By Traci Newell
Los Altos School District trustees mulled their own options for long-term use of the Bullis-Purissima site at a May 1 meeting - including operating both the Bullis Charter School and a district school at the Los Altos Hills location.
That is one of four options the trustees will consider after the district’s Citizen’s Advisory Committee for Finance analyzes the enrollment, capacity and financial ramifications of each. The committee will present its findings at a June 5 board meeting, three days before the deadline set by Los Altos Hills to renew its effort to create a new school district.
Though the district is still working on negotiations with Los Altos Hills, Superintendent Tim Justus said district officials are considering these options for the future of the district:
• Use Bullis as a shared site. There would be either two K-6 schools running on the site or the charter school would run its own K-6 for 360 students and the district would run its own program for 120 students.
• Use Bullis for a district K-6 neighborhood school only. The site would be modernized for the additional school in the district. The charter school would stay at Egan Camp School, and the Egan site would be modernized.
• Locate Bullis Charter School as a K-6 only at the Bullis site.
• Do nothing. The Bullis site would not be modernized; the district would continue to use the site for district programs. Bullis Charter School would stay at Egan Camp School.
Justus said the board plans to continue hearing public comment on the options during its next board meeting Monday. He said that he expects the board to consider making a final decision on the use of the Bullis site at the June 19 meeting.
The negotiating committee, including two school district board members, presented a compromise plan for Bullis use. Among its provisions:
• The district would promise not to place a competing elementary school at Bullis.
• The charter school would use the Bullis site for 380-480 students, and the school district could also run an unspecified non-K-6 program limited to 100 students.
• The charter school would occupy the Bullis campus as long as it holds a charter with the state.
• The school district would begin renovating Bullis this year, with Los Altos Hills contributing $1 million.
Los Altos Hills councilmembers agreed to delay pursuing redistricting until their June 9 meeting to allow districts time to discuss the committee’s plan.
The board also looked at the financial impact the district would face if Los Altos Hills formed its own school district. Dick Hasenpflug, a finance committee member, said the projected loss in the first year, 2009-2010, would be nearly $683,000.
“This is a significant change,” said Bill Cooper, board vice president. “But I take solace in this. It is less catastrophic than we originally thought.”
The committee examined all possible losses, such as enrollment, property taxes, parcel tax revenue and a basic aid benefit. If redistricting does go through, Hasenpflug said, Los Altos would remain a revenue limit district for the foreseeable future.
