Thank you to all of our community members who have participated in the Community Engagement Process for Facilities.  We are truly overwhelmed by your enthusiasm and appreciate you adding your voice to this very complex issue.

Due to extremely high demand and participation in our last community engagement workshop, we are hosting a third and final workshop to help us understand levels of support for various potential options to house Bullis Charter School in the long term.  

Final Workshop
Monday, November 18, 2019
Open House:  6-6:30pm
Workshop:  6:30-8:30pm
Egan Junior High School Multipurpose Room
 

The workshop will allow participants to review potential facilities options and show their support for each possibility.  To review materials for the workshop, including translated materials in Japanese, Mandarin and Spanish, please visit our Community Engagement Webpage. 

Please only attend one workshop.  The format is the same for all workshops. There is no need to participate in more than one.  Attendance is limited to 400 people. Please give others the opportunity to participate on November 18th if you have already had the chance to participate in a workshop. Participants and community members are asked not to distribute materials related to the facilities discussion at the workshop.

Thank you for your ongoing support for our students, our schools and our community.

Sincerely,

Jessica Speiser, President
Los Altos School District Board of Trustees

International Families, You're Invited!
Join the Conversation about Our Schools

Familias Internacionales, ¡Están invitadas! 
Únanse a la reunión sobre nuestras escuelas. 

国际家庭， 我们邀请您
参加我们的学校对话！

インターナショナルファミリーの
皆さんをご招待しています！
私達の学校に関する話し合いに
ご参加下さい。

Мы приглашаем принять участие все русскоязычные семьи
на собрание посвященное нашим школам

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jeffrey Baier, Superintendent
Los Altos School District
Phone: (650) 947-1150
Wednesday, September 10, 2019

LASD Asks Santa Clara County Board of Education to Correct
Bullis Charter School’s Discriminatory Enrollment Practices

In reaction to Bullis Charter School’s re-institution of the exclusionary “Los Altos Hills Bullis Purissima attendance area geographic lottery preference,” the Los Altos School District Board of Trustees unanimously voted to send a letter to the Santa Clara County Board of Education and the Superintendent of the County Office of Education to raise serious concerns regarding Bullis Charter School’s (BCS) discriminatory enrollment policies and practices.

Nearly fifteen years ago, the Los Altos School District (LASD) denied BCS’s charter petition over concerns that the charter school’s planned program would create a divide in the community and create a school that did not mirror the district’s demographics and serve all students regardless of race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, ELL status or disability.  Over LASD’s objections, the Santa Clara County Board of Education approved the charter and assumed the responsibility to ensure BCS does not implement policies that discriminate against students, or effectuate policies that create a discriminatory disparate impact against vulnerable students.  

Data from the State of California show BCS continues to underserve the diversity of students in the LASD community.  To that end, the LASD Board is sending a letter requesting the SCCBOE and Dr. Dewan take action to ensure equitable access to BCS for all students.  In the letter LASD asked SCCBOE and Dr. Dewan to:

• Reject BCS’s reinstatement of the exclusionary Los Altos Hills geographic preference
• Develop a comprehensive desegregation plan for BCS designed to ensure a population that mirrors the student demographics within the LASD boundaries.
• And, that the desegregation plan include: a transparent lottery conducted by SCCOE staff, priority preference for free and reduced lunch students, ELL, special needs students and other underrepresented students, and restricted growth until such time as the discrimination is corrected.

LASD Board President, Jessica Speiser stated: “As a public school district we are committed to equity in education and are proud that our schools are among the highest performing in the state.  No matter a student’s race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, ELL status or special need, we welcome them with open arms to our schools and ensure each and every student receives an excellent education tailored to their  specific needs.  As such, we expect each public school operating in our district do the same.”   

Furthermore, under California law, access to public education is a fundamental right afforded the highest levels of protection.  The Charter Schools Act declares charter schools to be “part of the Public School System” and places “special emphasis on expanding learning opportunities for pupils who are identified as academically low achieving” and underserved by the existing public school system.  To that end,  charter school laws require charter schools to admit students on an equal opportunity basis, prohibit the charging of tuition, and require the chartering authority to “consider increases in public academic achievement for all groups of pupils served by the charter school as the most important factor in determining whether to grant charter renewal.”   

Speiser noted, “I cannot emphasize this enough: the LASD Board’s desire for the SCCBOE to take action against discriminatory enrollment policies at BCS is separate from our intent and commitment to resolving our longstanding facilities issue with the charter school.  We are dedicated to the Community Engagement Process we have initiated with the public to find a long term solution to house BCS.  Yet, it is our duty as elected officials who serve all residents of this community to ensure that our local public schools provide equal access to every child.”

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