ECDC Facilities Use Study

One exciting aspect of the relocation of TK / K from ECDC back to Village Main involves finding ways to maximize the ECDC facility to benefit our District and the community of Coronado.  To this end, we are committed to involve shareholders in a study which will guide our decision-making. Some considerations that we wish to explore:

1. Expansion of existing CUSD pre-school and child-care program

2. Lease Agreements with outside agencies

3. Partnerships with outside agencies (EG: Colleges, Training Programs, Navy, City, etc.)

An application encouraging involvement in the study was sent to all shareholders in Coronado last month. Twenty-five volunteers expressed interest to join the study and the first team meeting was held on Thursday, May 30th, at 5PM in the CUSD Board Room. The team, comprised of parents, community members, staff, and Governing Board members, participated in a brainstorming session designed to elicit creative and ‘outside of the box’ ideas on potential uses of the space. This activity generated a variety of considerations worthy of exploration. The committee was then introduced to the software platform ‘Thoughtexchange’ to be used to solicit similar ideas for use of the space by engaging our entire community (students, staff, parents, etc.). Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties, the team was unable to participate in a Thoughtexchange during the meeting. Instead, all 25 participants were sent a link on May 31st to help CUSD staff ‘pilot’ the platform.

Thoughtexchange was built on and continues to be inspired by sound social research theories. Unlike traditional listening tools such as town halls, focus groups, and surveys, Thoughtexchange’s large scale, online email-based process leverages the power of group intelligence and the principles of collaborative negotiation, to engage communities in a meaningful way that's both effective and efficient.

Thoughtexchange helps organizations engage with shareholder communities to gain buy in and inform critical decision, by bringing empowered communities together to work toward common solutions. Stakeholders share their thoughts, star the ideas of others that resonate with them, and discover what matters most to the group. Thoughtexchange has been successfully used by hundreds of organizations for community engagement, collaborative planning, district reconfiguring / restructuring, facilities review, and more.

The study team will distribute a Thoughtexchange link to shareholders in mid-June with the goal of engaging our entire community in the potential uses of our ECDC space. This process will identify which ideas matter most to our community, determine the feasibility of those ideas, and direct team efforts in developing those ideas for consideration.

Preparing Instructional Spaces

Working in collaboration with Village Elementary staff and our Maintenance and Operations team, the two vacant classroom spaces in the 100 (First Grade) pod will be ‘move in ready’ prior to the last day of school. Our first grade teachers who will occupy theses instructional spaces provided feedback and suggestions to the Director of M & O to ensure a smooth and successful transition. The two will begin moving out of the 700 pod in June and all five 1st grade teachers will begin school year 2019-20 in the 100 pod.

Traffic Study

Representatives from the Coronado Police Department, Governing Board, and community met twice in May to observe morning and afternoon traffic patterns at Village Elementary School. These observations have provided valuable insights on how to mitigate existing congestion (pedestrian and auto) during pick up and drop off times in/around Village Elementary. With proposed alignment of instructional minutes for school year 2019-20, the timing of this study is critical as all grade levels will share the same release time. Logistics will include additional staffing supports during peak times, expanding ‘curbside host’ program to include H Ave, and designating additional entry/exit access. A comprehensive report outlining these changes will be sent to VES parents prior to the first day of school in August.