Bullis-LASD Closed-Door Mediation Goes Forward

Los Altos School Board Trustee Doug Smith reported that "subsets" of the Los Altos School District board and the Bullis Charter School (BCS) met in closed-door mediation session Tuesday.

The school district (LASD) had abruptly cancelled a closed-door session that involved the full boards of both organizations after receiving two letters contending that such meetings were subject to the Ralph M. Brown Act, known as open meeting law.

Without a quorum of either board, decisions cannot be made, so any proposals that find currency among the participants of the mediation sessions would have to be brought to the full boards in open session for discussion and a vote.

The statement, sent by Smith and then Larsen Communications, BCS' public relations firm, was distributed to local news media and copied to Bullis Charter School Chairman Ken Moore, LASD president Mark Goines, BCS Principal Wanny Hersey, LASD superintendent Jeff Baier.

It read as follows:

"On Tuesday, March 6, non-quorum subsets of the Los Altos School District and Bullis Charter School boards met in closed session for mediation with the Honorable Richard J. McAdams.  The mediation is, by law, a confidential proceeding in which both parties can explore potential solutions to the long running concerns between both groups.  Negotiations remain ongoing between the parties.  We hope to develop a proposal which we could then discuss with the community and our full boards in open session."