By Traci Newell

Joe Hu/Town Crier David Lu gives LASD Superintendent Tim Justus a big hug at the end of a relay race at the Kiwanis Special Games in May. Justus said the event was his favorite memory of his first year with the district.

Ask Tim Justus to sum up his first year as superintendent of the Los Altos School District and he’ll have a lot to say.

The Los Altos Kiwanis Club invited Justus to Ristorante Bella Vita June 27 to speak about his inaugural year with the district and the community.

“The thing that strikes me is the friendship and the acceptance that I have felt this very first year,” Justus said. He acknowledged his predecessor, former Superintendent Marge Gratiot, for passing the baton and taking time to introduce him to the community.

Justus praised the community, citing the “amazing” support the district receives from the PTA, the Los Altos Educational Foundation and other local organizations such as Kiwanis.

“You would think it’s that way in every district,” he said. “But I have to tell you, after being a superintendent in three districts, everyone wants the best for their child. This community shows it more than any other I have ever seen.”

He spent a while summarizing the importance of the decision to reopen the Bullis-Purissima campus.

“The goal is to provide a community school,” he said. “That does not preclude the fact that the charter school may also be located there.”

The next big decision the board has to make is where to place the charter school in the district, Justus said.

“There is no one best answer for where to locate the charter school,” the superintendent said. “It has to be a place where they can be successful. I believe they provide a service for this community.”

Justus discussed the lengths to which the district has gone to improve its educational strategies. He said the district is working to integrate technology into the schools, with 18 teachers training for a new pilot technology program at Apple in Cupertino and five teachers training at the Krause Center at Foothill College. The goal is for the district to integrate laptop use in the history, social studies and science curricula.

“(Technology) is a part of our life and the children’s life,” he said.

Justus touched briefly on the personnel changes the district is experiencing and the possible adjustments to come. He said he is excited for two new principals, Alyssa Maxwell and Nancy Milo, to enter the district next year, at Santa Rita and Covington schools, respectively.

“Overall it’s been a pretty successful year,” he said. “A transition year is always a difficult one.”