Dear Los Altos School District Community,

As you know, within the last year, the Bullis Charter School (BCS) unilaterally increased its enrollment by nearly 25%, or 220 in-district students.  Because Los Altos School District is required by law to provide facilities to in-district charter students, BCS’s unilateral action raises considerable challenges to accommodate its sudden growth for the next school year and beyond.  

To try to address those challenges, negotiating teams from LASD and BCS met in multiple confidential mediation sessions to discuss proposals for a long term facilities agreement.  Throughout such negotiations LASD made it clear that any proposal the mediation teams negotiated behind closed doors needs to be fully aired in public with the community to determine whether there was community support, and that this public process would need to occur before LASD’s board voted whether to approve any agreement.  This mediation process yielded a proposal for a 10-year agreement that the Board is considering.  For more information on this proposed agreement, click here.

The Board of Trustees and I firmly believe that your voices and opinions are essential when it comes to an issue of intense community interest such as this.  As publicly elected officials committed to making a decision that benefits our community as a whole, we have appreciated each and every one of the many comments, questions and ideas we have received to date.

I learned yesterday evening that the BCS Board of Directors voted unanimously to approve the proposed 10-year agreement.  While BCS moved quickly to a vote before the community could be fully heard, LASD’s Board will complete its scheduled public input process that it values tremendously and deems essential before it votes on the proposed agreement.   

Click here for dates of remaining school site forums, Board Office Hours and Board meetings.  We have scheduled two more Board meetings to receive feedback on the agreement, one which will be held tomorrow evening, Thursday, April 25 at 7pm.  The other meeting will take place on Monday, April 29 at 7pm, in which the Board plans to receive feedback and vote on the proposed agreement.  Both meetings will be held at the District Office. 

As always, you may also email the Board of Trustees at trustees@lasdschools.org with any thoughts, questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Jessica Speiser
President, Los Altos School District Board of Trustees

You have likely heard about the proposed long term agreement with Bullis Charter School. To ensure a transparent and robust public input process, the District is hosting a series of opportunities where we invite you to share your thoughts and opinions with us in advance of a Board vote. Any plan requires a process to envision building a successful educational future for our students, and our school district would like you to be part of that process.

After nearly 15 years of disputes, the Los Altos School District Board of Trustees will review a proposal for a long term agreement with Bullis Charter School at its April 8 Board meeting at 7:00pm at the District Office.  

The proposed agreement arose from a mediation process, in which two members of the Los Altos Board of Trustees and three of the Bullis Charter School board members met over the course of several months.  The proposal will now be shared publicly, offering an opportunity for public input and a transparent community conversation before both boards vote on the proposal.

With extremely complex circumstances and limitations on public school districts due to existing California charter school law, no solution to the problem could be achieved without difficult compromises on both sides.   

The broad parameters of the proposal are as follows:

• By no sooner than 2023, BCS would have exclusive use of 16 of the 18.83 acres that comprise the Egan Junior High Campus.
  • LASD would preserve 2.83 acres of the Egan campus for affordable teacher housing
• Bullis Charter School would cap its enrollment at 1,111 students, roughly equivalent to its projected enrollment for the 2019-20 school year.
• LASD would construct a new Egan Campus at the new 10th school site located at the Kohl’s Shopping Center site in Mountain View, which we will acquire this year.  The new school would open for the 2023-24 school year, at the earliest.
• Until the new Egan Junior High is constructed, Bullis Charter School would stay at its current locations at Egan Junior High and Blach Intermediate, and would not expand to Loyola or any additional LASD campuses.
• The proposed agreement would be in place for at least 10 years and end the divisive Prop. 39 process that resulted in millions of dollars spent on lawsuits and disputes with BCS.

Potential benefits to the proposed agreement for LASD include:

• No shared campuses and no divided schools:  10 schools on 10 sites
• Protection of LASD’s award-winning neighborhood school model
• No additional campuses impacted
• Stops unchecked BCS enrollment growth with a cap at 2019-20 levels
• A 10-year agreement between LASD and BCS, which would end the Prop. 39 process that resulted in disputes and costly lawsuits
• A cost-effective plan to acquire a new Egan campus, with over $100 million in funding from local developers and the City of Mountain View

At Monday night’s meeting, the Board and the community will have the opportunity to review the proposal from the mediation team, as well as ask questions and provide feedback.  Additionally, the LASD mediation team members and Superintendent Baier will visit all schools to hear from parents and staff to ensure that our community’s voice is heard through this process.  

We hope to achieve a long term agreement that both boards would vote to ratify after a transparent and thorough public input process.   Any final plan would require a process to envision building a successful educational future for our students and we invite our community to be part of that process.

To review the proposed agreement in full, please click here.  Click here for the presentation that will be shared on April 8, which includes dates for upcoming meetings at school sites, where public input is encouraged and appreciated. The public may also share their views with the Board of Trustees by emailing trustees@lasdschools.org.  To view a history of facilities sharing with BCS here.  

The Los Altos School District believes the most important part of any agreement is that our children continue to receive the excellent education our teachers and academic programs provide.  We hope our community will come together to share concerns, ask questions and provide input on this proposal to reach an agreement that provides stability and certainty into the future so all children continue to excel.

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Thanks to the Los Altos Town Crier for publishing this wonderful piece of student journalism about the work Santa Rita 6th graders are doing with teacher Zac Hansel to learn about climate change. Read the story here!

Read the latest Computer Science article from our talented and experienced Computer Science Integration Specialist, Sheena Vaidyanathan, which was published in Ed Surge yesterday.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2019-03-11-teaching-coding-to-kids-what-programming-language-should-we-use

After School Mandarin Immersion Program Enrollment for 2019-20 Begins

Due to growing demand and an interest in expanding the program for local students, LACS launched a partnership with the Los Altos School District (LASD) to relocate from its former home at the Hillview Community Center in Los Altos to all seven of the district's elementary schools.

Enrollment for the 2019-20 Los Altos Chinese School After School Mandarin Immersion program will be open on a first come, first served basis until May 3, 2019.  Los Altos School District students receive enrollment priority.

We’re thrilled about adding this top-quality program to our array of after school options for our students and parents.  Children not only learn to speak, read and write Mandarin, but they also participate in engaging activities like music and art, which supports the whole child and their academic success,” said Jeffrey Baier, Los Altos School District Superintendent.

We are so proud to partner with the best schools in our area to make our successful Mandarin immersion program more accessible to local children.  We promote children’s educational success through our passion for teaching and commitment to building our students’ confidence through creative activities and enrichment courses.  That is why our students excel in Mandarin in our local high schools,”  said Jane Bai, Principal of the Los Altos Chinese School.

By relocating the program to each elementary school in LASD, the Chinese school also eliminates the need for transportation.  Now, students leave their classroom at the end of the school day—even on short days—and go directly to the LACS classroom at their elementary school.  The immersion program ends at 6pm, 5 days per week, offering a great after school learning opportunity.

The program has already started operating at Almond Elementary, where Principal Raquel Matteroli explains it is a huge success.  “Current LACS students and parents are thrilled. There is a lot of buzz among our students, who I overhear frequently telling friends what they’re learning at LACS and how much fun they have in the program,” Mrs. Matteroli said.

For more information about enrollment and tuition, please visit Los Altos Chinese School at http://www.losaltoschinese.school/.

Los Altos School District Partners with the Los Altos Chinese School
for After School Mandarin Immersion Program

The Los Altos School District (LASD) is thrilled to announce a new partnership with the Los Altos Chinese School to provide after school Mandarin immersion at all of our elementary schools.

The Los Altos Chinese School is an established and successful program, that has been located at the Hillview Community Center in Los Altos since 2014.  Now, due to increased demand, the program will operate from each of our LASD elementary schools.  This move not only expands availability for the popular program, but it eliminates the need for student transportation, providing an easy alternative for students and parents.

The Mandarin program is aligned with the school schedule, beginning at the end of the school day (even on short days) and ending at 6pm, 5 days per week.  More than just a language program, students are engaged in fun activities that build their language skills through art, dance, music and more.

The program will roll out this February through May at each of our elementary schools. There are only a few spaces available for interested students this school year.  Enrollment for the 2019-20 school year begins February 25.  

Spaces are available on a first come, first served basis and Los Altos School District students will be given priority.  Stay tuned next week for additional enrollment information for the 2019-20 school year.

For more information about the school’s program, tuition and enrollment please visit Los Altos Chinese School website or call 650.564.4183.

Los Altos School District is asking for staff, family and student input in our first annual communication survey. Click here to take the survey now through February 26 at 5pm.

The survey results will help guide our efforts to improve communication practices and ensure everyone has the information they need to help our students succeed. The survey also provides you with an opportunity to share what you value most about our schools and where you see opportunities to improve.  

Thank you for lending your voice and opinions to this effort as we partner with you to provide an excellent education to all of our students. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts!

Click here to get started.

Challenge Day Inspires Students at Blach Junior High

In January, a group of one hundred Blach 7th and 8th graders participated in a day-long, powerful program called Challenge Day.  The program builds skills and confidence in students and educators to help them build a positive, compassionate and inclusive school community.

“Research shows that students who feel welcomed, included and respected by peers, teachers and administrators thrive academically, socially and emotionally,” said Bhavna Narula, Blach Principal.  “That is why Challenge Day is an essential program at Blach, contributing to our strong, welcoming student community that supports excellent academic achievement.”

Students were nominated by their team of teachers to participate in the program due to their leadership potential, kindness towards others, positive and inclusive peer interactions and an overall constructive contribution to the Blach community. A truly community event, teachers and parents volunteered as chaperones to learn along with the students.

“Challenge Day provided an important avenue to connect with students in deep, thoughtful ways.  One student told us that he felt ‘awakened.’  I believe we all felt awakened to a new commitment to cherish what we have, to go after our dreams and to show gratitude and care for our loved ones.  As a group, the students, parents, and staff bonded over shared experiences that were fun, emotionally meaningful and, at times, challenging,” said Hana Meckler, a staff chaperone.

“I am still awestruck by how quickly the students were able to absorb and act upon the message of kindness, compassion and inclusivity. I was impressed by how thoughtful and articulate they were in expressing themselves, in putting words to their most challenging emotions and voicing their intentions in how they would like to be the change they wish to see in the world,” said April Buchheit, parent chaperone.

The Challenge Day program is so successful because it goes beyond traditional anti-bullying efforts, building empathy and inspiring a school-wide movement of positive change.  For more information visit www.challengeday.org.

The Los Altos School District Collaborative Preschool Accepting New Students  

A unique model for early education, the Los Altos School District Collaborative preschool teaches all students—regardless of ability or disability—using the 1st Five and California Preschool Learning Foundations best practices and curriculum.  The school admits children with disabilities as well as children who are typically developing, who play and learn together in a welcoming and supportive classroom that prepares them for success in Kindergarten.
 
“Preschool is a foundational educational experience that not only teaches children how to learn, but how to navigate their world socially, be empathetic and participate as a key partner in a classroom community.  Our preschool students learn how to work and play inclusively with their peers, a key to future success in our diverse world,” explains Katherine Chang, the preschool teacher.
 
Collaborative preschool students attend a ½ day program (AM or PM class) 5 days per week, which is tuition-free.  Currently, the school is seeking typical peers for the 2018-19 school year who are at least 3 years old, have prior playgroup or preschool experience, and have age appropriate language and social skills.
 
The preschool’s activities are thoughtfully and creatively adapted so that all children participate and learn together. All children’s developmental goals are integrated into daily routines for Kindergarten preparedness.
 
“Collaborative preschools help children grow and develop together, share experiences and form lasting friendships.  Our students become aware of differences and similarities, developing a sense that everyone, regardless of abilities or disabilities, makes an important contribution to the world around us,” Chang said.
 
For more information about our collaborative preschool, please contact Katherine Chang at (650) 947-1171 or kchang@lasdschools.org.