By Traci Newell

joe hu/town crier Extended-day kindergartners play at the Bullis campus. School district officials have yet to make decisions on renovation issues.

Despite a looming Los Altos Hills redistricting deadline, Los Altos School District officials are proceeding at their own pace in reviewing six options proposed by the district’s Citizen’s Advisory Committee for Finance (CACF).

At the May 30 board of trustees meeting, CACF members Dick Hasenpflug and Pablo Luther presented a study that evaluates options for LASD, factoring in enrollment forecasts, school capacities, construction and operating costs.

“It’s very complicated,” Hasenpflug said. “Hopefully we will provide some analysis that will assist you in making a decision.”

District trustees took no action. President Margot Harrigan said the school board planned to discuss it further at Monday’s meeting, held after the Town Crier press deadline. Meanwhile, Los Altos Hills councilmembers were expected to proceed with a bid to form their own school district Thursday. (See separate story, page 1)

“We won’t be able to make the incredibly hard decision tonight and we probably won’t on June 5,” Harrigan said.

Superintendent Tim Justus said he is hopeful a decision can be made by the June 19 board meeting. While it is important to begin the next phase of construction, the board must communicate with the public and examine all aspects of the issue before a decision, he said.

If they do not decide by the end of June, Justus said they would defer the decision on Phases I and II of construction, the location of Bullis Charter School (BCS) and the future of the Bullis-Purissima school site until September to allow adequate public input.

The refinancing of the general obligation bond, authorized by the 1998 bond measure, will fund the completion of Phase I construction, including renovation for existing classrooms and the addition of a library and multipurpose room on the Bullis campus. Phase II construction, integral to many of the options, depends on passage of the parcel tax on November’s ballot.

The CACF offered six scenarios:

• Do nothing. To meet medium (might not accommodate high) enrollment forecasts, the district would expand each of the existing six campuses to 550 students. BCS could occupy new facilities built at Egan ($13.1 million), at the Bullis site ($13.4 million) or at Covington ($7.7 million).

• LASD K-6 occupies the Bullis site and BCS stays at Egan - estimated cost, $26.5 million. This option accommodates all enrollment growth forecasts and returns a public district school to the Hills. It requires additional annual overhead costs of $554,000 to $615,000 depending on enrollment. The additional operating funds would not be available before the 2009-2010 school year, without cutting other district programs.

• LASD K-6 occupies the Bullis site and BCS is colocated at the Covington campus - estimated cost, $21.4 million. This option has a potential positive income of up to $150,000 from the Palo Alto Unified School District from interdistrict transfers.

• LASD K-6 and BCS colocate on the Bullis site - estimated cost, $17.3 million. This option accommodates low and medium (might not accommodate high) enrollment growth forecast and returns an LASD elementary school to the Hills.

• LASD special programs and BCS occupy the Bullis site - estimated cost, $17.3 million. This option does not return a district elementary school to the Hills but should meet medium (might not accommodate high) enrollment forecasts. Each of the current campuses would expand to 550 students.

• BCS occupies the Bullis site - estimated cost, $13.4 million. This option might eliminate the extended-day kindergarten program but could result in savings for the general fund. It would meet medium (might not accommodate high) enrollment forecasts. Each of the current campuses would expand to 550 students.

Harrigan said that the board will determine which enrollment forecast the district considers most reliable and would factor into their final decision.

Justus expects the board to focus on enrollment growth, the possible locations for the charter school and the use of the Bullis site for the school district.

For more information and a copy of the May 30 presentation, visit www.losaltos.k12.ca.us.