Health & Fitness
A Win/Win/Win Solution for BCS, LASD and Los Altos
No more excuses. Let's solve the problem.
For the last year and a half people have repeatedly uttered the phrase, "think outside the box" in relation to the Bullis Charter School facilities situation. So far nobody has offered a complete solution that would truly be workable to everybody. Yes, many of made allusions to this plan or that, but nobody's laid a complete plan out for all to see. I'll attempt to do so here.
Ground Rules
First, what do I mean by "workable to everybody"? Here are the rules:1. We don't close, or further-crowd an existing neighborhood school.
2. BCS gets moved to a stand-alone campus in a location they like.
3. Los Altos citizens continue to enjoy the various non-school services they currently enjoy.
4. We do all of this quickly, and predictably such that we can get past the "trust issue" between the various parties.
5. The solution should make the most efficient use possible of publicly-owned resources.
Solution
Here's a sequence for a solution.1. With input from BCS, the Los Altos City Council (LACC) produces a Master Plan for the Hillview/Civic Center area that includes a school campus. This can be any sort of mix of facilities that would be to the liking of both the LACC and BCS (think shared soccer field, baseball field, running track, parking lots, etc.).
2. The LACC works with LASD to re-locate all services currently provided at Hillview which would be displaced by the new Plan. This relocation starts immediately such that Hillview/etc. is vacated as soon as possible. The facilities are leased to the city of LA in a cross-deal.
3. BCS leases the land area on which dedicated school facilities will be placed. This deal would be legally contingent on #2 being successfully completed. This would be a long-term lease, but with plenty of flexibility for BCS to leave the lease if necessary in the future.
4. BCS finances the construction of quickly-constructed, two-story school facilities like these. (Remember this is only the dedicated school building area since the larger outdoor areas are shared and taken care of by Los Altos). (BCS reserves the right, for instance, to sub-lease the facility so they have maximum flexibility and thus limited downside exposure for their investment in improvements).
Feedback Needed: Let's Figure This Out
My plan might have some holes, and I might have missed a detail or two. I'd love to hear from everybody, but with one caveat: you can choose to be part of the problem or part of the solution. I'm only interested in hearing from people who wish to be the latter.We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here
