The Latest

Update as of March 19, 2025

Many families are wondering about the latest MVMS renovation project timeline and news. Parents are making important decisions in the next few months, so here is our best effort to consolidate the available information. We hope the District will update its website soon to clarify the project timing and next steps.

The Marin Independent Journal helpfully published an article yesterday about the new project timeline – “Mill Valley District Expands Middle School Site Options.” The article says that the draft environmental impact report (the “EIR”), expected last month, will be delayed until this summer, with Superintendent Kaufman saying “a public hearing could be held in late July.” She went on to say, “we want to design the best possible project for our students, parents and the larger community — one that accounts for the environmental, sea-level rise and air quality concerns we have heard from our parents.” That’s wonderful, definitely shared goals! (for reference, here is more info about the specific concerns we’re hearing from parents: toxic soils, the smell, the noise, and sea level rise).
At the MVMS parent orientation session in February 2025, the MVMS Principal and a representative from the school board confirmed that the next academic year, 2025-26, will be a normal year at MVMS, meaning students will be in the current facilities. Beyond next year, it’s harder to say, and we don’t want to speculate. Keep reading, though, to understand the next steps.
Although the EIR is now expected in July 2025, we likely won’t have to wait that long to see the results of the soil samples that were taken in November 2024. The Department of Toxic Substances Control website says the Preliminary Endangerment Assessment Report (the “PEA”) is due May 15, 2025. The PEA is the first step, before the EIR, in identifying whether a release or threatened release of a hazardous waste/substance/material has occurred, estimating the potential risk to public health and the environment, evaluating whether immediate response is needed to reduce the risk, and determining if further action/investigation is needed.
How much time will there be between the PEA and the EIR? How does this all sequence together? In December 2024, Superintendent Kaufman visited the elementary school sites, and provided the following timeline, which is now out of date, but which at least shows the sequence of steps and approximate time between each step. It would be super helpful to have an updated version of this.

The first two items are complete. The Department of Toxic Substances Control approved the Workplan in October 2024, meaning it approved the plan for how and where to take the various soil samples. The soil sampling thus proceeded in November 2024 and is now complete. This chart shows about 3-4 months between the PEA report and the draft EIR review period. So, if the PEA report is now due May 15, then the EIR review period would presumably occur 3-4 months later, in mid-August or mid-September. Why is the EIR being accelerated to July? That would mean this significant and time-sensitive public comment period will occur over summer break, when many families are away and unable to attend school board meetings. We would urge the District (and DTSC) to reconsider this and move the EIR public comment period to Fall 2025 when more families can meaningfully participate.

At the January 30, 2025 Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee meeting, the District reported the following:

We are glad to hear the District is considering other interim housing options that at least partially leverage existing District facilities. We hope this signals a willingness to consider a plan that avoids housing students directly next to the hazardous construction site. This shift appears consistent with the District statements in the Marin IJ article discussed above. These are promising developments!

We’ll keep our eyes out for the PEA, the EIR, and any timeline updates from the District.

More to come!

Update as of December 5, 2024

Marin Independent Journal Publishes “Mill Valley School District Reshapes Bond Oversight Panel” — The article discusses the District’s recent bylaws change to establish staggered terms and eliminate any alternates for the Citizens Bond Oversight Committee (CBOC), the body tasked with ensuring that the Measure G bond funds are spent appropriately. Due to this seemingly innocuous change, CBOC members must now reapply for either a two-year term or a three-year term. This restructuring comes before CBOC has completed any audit of any bond expenditures and in the middle of other pressing decisions, like whether CBOC should hire independent counsel to advise it on its responsibilities. The practical impact? The District has ousted Chris Bailey and Gabriel Burczyk from CBOC, thus removing the two people on CBOC who asked hard questions and who sought, on behalf of taxpayers, more detailed and transparent financial reports. Bailey said “I expect the district to fill the CBOC with only close supporters of the district’s plan for the current site, which will not help bolster the oversight function.” A reconstituted committee hand-picked by the District to oversee the District…surely taxpayers can see the problem here, right?

Update as of October 22, 2024

Marin Independent Journal Publishes “Mill Valley preschool agrees to vacate school district building” — The article says Terra Marin found another site for its preschool, so it will vacate its current location at 70 Lomita by November 30th. This frees 70 Lomita up for District use once again, which is great news! We hope this site can be used for the interim campus, instead of District offices! That would give our students a safer place to learn during construction of the permanent site.

Update as of October 18, 2024

Marin Independent Journal Publishes “Mill Valley school overhaul stalls over new environmental concerns” — The article discusses the timing implications of the recent project delay due to regulatory concerns. The earliest CEQA will be complete is July 2025. The article then says that the earliest construction could start is 5-6 months later, or more, as it will take the architect several months to complete the design once CEQA is complete. Once the designs are complete, the California Division of the State Architect will need to approve, and other permits will need to be obtained. The District has not yet specified, but it looks like the move to the temporary campus may be pushed out at least another year.

Update as of October 16, 2024

Petition Delivered. We delivered our petition, signed by over 200 people, to the School Board, Mill Valley City Council, Department of Toxic Substances Control, Department of Education, Marin County Office of Education, State Architect, Mill Valley Citizens Bond Oversight Committee and State Geological Survey. Keep the signatures coming! We can always send another round.
Department of Toxic Substances Expressed Concerns. The Department of Toxic Substances Control (“DTSC”) sent the District a letter, dated July 25, 2024, reciting the site’s history as a burn dump with previous soil tests reveling “elevated concentrations of metals (copper, lead, and zinc) and total petroleum hydrocarbons.” Given this history, DTSC warned, “we recommend the District consider that a conservative remedial option may be necessary for evaluation in the EIR.” The agency also included a sobering warning that the existing school’s support piers “extend though the former landfill and deep into the bay mud, creating a preferential pathway for landfill leachate to infiltrate to groundwater,” so DTSC wants that evaluated in the Environmental Impact Report as well.
Marin County Expressed Concerns About Radiation. The Marin County Environmental Health Services division also sent the District a letter, dated August 5, 2024, which advises, “Radiation monitoring should be performed as radioactive waste has been found at other burn dump sites.”
Project Thus Delayed. Given heightened DTSC and County Environment Health Services concerns, the project timeline was recently pushed back. At the October 10, 2024 Board meeting, the School Board presented a revised timeline that pushes the Draft EIR Public Review Period back from October 2024 to February 2025, the EIR Notice of Determination back from January 2025 to July 2025, and the start of construction back from June 2025 to September / October 2025.
Unclear if it is Possible for Portable Campus to Open in Fall of 2025 as District Anticipated. Prior School Board decks showed 7 months for construction of the temporary campus. Construction of the temporary campus cannot start until the EIR is final and CEQA complete (now July 2025 at the earliest). Can the temporary campus be built in under a month to be ready for the start of school in August 2025? Will everything be pushed back a year with an actual move into portables and start on the permanent campus to February 2026? This timeline needs further clarification. Stay tuned for updates!