Petition: Demand a Safer, Smarter Mill Valley Middle School Plan: EIR Comment Letter

We, the undersigned parents, staff, and taxpayers, urge the Board to review our detailed public comment letter on the Draft Environmental Impact Report (“Draft EIR”) for the Mill Valley Middle School Modernization Project.  Along with many in the community, we remain concerned about the project’s environmental, fiscal, and safety impacts. The Draft EIR lacks an accurate project description or meaningful analysis of the renovation option, offering only 3½ pages—one of which is a photo.  This EIR must be withdrawn, revised, and recirculated because it relies on incomplete hazard data, outdated enrollment figures, and misleading project details—undermining meaningful public input. 

Please read our letter and cited sources, keeping an open mind to alternatives that are safer, less disruptive, more cost-effective, and more durable for decades to come.  https://www.mvmsmodernizationmess.com/

Executive Summary 
The original rebuild project analyzed in the Draft EIR is no longer financially feasible due to soil toxicity. Instead of conducting an early feasibility study, the District spent over three years and roughly $6 million planning a project that was never realistic given required mitigation.  

Why the Draft EIR Is Flawed
Insufficient analysis: only 3½ pages on the renovation option, including a picture.

 
Why Edna Maguire Deserves Analysis
✅ Safer: outside liquefaction and flood zones, free from contamination, and no temporary classrooms next to a toxic site.
✅ Less disruptive: no mid-year relocations or construction during school.
✅ More sustainable: not threatened by sea-level rise or aging 1970s foundations.
✅ Traffic is manageable: approved for 679 students; MVMS has 697—comparable. Current 377 Edna students could be redistributed among four elementary schools.
✅ Comparable acreage: MVMS ≈ 8–10 acres; Edna ≈ 9 acres. Similar student density to other sites.
✅ Smarter taxpayer spending: The District plans to spend $130 million (~$1,406 per sq ft), with 29% ($38 million) going to soil removal and temporary housing instead of lasting improvements. There’s no funded plan for sea-level rise that could “island” the school and cause further contamination—risking future funding requests.

Bottom line: The timeline and spending plan are unrealistic and fiscally unsound. Mill Valley deserves a safer, smarter, more sustainable solution.
 
We therefore request that the District:
👉 Withdraw and recirculate the Draft EIR with an accurate project description and full analysis of alternatives.
👉 Complete the PEA and secure DTSC approval before CEQA review proceeds.
👉 Obtain approvals from the Division of the State Architect and California Geological Survey regarding seismic retrofit needs before final decisions.
👉 Evaluate financial feasibility first, then limit CEQA to feasible options.
👉 Provide full project-level analysis of viable alternatives, including structural and geotechnical data.
👉 Pause bond spending and construction contracts until a revised EIR is completed.
👉 Suspend non-essential Measure G spending at elementary schools until facility needs are clear.
👉 Publish a realistic timeline that avoids moving children mid-year.
👉 Expand alternatives to include:
(i) converting Edna Maguire to a middle school and redistributing current students;
(ii) the same, with a smaller Edna elementary school at the Terra Marin site.
👉 Use current enrollment data, realistic traffic studies, and planned street improvements when evaluating Edna options.
 
Mill Valley’s children deserve a school that is safe, sustainable, and fiscally responsible—built on sound data, not outdated assumptions.