Education

By Charles Stone

Belmont must work hand-in-hand with its public and private education partners to ensure mutual success.

A city's relationship with its education partners is symbiotic. Great schools attract thriving families and draw students from other cities into our town along with consumer dollars for our shops and businesses. But our schools need our support in order to meet, and surpass, our high expectations. Our leaders and residents must embrace our education community and treat our public and private schools as integral members of the Belmont "family."

In order to succeed, we need "Ohana." Literally translated, "Ohana" means "family," but the word means something much deeper. "Ohana" is a broader understanding of family and extends to embrace those that are intertwined in a community. The term emphasizes that these "families" are bound together by interrelationships and must cooperate with and remember one another to prosper.

A thriving education community is an integral part of Belmont. Sometimes, our existing education partners will need to re-build or expand. When this happens, they need engaged partners willing to work hand-in-hand with them to find solutions that accommodate their needs while preserving our open space and suburban character. And when outstanding new schools choose Belmont as a home, we must weigh their proposals fairly and thoughtfully with "Ohana" in mind.

Belmont-Redwood Shores School District (BRSSD) provides education for a growing number of Belmont's residents (this year enrollment was almost 3,600 students and its growing.) The district is made up of six unique elementary schools (Redwood Shores, Cipriani, Central, Fox, Nesbit, and Sandpiper) and one top-notch middle school. Each of our schools has excellent statewide testing scores but, more importantly, each offers a nurturing environment rich in the spirit of "Ohana." Each of our schools has succeeded in creating a community family led by hard working administrators and supported by dedicated staff, inspiring teachers, and involved parents.

But our public schools are facing challenges. While education funding has been steadily decreasing, BRSSD's enrollment has been steadily increasing. Because BRSSD has been a "basic aid" district, it has not received any additional funds for the additional students. BRSSD can only continue to meet our community's standards (and continue to attract successful families looking for high quality public education) if the broader community demonstrates "Ohana." Our district is lucky to have a thriving education foundation that helps support key programs. I am proud that I have worked hard as the endowment chair of that foundation to help raise millions of dollars for our schools.

We must also remember to nurture the private school members of Belmont's education community. Serendipity, Notre Dame Elementary, Belmont Oaks, IHM, Notre Dame High School, Charles Armstrong, and NDNU are all important parts of the educational fabric of Belmont as are our many pre-schools. Our leaders and community must include them in our vision for the future and help them succeed wherever and whenever possible.

We all have a vested interest in our schools because we all benefit from students who will grow into well-informed, involved, ethical, and successful young women and men. Strengthening these bonds that already tie us together can only lead to better outcomes. Working together to help our public and private schools continue to shine will help ensure that the Belmont of tomorrow truly is a better Belmont.