Community Briefs: Library limits service, Foothill-De Anza board considers election maps and Whisman to meet on enrollment lotteries

Library limits in-person services as omicron spreads

Starting this week, the Mountain View Public Library moved to “grab & go service” in response to the spread of the omicron COVID-19 variant.

Under the new system, in-person browsing and holds pick-up is still available, but patrons are asked to keep their visits quick. Seating, table use and study rooms are unavailable. Indoor programs, bookmobile service, and library and magazine browsing are also on hold. The library is not currently accepting new volunteers.

“The rapid spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant continues to present health and safety concerns and creates additional impacts on staffing,” according to a statement on the library’s website. “The adjusted service level is an effort to maintain sufficient levels of library service during operating hours.”

For more information, visit mountainview.gov/depts/library.

Foothill-De Anza board set to consider election maps next week

The Foothill-De Anza Community College District Board of Trustees is slated to meet on Monday, Jan. 10 to review two draft maps that would divide the district into five sub-areas for future trustee elections.

The district is in the process of switching from at-large elections to area elections. Under the new system, which is set to be implemented over two election cycles starting this November, residents of each of the five areas will elect a trustee who lives in their portion of the district.

The board has narrowed down its options to two maps: one that is based on city boundaries and the other that prioritizes K-12 school district boundaries. At a meeting last month, the trustees voted 4-1 to eliminate a map that combined both city and school district boundaries to draw the lines.

A vote to approve a final map is scheduled for Feb. 14.

Next week’s public hearing on the maps will start at 7 p.m. as part of the board’s regularly scheduled meeting. To view the agenda, visit go.boarddocs.com/ca/fhda/Board.nsf/Public.

For more information on the process of creating trustee areas and to submit public comment on the maps, visit fhda.edu/trustee-areas.

MV Whisman to consider changes to enrollment process for Mistral, Stevenson

The Mountain View Whisman School District Board of Trustees is slated to hold a special meeting at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 8 to study enrollment lotteries for choice schools. The meeting is part of the board’s process to look at changing the enrollment system at Stevenson and Gabriela Mistral elementary schools.

The board is considering adjusting the way enrollment works at its choice schools in light of disparities in the student population at Stevenson, in particular, which has a far lower proportion of low-income students than the district overall.

No formal vote is expected at Saturday’s meeting.

To view the agenda for the meeting, visit mvwsd.org/about/board_of_trustees/board_meetings.