Mountain View parents outraged by school district’s $189K meditation deal

**MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (KRON)** — Parents in the Mountain View Whisman School District voiced their frustration on Thursday after discovering that the district had signed a $189,000 contract for 160 "guided meditation sessions" for its leadership team.

The district has entered into an agreement with Alycia Diggs Chaves, the owner of Blue Violet Energy, a practice that charges approximately $1,200 per meditation session. According to the contract, Chaves' services are intended to "help leaders manage and reduce daily stress levels that negatively impact their well-being and effectiveness in their roles," as initially reported by the Chronicle.

Despite having previously worked with Chaves, district leaders admitted they had not reviewed her website before finalizing the $189,000 agreement. This lack of due diligence has sparked concerns among parents.

Chris Perry, a parent and school board member, questioned the decision: “Normally, when someone is hired, especially for a significant amount of business, the website should be checked. Denying mistakes in this situation undermines credibility.”

Mohan Garunathen, another school board member, expressed his disbelief: “Is it reasonable to spend over $1,100 per hour on meditation sessions? Would you spend that much of your own money on such services? If not, how can it be acceptable to use taxpayer money this way?”

Camille Lubont, another concerned parent, pointed out inconsistencies in the district's approach: “If we’re eliminating duplicative programs, why are there three concurrent leadership coaching programs in the district?” 

Parent Lilian Good echoed Lubont’s sentiments, emphasizing that health and wellness are important, yet questioned why the district, which already employs a health and wellness division with staff earning over $400,000 annually, needed to spend on an external contract.

Dr. Ayindé Rudolph, MVWSD’s superintendent, noted that the meditation sessions had been initiated years ago by an in-house doctor. Good believes that utilizing in-house resources would have been more cost-effective than engaging a third party.

Frustration was also voiced by Erica Relich, who said, “It feels like we’re being asked to spend more money than I can afford. It’s deeply frustrating.”

KRON4 has reached out to both MVWSD and Chaves for comments but has not received a response by the time of publication. 

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