Finances key focus for Menlo Park schools Finances key focus for Menlo Park schools (January 19, 2005)

By Marjorie Mader

Almanac Staff Writer

Carol Orton, who recently took over the gavel from Bruce Ives as board president of the Menlo Park City School District, sees the financial front as a top priority on a very full agenda for the year ahead.

"We will continue to closely monitor the budget to assess how it may be impacted by ongoing fiscal issues at the state level and to ensure continued growth of revenue at the local level, " she said.

Spiraling special education costs and their impact on the budget is a critical aspect of the district's financial picture, said Ms. Orton. The challenge, she said, will be to carefully analyze the costs of special education and to design high quality programs that are cost effective.

"To ensure the highest quality of instruction for our students, we will continue a major focus on professional development," said Ms. Orton, citing the Teacher Excellence Initiative, launched through the Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation's endowment.

The district also will analyze the results of the kindergarten program study, including the pilot "full day" kindergarten program at Oak Knoll School, to determine the best practice and optimal configuration, she said.

On the facility front, Ms. Orton sees the district completing development of a financial and facility plan to replace portable classrooms and possibly develop other multi-use facilities. The addition and renovation to the district office on the Encinal School site is expected to be completed this spring.

In the nuts and bolts department, the district is moving toward database decision-making and increased accountability by developing its technological data-warehousing program.

"We will continue our efforts to improve all communications internally to parents and the community," said Ms. Orton.

Elected to the school board in 2002, Ms. Orton is a former president of the Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation and an attorney.

Trustees Terry Thygesen and Bruce Ives have begun their second four-year term on the governing board. They were unopposed.

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