Thank you for your interest in the Mill Valley Middle School Renovation topic. This page has been created to keep our community informed on this very important topic as our Board of Education continues along with the decision-making process. Please visit this page frequently, as we will continue to keep it updated with current, factual information. Thank you!

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Mill Valley Middle School Fact Sheet

Below are the current conceptual design options:

Concept A                                       Concept B                                                                                                                                                             

Concept C                                           Concept C2                                                                                                                                                   

Superintendent’s Update On the Mill Valley Middle School Renovation

Dear Mill Valley Families and Community,

On behalf of the Mill Valley School District Board of Trustees, I would like to share an important update regarding the future of Mill Valley Middle School. After extensive deliberation and thoughtful consideration of feedback garnered from our community, our Board directed staff to plan the Mill Valley Middle School (MVMS) Measure G renovation project on the current middle school site and not the district property adjacent to the middle school known as Friends Field.  

This decision was not an easy one, nor was it reached without careful examination and analysis of multiple critical elements. It feels important to emphasize that this decision is firmly rooted in four guiding principles:

1. Student Well-Being and Academic Success: This is our North Star. We hold an unwavering commitment to the achievement of our scholars. Every decision we make is with their best interests at heart. This community deserves for its youngest generation to have access to the resources and environment necessary for them to experience education at the highest level.
2. Community Engagement: We listened - attentively - to all of the voices in our community. Our educational partners, our families, and our local politicians, taking into account their concerns, feedback, and desires. Collaboration, inclusivity, equity, and parity of voice have been at the forefront of our decision-making process since the beginning, reflecting our commitment to honoring the diverse set of perspectives that exist within our community.
3. Planning and Timeline: This decision is grounded in strategic planning and scheduling so that the District can continue to meet the needs of our students while also maintaining the highest standards of quality and excellence. Our plan includes careful coordination of purchasing materials, ordering temporary classrooms, and other logistical considerations to help ensure a seamless and safe transition throughout the construction process. 
4. Cost-Effectiveness and Sustainability: We recognize our responsibility to the taxpayers of this community who have entrusted us with the public funds allocated with the passing of Measure G. Throughout this process, we have carefully evaluated the overall cost of this project and explored various cost-saving measures to minimize financial impact while still delivering a high-quality, state-of-the-art educational facility. 

Also, important to note is that it had become abundantly clear that there would be concerted efforts to involve the District in costly litigation, which would inevitably delay construction, increase the cost of the overall renovation project, and take away from the financial savings that would benefit students - regardless of whether such challenges had any merit. Ultimately, the benefits did not outweigh the litany of community concerns.

To avoid any ambiguity going forward, district staff are working with legal counsel to ensure the District's access to and ability to use land it has owned for the last five decades for equitable usage for the benefit of the entire Mill Valley community. Ultimately, Friends Field remains the property of Mill Valley School District; any suggestion to the contrary is simply inaccurate and lacks legal substantiation. Meetings are also being planned with the City team to explore how to support our students and community as we begin the renovation of the Mill Valley Middle School campus. 

MVSD’s vision statement says that our learning community is dedicated to developing globally-minded, compassionate, resilient, and courageous students to learn and lead change in their world. The building of a new middle school in Mill Valley is a major step in the right direction as we look to realize that vision.

Thank you to the community for your ongoing support and engagement as we navigate this important journey.

Best,

Elizabeth Kaufman, Superintendent, Mill Valley School District

Dear MVSD families, I hope everyone enjoyed a restful and rejuvenating mid-winter break! We are looking forward to welcoming our more than 2,300 students back to school on Monday, February 26. Can you believe there are less than four months remaining in the 2023-2024 school year? This is a great time to remind your students about the importance of bringing their absolute best selves - both academically and socially - to school each and every day.

I would also like to take this opportunity to share some information about a topic that has been the source of many important conversations in our community as of late - the Mill Valley Middle School construction project.

Below, you will find my video “Superintendent’s Message” on the Mill Valley Middle School construction project, as well as a few links that provide important facts and additional context and clarity around this issue. Our goal is to ensure that our community is not only well-informed but that MVSD is as transparent and inclusive as possible throughout this process.

Click below to play the Superintendent’s Video Message on the Mill Valley Middle School construction project.

On behalf of our Board of Trustees, I want to thank you for being such informed and dedicated partners to our District and for your profound commitment to ensuring that we do what’s right for our most precious members of our community - our children.

Mill Valley Middle School

Construction Options Update

Input From Our Community

Last night's Measure G Community Forum witnessed an impressive turnout from diverse stakeholders, showcasing a strong commitment to our community's future. Over 100 people attended in-person and online, and attendees voiced thoughtful questions and contributed insightful comments regarding the Measure G Mill Valley Middle School renovation options. To reiterate, no decision has been made on the location of the new Mill Valley Middle School. 

The district is grateful for the active participation and engagement displayed by attendees, reflecting the varied perspectives that enrich our community. The project management team was able to answer many questions, and absorbed feedback and input from the community.  The questions and comments submitted underscore the collective dedication to ensuring that future developments align with our shared vision for education in Mill Valley.  It is clear the community sees that replacing the 52-year-old facility with a contemporary campus is an investment in our students and their future.   The recording of this meeting, and other Measure G Community Forums, can be found on our website.

The Board will evaluate the three construction options being presented using four key criteria:

• Educational Value/Teaching and Learning - Revitalized infrastructure designed to facilitate future learning needs with a long term vision of a school to last generations;
• Cost - Board responsibility to consider all financial implications as their fiduciary duty;
• Timeline - Obtain and review necessary reports to make informed decisions and avoid cost escalations
• Community Voice - Communication through letters written to LetterstotheBoardofTrustees@mvschools.org and during the Public Comment portion of our Board Meetings (Tuesday, February 27, and Thursday, March 7, 2024).

Mill Valley Middle School Reconstruction

Join the Discussion

Hear the facts. Ask questions. Share ideas.

The Mill Valley community is invited and encouraged to attend a community forum on Tuesday, February 13^th, 5-7PM at the Mill Valley Middle School Library. The purpose of the gathering is to continue to provide the local community with information regarding options for reconstructing the Mill Valley Middle School (made possible thanks to the passage of Measure G in November, 2022), along with the opportunity to ask questions.

The Board is considering three options. Two involve construction on the current site and the third option involves construction on the Friends Field property. This third option has created some concern in the community.

The option to construct on Friends Field was introduced after learning that the District owns the property. This, combined with the potential construction cost savings and minimal disruption to the students and staff during the construction process obligated the Board to research this option.

While no decision has been made, the Board of Education gave direction to research this possibility as one of the options, and will continue to assess the options on the two sites (the second site is the existing middle school site) based on the following criteria:

• Teaching and Learning -- optimal instructional facilities for students and staff; 
• Cost and Timeline – including all information on environmental studies and mitigation; and 
• Community Input and Impact – allow the community to provide input into the process while understanding the impact on the broader community of constructing on either site.

Please join the Community Meeting (in-person or on Zoom) to hear the facts and ask your questions. We also invite you to visit our website for factual information about the MVMS reconstruction process. The site includes background information, timeline for decision-making, and a set of frequently asked questions.

We hope to see you there!

Mill Valley Board of Trustees Researching Possible Use of Field for Reconstruction

No Decision Made. Research Continues to Support an Informed Decision.

Renovation and upgrading Mill Valley Middle School was discussed by the Board of Trustees at last night’s Board meeting, and the Board confirmed its support to continue researching the possibility of construction on the field adjacent to school property and the Mill Valley Community Center and expressed its deep commitment to consider the community’s voice and concerns regarding the use of this space. The Board approved a budget of $130 million for campus renovation.

The Board and Superintendent stressed in the meeting that no decision has been made to construct on the field, however, they are researching this option. Given that the District owns the property, they have a fiduciary responsibility to examine the possibility of field use.

Three options for MVMS reconstruction are being researched. Two involve renovation on the current footprint and the third considers use of the field. All three are being researched by the staff who plan to present findings and recommendations to the Board in its March 7^th regular meeting of the Board.

The Board directed that the research and findings must prioritize educational value to the students, noting the importance of using Measure G funds to create a contemporary learning facility in support of teaching and learning to benefit students today and tomorrow.   Additional criteria include cost, timeline, and community input. As part of the cost and timeline analysis, District staff will work with experts to conduct an environmental review, assess safety concerns, considerations for traffic and community impacts.

Educational Value

The Board of Trustees’ Mission - A Steering Committee was established at MVMS so administration, faculty and staff can share their thoughts on optimal teaching and learning environments.  The Steering Committee will be meeting on February 13.  

Community Voice

Many community members attended the meeting urging the Board to protect the field and maintain its current use. The Board fully recognizes and respects that members of the community are deeply concerned by the thought of losing the field, which they recognize is a greatly appreciated community space. The Board is resolute in its commitment to consider the community’s viewpoints when they study the feasibility of building on the field. Interested community members are encouraged to attend the Community Engagement Meeting on February 13^th. Details can be found here.

Transparency - Board Special Meeting

In late February, the Board will meet in a special, single-topic meeting to receive and review input from the Steering Committee and Community Engagement Meeting.  Once the date is determined for the meeting, it will be shared with the public.

Measure G Investing in Our Schools, Our Students, Our Future

Community members are encouraged to visit the District’s website to follow the District’s progress with Measure G projects in general and MVMS updates, specifically.

I would like to take this opportunity to update our community on the issue regarding the Mill Valley Middle School renovation. We are receiving a great deal of communication from our community regarding the Board of Trustees' direction to explore the possibility of using the Friends Field for the middle school reconstruction and I want to provide you with some important facts.

This topic is on the February 8th Board Meeting agenda, and because our community is sharing their interest in this subject, I wanted to be sure to let you know, as always, the public is welcome to attend the meeting in person or on Zoom.

As background, the Board learned that millions could possibly be saved if the reconstruction utilized the field, therefore they had a fiduciary obligation to ask our staff to explore this option. 

The Board gave direction to explore, not to build.

I want to be very clear that the Board has not given direction to use the field for permanent or temporary middle school facilities. Rather, the direction was to explore the feasibility of two site location options for the reconstruction of Mill Valley Middle School, with further direction that we would need to see and understand costs, timelines, impacts on teaching and learning, as well as impacts on the broader community as part of our decision-making process.

NO DECISION on the site location for the reconstruction of the Mill Valley Middle School will be made in February. In order to maintain our construction timeline and avoid escalating costs, the Board anticipates making its decision on the middle school site location at the March 7, 2024 Board meeting. 

As part of the Board’s commitment to hear thoughts, questions and ideas from the community, a community outreach forum is scheduled for 5:00 - 7:00 pm on February 13, 2024. It will be held at the Mill Valley Middle School. Participants may also attend via Zoom.

We continue to appreciate community engagement and feedback.  Please reach out to the Board through letterstotheboardoftrustees@mvschools.org.  Be assured that all communications received from the community are shared with the Board. As appropriate, communications are also shared with our Measure G design team.

We have also created this web page where our community can go for current information.  As always, thank you for your support of our schools, students, staff and families.

Respectfully,

Elizabeth Kaufman

Presentation from February 1 & 8, 2024

Presentations from February 8, 2024