By Kathleen Acuff

Wanny Hersey

After more than four months of negotiations, the Facilities Use Agreement for the camp school at Egan Junior High School has been formally accepted.

Peter Evans signed the agreement July 21 on behalf of the Bullis Charter School Board of Directors and in the presence of Los Altos School District Superintendent Marge Gratiot. On Monday, the district board met for the sole purpose of signing the agreement.

In signing, Bullis has agreed, “in order … to begin its educational program this fall,” that the Egan camp school satisfies all Proposition 39 and state education code requirements for a “reasonably equivalent” facility.

Aug. 23 is the first day of school for both Bullis and LASD. According to the use agreement, Aug. 16 is the earliest date the charter school can expect to move into the portables at 102 W. Portola Ave.

Said Principal Wanny Hersey, “We’ve got everybody ready to mobilize at the last minute. We have many, many committees working together on this.”

In-district students

“We’re still getting enrollment applications for the fall, so we have the potenial to fill out specific classrooms as needed. Otherwise, our waiting list will carry over to fall ‘05,” Miller said.

According to Gratiot, 75 students from Covington, seven from Santa Rita, three from Springer and two from Loyola are enrolled in Bullis for the 2004-2005 school year. The remaining 32 in-district students are most likely kindergartners, new to the community or from private schools, Hersey said.

The use agreement recognized the possibility of continued enrollment growth by raising the maximum number of students that can be accommodated in the camp school to 170.

Bullis also has the right to the same number of students per classroom as district schools - 20 in kindergarten through third grades and 30 in the upper grades - as long as it does not exceed the cap.

Bullis staff

Part-time staff members hired so far include three instructional aides, an art specialist, a drama and dance specialist, and a physical education teacher who will also serve as an enrichment teacher in science, mathematics and technology. Hersey and her board are recruiting a school psychologist and other staff.