Updated: Bullis Board to Get County Appointee

Capping , the Santa Clara County Board of Education decided 4-3 to ask an ad hoc committee to identify potential appointees for apointment to the Bullis Charter School board.

It also declined to vote on the MOU, some trustees calling the action redundant and false, and decided to find a date for a public forum in Los Altos before school is out.

Grace Mah, whose district includes Los Altos, and vice-chair Julia Hover-Smoot volunteered on the ad-hoc committee to come up with any potential board appointees. Board President Joseph DiSalvo asked that staff meet with the Bullis Charter School Board (BCS) to get input.

DiSalvo was the fourth supporter of appointing a board representative breaking a 3-3 tie. He added, that they should "choose a person who has Bullis' success in his interest. We do it for a short time, and we see whether it is helpful."

The decision brought the meeting to a close at about 10:45 p.m., after several parents had addressed the board throughout the meeting, all on Bullis Charter School-related topics.

The evening had started on a hopeful note as both board president DiSalvo expressed the desire for residents to come together for the good of their children and harmony in the community. And parent Gil Ahren, as one of the first who addressed the board about the confllict, described his weariness and from the bickering. "I'm embarrassed to say I live in Los Altos," he said, concluding it was the time for adults to do "what's right."

At times during the marathon meeting, it seemed that there was some glimmers of hope, as some speakers talked about opposing sides attending a beer bash at the Tied House in Mountain View. On the board levels, members of the Los Altos School District board and the Bullis Charter School board are continuing to work on mediation.

With three items up for discussion concerning Bullis Charter School, the question of whether to designate a board appointee was the one that portended the most change. Board members had debated the merits of doing so at its last meeting April 18, with sharp disagreement.

However, it was item 12.A. on the agenda, the Memorandum of Understanding, or contract, between the charter school and the Santa Clara County Board of Education and the Bullis Charter School, that also drew extended discussion and testimony.

In the end, the board decided not to vote on the MOU because it was Superintendent's Weis' staff and the Santa Clara County Office of Education that was responsible for negotiating and arriving at the final agreement. The board did not typically vote on MOUs, Weis told the board, but it could. Trustee Anna Song was the sole member to advocate a vote on the MOU, in the name of transparency and process.

Negotiations were continuing with Bullis Charter School said Dr. Lucretia Peebles and the public could view the document online.

As for its actions on the third item, the board also resolved to renew efforts hold a forum in Los Altos before the end of the school year, after hearing members of the public ask them to come sooner, rather than later.

To see Patch's live coverage of the meeting via CoverItLive see

Patch will update this story later in the day.