Students across San Mateo and Foster City returned to class Tuesday, Aug. 11, under a new five-year blueprint that commits the district to building empathy and purposeful learning at all 22 schools.

The San Mateo-Foster City School District Board of Trustees unanimously approved the 2027-2032 Community Vision on May 28, replacing the previous strategic plan that had guided the district since 2022. The new vision is organized around two phrases that Superintendent Diego Ochoa wrote will "become commonplace" in district life: "Lead with Empathy" and "Learn with Purpose."

In a back-to-school letter dated Aug. 13, Ochoa said the district is ready to put the vision into practice starting this school year.

The plan took nine months to build. According to the district's post-approval announcement, the process drew 2,300 survey responses, 600 participants at community meetings in September and December 2025, 200 students and staff in the Imagine School Project, and 100 people on field trips to schools including Lindsay Unified and Design Tech High School. A Vision Design Team logged 25 hours of collaborative sessions.

Community feedback reshaped the document. Families asked for collective language, so "every learner" became "all learners." Parents questioned whether students were being taught kindness, prompting a new section that commits all adults in the school community to model respect and empathy.

"This feels like a really inclusive process that really pulls from every voice that we are looking to hear from, wanting to hear from, and particularly with students," Trustee Alison Proctor said at the May 28 board meeting when the vision was approved.

Board Vice President Gene Kim, President Maggie Trinh, Clerk Stacey Ho and Trustee LaTisa M. Brooks also voted in favor.

Technology task force launches in August

The vision states that technology should be used "with purpose, not habit." That language connects to a Technology Use Task Force launching in August, which will bring together teachers, students and parents to recommend how screens are used in classrooms.

The task force follows the district's decision, as we reported July 31, to drop mandatory Chromebook time after more than 550 parents signed a petition pushing for less screen time. That move also introduced a pilot print-first math curriculum for K-5 and screen-free reading instruction for TK-2.

Community members can sign up to participate in the task force through the district website.

What comes next

A Strategic Planning Leadership Committee will translate the vision into an actionable roadmap, drawing members from the Vision Design Team and district leaders. The district's next regular board meeting date has not yet been posted publicly; families can check the board agendas page for upcoming schedules.