Schools
Bullis Charter School, Los Altos School District Agree to Seek Bond Issue
While the two sides have agreed to work together to seek taxpayer funding of school facilities, they remain far apart on other issues.
In a pair of letters exchanged between Bullis Charter School and the Los Altos School District, the two sides have agreed to work together to seek a taxpayer-funded school bond.
In a letter dated Oct. 10, Bullis Charter School Board Chair Ken Moore told the LASD Board of Trustees, “In general, as a board, we agree there is a need for additional public dollars to improve our public schools. You have asked for BCS Board support for a school bond, which we’re happy to provide.”
Moore went on to say that the bond should not be presented as being primarily for the benefit of Bullis Charter, “BCS has never said that we want the taxpayers of LASD to purchase and build a new campus for students at the charter school.”
Find out what's happening in Los Altoswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
In a letter dated Oct. 16, LASD Board of Trustees President Douglas Smith thanked BCS for supporting the bond issue, “This common understanding can be the foundation that we need in order to win the community’s support for such an undertaking.”
Find out what's happening in Los Altoswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The BCS letter went on to request that other funding from the District be shared with BCS.
The District responded, “Some of the items you have asked are governed by the will of our local voters, and others are determined at the State legislative level.”
The two sides have been at odds for the 10 years that BCS has been in existence. This fall, an effort has been made to find both short-term and long-term solutions that will allow everyone to focus on educating children, rather than positioning themselves for the next skirmish.
However, the LASD letter included accusations that BCS is violating the Facilities Use Agreement (FUA) that it signed with the District for the use of two school campuses this year, “This includes, but is not limited to: use of facilities at both sites by more students than are provided for in the agreement; use of the facilities at Blach by students in grades K-3; violations of the sharing schedule for PE facilities; BCS start times outside of the times provided for in the agreement.”
While the two sides share obvious differences, each ended with a conciliatory tone. The final paragraph of the District’s letter began, “Our differences notwithstanding, the two boards are as close to an agreement as we have ever been.”
The final word from Bullis, “We look forward to working with you on the next steps toward a permanent solution.”
ALSO ON LOS ALTOS PATCH:
Los Altos School District Letter to Bullis Charter School, Oct. 16, 2013
Bullis and LASD to Meet on Facilities Agreement
Acrimony Continues After Bullis Signs Facilities Agreement
School District Pushes Back on Bullis Charter School Meeting
Bullis Charter School Calls for Meeting on FUA
Read the Bullis Facilities Use Agreement
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
