As parents who care deeply about our local public schools, we entrusted the Los Altos School District to run a fair and representative community engagement process around facilities. We were told that the process would help result in solutions to address the long-term facilities needs for all district students, including finding a permanent site for Bullis Charter School. We attended info sessions, participated in charrettes, listened to others, shared our opinions and participated in workshops. As we near the end of the process, we are becoming increasingly concerned that its flawed design works against true community engagement.

This process of voting on proposals was stacked against the charter school. Bullis Charter School may be the largest public school within the district, and the only school with a fully integrated K-8 teaching model, but together we make up only 20% of the district public school population. Bullis Charter School parents, by percentage, were quite engaged at the workshops and charrettes. No matter how many showed up, we were always going to be outnumbered.

The Town Crier recently published an article, an editorial and a guest opinion column defending Los Altos City Manager Chris Jordan. Council members and residents are accused of “vitriol” and “unfounded accusations” against him.

Los Altos Partners in Progress asks, “What is a Los Altos resident to believe?”

The first Starbucks opened in Seattle in 1971. Today there are more than 20,000 stores, and business is growing around the globe. Lines form from Brooklyn to Botswana waiting on their orders of demi, grande, venti or trenta of mocha, espresso, dolce, flat, skinny, salted, blonde or latte with triple shots, soy, half-caf, super-heated, iced, room-temp or decaf. If you are in a nanosecond hurry, just shoulder past the peons for your day-starter at the mobile-order mosh pit. The java mumbo jumbo has unfortunately moved into our own Waterworld.

Depending on where you get your news, you might think Los Altos has completely gone down the proverbial (storm) drain. What is clear is that some members of our city council are at odds with each other, and our city manager is under siege.

Recently, the Palo Alto-based Daily Post newspaper has published several slanted articles about where our city council has been meeting, and the articles have questioned the competence of our city manager and city attorney. The Post also has published articles attacking Councilwoman Jeannie Bruins. Add a few cranky Nextdoor posts, and you soon have a murky mix of misinformation.

I have heard from many of you who are concerned about whether the Los Altos City Council will ever be returning to our official chambers at city hall, where for many decades the council has conducted its work.

These chambers were paid for with your tax dollars, and you would like to see the business of our government take place right there where you can see it and participate in it. That’s how it works in Washington, D.C., and in Sacramento. Right now, to many of you, it seems that in Los Altos, the elected city government has been evicted from its home.

The Los Altos School District is trying to finalize plans for important facilities changes. District officials attribute the need mainly to Bullis Charter School’s 15-year period of having inferior facilities. It’s almost as if they blame Bullis Charter School for needing a better facilities share for its 25% of district students.