End of Bullis lawsuit encouraging

We’re relieved and encouraged to hear that Bullis Charter School supporters have dropped their lawsuit against the Los Altos School District. Although the agreement stipulates that the district cannot recoup legal costs incurred to defend itself, the end of litigation means the end of money being spent on attorneys rather than children.

Reasons cited in dropping the suit included Bullis supporters’ observations that progress is being made in negotiations with the district. Superintendent Tim Justus has played a vital role in this progress.

The district board is expected to offer

Bullis a permanent location by the end of September. Bullis board chairman Ken Moore noted that the location reassessment amounted to a change of attitude about the charter. “They’ve switched to a longer-term mode of thinking,” he said.

The charter school, formed in the wake of Bullis-Purissima school’s 2003 closing, challenged the district over the portable classrooms they were provided, citing a Proposition 39 requirement that districts provide “reasonably equivalent” facilities to charters.

The district houses many of its students in portable classrooms independent of the charter. However, there are “three strikes” to the current charter location at the Egan Junior High School campus.

Strike One: The charter folks don’t like the location.

Strike Two: School users aren’t crazy about it either, considering the charter takes field space away from their campus.

Strike Three: Concerned neighbors were assured years ago that the portable classrooms, first installed to accommodate students during Egan’s new construction, were temporary and would eventually be removed. The years continue to roll on.

The end of the Bullis lawsuit hopefully means the start of a better relationship between the charter and the district, as well as a better facilities alternative ahead for the charter.

As we see it, the two best solutions are shared use of the Bullis site with a district school or purchase of an appropriate Los Altos Hills site to build a new campus.

Leaving Egan will bode well for the charter school as well as for Egan supporters and the athletic groups that use the fields.