Dear Los Altos School District Parents,

The Los Altos School District (LASD) continues to work hard toward negotiating a multi-year facilities agreement with Bullis Charter School (BCS) to benefit all of our students and the community.  We have made great strides towards this goal, by bringing forward a proposed 10-year agreement for the community’s feedback and input.  While this was a great step forward, the LASD Board believes that community engagement and full transparency must come before approving any long term agreement.

In good faith and in another step toward a long term agreement, the Board and I have submitted to BCS a signed 2-year interim agreement that would keep BCS at Egan and Blach with an enrollment cap of 1,111 students.  

The community made it clear they must be engaged and heard on any proposal for a long term facilities solution.  By enacting the 2-year interim agreement, which includes terms previously agreed upon by both parties, LASD and BCS will have the opportunity to collaborate and engage the community around a long term plan to end our 15-year long dispute over facilities and focus all of our energy on academic excellence for all children.  Furthermore, a 2-year agreement allows LASD, BCS and the entire community to focus on the full community engagement process without the disruption of the divisive Proposition 39 process.

While BCS decides whether or not to sign the 2-year interim agreement, their board opted to move forward in parallel with the Proposition 39 process and submitted a response to the LASD facilities offer for the 2019-20 school year.  If BCS does not sign the 2-year interim agreement, LASD and BCS will be forced back into the annual Proposition 39 process, which, among other things, does not enforce an enrollment cap.  Under Proposition 39, LASD would need to make difficult choices to house BCS students next year and into the future, with the knowledge that they could grow annually and indefinitely.

The LASD Board has requested that BCS sign the 2-year agreement by the close of business on May 9, 2019.  If we do not receive the BCS Board approved and executed agreement by that time, LASD will move forward with the Proposition 39 process and issue a final offer to BCS.  We are hopeful that we can agree on the 2-year interim plan and begin immediately to plan our public engagement process to achieve a long term solution to house BCS.

As always, the Board thanks you for your partnership and appreciates your thoughts.  Please contact us at trustees@lasdschools.org with your comments, questions and ideas.

Sincerely,

Jessica Speiser
President, Los Altos School District Board of Trustees