Schools
County Schools Chief to Meet Los Altos School Board Tuesday
Xavier de la Torre, the new county superintendent of schools whose interest is in closing the achievement gap, appears as the district is wrestling the question of what space to offer the Bullis Charter School.
The county Board of Education beat around the bush for half a year when parents in the Los Altos School District invited the body to come to Los Altos, but its new superintendent hasn't wasted much time in accepting.
Xavier de la Torre, who took over Santa Clara County Office of Education in August, will appear at the Los Altos School Board's meeting Tuesday night to make a presentation about the services the county provides to its districts.
Find out what's happening in Los Altoswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
De La Torre told Patch last February that addressing the achievement gap and having the opportunity to work with Santa Clara County's 31 school superintendents to innovate was what appealed to him.
Los Altos School Board trustees, who found relations with the County Board of Education thorny, perhaps are hoping to start out with a clean slate with the schools chief, extending an invitation shortly after he arrived.
Find out what's happening in Los Altoswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
De la Torre had said he wanted to see how the successes of the county's best-performing schools could be shared with its struggling schools, and how the high performers could be well-prepared to meet the competion on a global market.
De la Torre's appearance comes as the district is evaluating the annual facilities request of Bullis Charter School, which derives its charter from the county Board of Education. Members of the public gave impassioned suggestions during a community meeting on Nov. 5.
The board will also consider six applicants for three positions as representatives to the superintendent's task force on enrollment growth. They include Nancy Ginsburg Gill, Owen Halliday, Elizabeth K. Henry, Duncan MacVicar, and Rachel Michelson. The task force's charge is to gather broad community direction to address the student capacity challenges and long-term facility needs in the District.
Among the easier matters on the board's agenda Tuesday is a proposal by the Art Docents to place a 8-foot-by-12-foot mural on the district's wall, celebrating the group's commitment to bringing art education to the district's children.
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