By Traci Newell

courtesy of Los Altos School District One proposal for a shared campus would have 25 classrooms on site. The curved line represents the seasonal flow of water.

The Los Altos School District Board of Trustees looked at various architectural options for the Bullis-Purissima school site at its May 15 meeting, in anticipation of the district’s final decision for use of the Bullis site scheduled June 19.

Lisa Gelfand of Gelfand Partners Architects of San Francisco presented renderings for what the campus would look like after being remodeled. The district has used Gelfand Partners to remodel other school sites.

“Something really different can happen at Bullis,” Gelfand said. She said one of the main difficulties is the 50-foot drop from one end of the campus to the other. According to Gelfand the district should save the flat areas for playing fields and build the rest of the campus as if it were on a decline. There would be a waterway to deal with the seasonal flow of water through the terraced campus, she said.

Gelfand presented several slides illustrating one plan for a single elementary school and another for a shared campus. She said the slope on the campus should be made more gradual. The proposed classrooms would be modular and similar to those her firm designed for other district elementary schools.

Board members also reviewed board goals for the 2006-2007 school year. They concentrated on expanding their technology curriculum, refining the full-day kindergarten program, designing a new training model for faculty and administration, reworking the scope of modernization projects, developing funding for maintenance, passing the proposed parcel tax, controlling special education funding and improving communication throughout the district.

The board plans to adopt the goals at its June 5 board meeting. Superintendent Tim Justus said they are comprehensive, and the district would be a better place for students as a result.

In other action, the board:

• Heard PTA presidents from all the district schools describe their contributions to the district this year. Overall, the PTA contributed more than $1.5 million and 196,000 volunteer hours.

• Unanimously approved a plan to rename Blach Intermediate School Library the Arthur S. Harris Library and Media Center in honor of the recently deceased principal.

• Unanimously endorsed proposed Measure C on the June election ballot to fund the Foothill-De Anza Community College District.

• Discussed proposed ballot language for a parcel-tax resolution to appear on the November ballot. Board members plan to adopt the language June 5.

• Unanimously approved a proposal to proceed with general obligation bond refunding. The district plans to use the money to help renovate the Bullis site.