Polly Bove questions and Ms. Bove continues to respond to questions in a clear and informative manner. The next CAC meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, June 22 and at that meeting the second part of this FUHSD study session will include information about funding, the interdependence of enrollment, funding, staffing, and course offerings, as well as information about school size, capacity, boundaries, and school facilities.

Meeting Minutes

The first meeting of the Citizens Advisory Committee took place on May 25, 2016. With the exception of one student who was unable to attend, the remaining 35 CAC members were present and accounted for. The meeting was a good opportunity for committee members to introduce themselves and for the CAC to hear the hopes, thoughts, and concerns expressed by individuals. Committee members had the opportunity to participate in a question and answer session with FUHSD Superintendent Polly Bove as well as to more deeply understand the purpose, meeting focus, and expectations of the CAC. The Citizens Advisory Committee is a powerfully diverse community and a dedicated group.

Meeting Minutes

The process for selecting members of the Citizens Advisory Committee has been thorough and unbiased, and the independent facilitator has worked to form a committee that is both diverse and representative of the community. To provide extra assurance that all aspects of this process are beyond reproach, all criteria established by the facilitator have been reviewed and approved by Judge John Flaherty, a retired judge with a history of successful arbitration, mediation, and dispute resolution and with no prior connection to FUHSD or the facilitator.

Based upon this judicial review and approval, the following guidelines were established:

The CAC will have 35 members in order to have diversity of membership and to include more of the many highly qualified applicants.

After looking at the ethnic composition of students from all five high schools, it was determined that approximately one-third of the committee members will be Caucasian and the rest will be Asian and other races. Because there were only two Hispanic and two African American applicants, the Judge agreed that these individuals should be invited to join the CAC to ensure representation from these under-represented groups.

Approximately 40% of the CAC applicants were male and the rest were female. The percentage of male participants should be the same or higher.

Of the 29 voting seats reserved for residents and parents from various FUHSD attendance areas, the following percentages would be used:

Lynbrook High School – 40%

Cupertino High School – 20%

Fremont High School – 20%

Homestead High School – 12%

Monta Vista High School – 8%

Because of their knowledge, experience, working relationships, and the ability to communicate to large numbers of their constituents, there will be a PTSA Council President from Cupertino High School and four PTSA Presidents (one from each of the four other high schools) invited to the CAC. The Judge agreed that because the PTSA Presidents were mostly Caucasian but brought a unique set of qualifications that were important to the success of the CAC, the percentage of Caucasians may go higher than one-third, but not to exceed 40%.

The president of the FUHSD teacher’s union will be a voting member who can speak for FUHSD teachers who are partners in the collective efforts to inspire, motivate, and educate FUHSD students.

Five FUHSD students will share three CAC positions and participate in all CAC discussions but they will not be voting CAC members because they are not yet legal adults.

Two CAC members will be from the FUHSD administration with expertise and experience in District enrollment and school scheduling matters, but these will be non-voting positions.

The five criteria detailed in the fourth question in the ‘Questions and Answers About the Citizens Advisory Committee’ section are of primary importance in the application review process.

Using the above constraints, the CAC facilitator selected members of the CAC and communicated that acceptance via email to those chosen on May ­­­­10. On this date, CAC applicants who were not selected were also informed of that decision and the facilitator offered to continue to keep in communication with them by providing meeting updates and being available to answer questions or hear concerns.

The process for applying to be a member of the FUHSD Citizens Advisory Committee was closed effective April 22, 2016. Over seventy community members applied to be considered for membership in the CAC and each of those who applied has been or will be contacted by the CAC facilitator Minh Le to further discuss their application.

The applications will be thoughtfully and thoroughly reviewed by Mr. Le who in his analysis will utilize the five criteria detailed in the answer to the fourth question in the below section of this website. His selection of committee members and the final makeup of the committee will be reviewed with an independent retired judge who will be asked to affirm the objective and unbiased process used. It is anticipated that final selections will be made and communicated in early to mid-May.