MVMS Panther Pride - March 1, 2026
Wonderful Panthers,
It is hard to believe it is March already. And Trimester 2 ends this Friday! Students, make sure you have everything turned in.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at kkriss@mvschools.org. You are always welcome to make an appointment to meet with me, also.
Thank you,
Kelly Kriss, Principal
Bell Schedule for This Week
What's Happening
3/5 Board Meeting 6pm
Check out the Sports Calendar HERE
Cell Phone and Watch Reminder
Just a friendly reminder, cell phones can be used outside of the building until 8:30am. The building opens for students at 8:15am. Cellphones and watches need to be turned off and in your backpack upon entering the building. Thank you!
MCOE Resources
| Upcoming Trainings for Families |
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PTSA
It's that time of year when your PTSA is planning for the Executive Board for next school year. Our roles have to be proposed with names by our March General Meeting, and as such we are posting this message now to see who among you might be interested in joining!
It's such a great way to get to know the School Administration, to understand the issues and decisions made in the background of your MVMS community, and to have direct impact on your child's school experience. Not all roles are big lifts, and most of our board members are full time working parents. We highly encourage you to reach out for more information to see how you can get involved! Below are the open roles for next school year. Reach out to Ashley Droege with inquiries!
-Vice President
-Secretary
-Treasurer
-DEI Lead
-Fundraising Lead
-Staff Services
-Student Experiences
There is only one Exec Board Meeting per month, and much of your role can be remote. It really takes a village to make all this work-please consider joining our team for your school!!
Please see our website here for ways you can support us. We are still below our participation goal for the year, and we truly appreciate any way you can support. As you can see, it goes to great use, and the staff and PTSA Board are so grateful for this community!
Raising the Bar
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
We are proud to partner with Raising the Bar, a county-wide initiative committed to keeping youth events substance-free through policy that prohibits adult drinking or drug use at youth-centered events.
Research shows that parents and caregivers play a powerful role in shaping young people’s attitudes and decisions around alcohol and other substance use. By working together, we can make a lasting impact on the health and well-being of our youth – reducing the short- and long-term consequences of underage substance use for adolescents, families, and our broader community.
Raising the Bar, a program of Marin Healthy Youth Partnerships works in collaboration with Marin Prevention Network, Marin County Office of Education, Marin Health and Human Services, Marin schools, youth sports teams and organizations and other local community based organizations. Together, we aim to shift norms around substance use and encourage healthy choices by promoting positive adult role modeling.
We request that all adults abstain from using alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and other substances at youth-centered events, during youth sports competitions, and at team celebrations. By collectively promoting healthy behaviors, we can support a safer, healthier environment for all youth.
To learn more, please visit rtbmarin.org or email lisa@mhyp.org.
Thank you for your support in helping our young people thrive.
It Takes A Village (ITAV)
Spring Village Fest
March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month! Join the Mill Valley school community for Spring Village Fest on Wednesday, March 11 (5–7pm, quiet hour 4–5pm) at the Mill Valley Community Center!
Learn about neurodiversity and disabilities and celebrate community and belonging with:
Crafts & sensory stations
Quiet and active zones
FREE pizza and cupcakes for kids
Music & Movement and The Bubble Lady
Therapy dogs & face painting
Community resources
Let’s build a more compassionate, connected community together.
RSVP here to let us know you are coming! And please consider volunteering here.
PTSA, Kiddo!, and MVSD work closely together to maintain educational excellence for our students. Kiddo! plays a vital role by fully funding arts education, and this year, we stepped up to provide crucial additional funding to protect elementary counseling and add STEM electives at MVMS. These essential programs rely entirely on the generosity of our community; without your donations, the salaries for these dedicated teachers and the programs they lead would simply not be covered, and these opportunities would vanish. If you haven't yet, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to Kiddo! today at a level meaningful to your family. Every single dollar directly supports our students by ensuring these high-quality, essential programs continue. www.kiddo.org
Superintendent's Report
February 27, 2026
The Board agenda for the March 5, 2025 Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees includes a budget update titled “2025–2026 Second Interim Report”. This report captures District revenues and expenditures through January 31, 2026. It follows the 2025–2026 First Interim Report, presented in December 2025, which reflected our financial status through October 31, 2025.
In December and January, District staff hosted drop-in meetings at each school site to update the community on the District’ financials. These presentations highlighted an ongoing deficit of approximately $2.2 million associated with the projected addition of nine Transitional Kindergarten (TK) classes in 2026–2027. Updated enrollment projections now indicate the need for twelve TK classes, increasing the projected deficit to approximately $3.1 million.
We are committed to transparency and clarity in our District’s budget. To that end, a Special Board Budget Study Session will be held on March 10 at 6:00 p.m. in the Middle School Library. We invite all members of our community to attend to learn more about District finances and our current budget status.
Announcement: Join our Community Financial Advisory Committee (CFAC)
The Mill Valley School District is reestablishing our Community Financial Advisory Committee (CFAC) as a sub-committee of our Budget Advisory Committee. We invite community members to apply.
We are seeking Mill Valley residents and registered voters with experience or interest in finance, budgeting, policy, or financial planning who are willing to serve a two-year term. Meetings are held quarterly.
This is a meaningful opportunity to lend your expertise and help ensure a strong financial future for our schools and students. Learn more and apply on the District website (www.mvschools.org/cfac).
As we continue to work to make our practices accessible, we appreciate the continued collaboration of our labor partners, budget advisory committee, and community-based parcel tax committee in supporting our District.
News, Notes, & Votes
Regular Board Meeting - February 12, 2026
Facilities
Resolution #15-25/26 – MVMS Interim Portables
The Board approved the lease of temporary modular classrooms for Mill Valley Middle School to provide temporary space during construction. The 28-month lease, including installation and removal, will cost up to $3,318,058.64 and will be funded through Measure G.
Extension of Flint Preconstruction Services – MVMS Project
The Board approved a 13-month extension of preconstruction services with Flint totaling $2,410,320. This includes allowances for site investigation and early procurement of long-lead items. The work supports ongoing project planning and coordination of the MVMS renovation and will be funded through Measure G.
Addendum No. 3 – Phase IIA Interim Housing
The Board approved Addendum No. 3 to the facilities lease with Flint for Phase IIA, which includes procurement and construction of temporary modular classrooms for the interim campus. The estimated cost is approximately $20,000,000 and will be funded through Measure G.
Parcel Tax Resolution Language
The Board approved a resolution for a parcel tax measure for the June 2026 election. The proposed measure extends the existing parcel tax, currently scheduled to expire in 2029, and renews a supplemental parcel tax that expired in 2021.
New Board Policy and Administrative Regulation – Immigration Enforcement Response
The Board approved and waived second read of a new Board Policy and Administrative Regulation addressing the District’s response to immigration enforcement. The policy updates and consolidates language previously included in BP/AR 5145.13 and aligns District practices with current state law.
Language regarding optional training was updated to include mandatory staff trainings. Policy can be seen here.
Next Board Meeting - March 5, 2026
Special Board Meeting: Budget Study Session -
March 10, 2026
Feel free to reach out to any of our administration:
Kelly Kriss, Principal, kkriss@mvschools.org
Melanie Harris, Assistant Principal, mharris@mvschools.org
Rob Celli, Dean, rcelli@mvschools.org