Joe Hurd, new BCS board member on left in black sweater. On right, Noah Messel, board member of Huttlinger, in checked sweater.
The wider public had an opportunity to meet the new Bullis Charter School Board of trustees member on Monday night at the regular LASD School Board meeting Jan. 14.
Joe Hurd spoke briefly about why he was volunteering to server on the Board. He explained that his mother was a public school teacher in Boston, where he is from. His wife runs a charter school in San Jose – Escuela Popular. He said he’s lived in Los Altos since 2004 and now has a daughter at BCS.
He said he had been a political appointee of the Obama administration for the past two years. Now he is a “public policy wonk.”
Here is the patch.com coverage of the BCS board.
Lalahpolitico Analysis: After so many accusations of elitism directed at BCS… well BCS is still as elitist as ever…and as all of our other LASD schools. That is why we move here after all…to be with the elite? And Mr. Hurd fits the bill – he is another Harvard Law School grad among the many who live here and send their kids to LASD. But the Obama card and the mantle of “social justice” worn by that administration make this appointment special.
The new LASD board member, Pablo Luther, is not hispanic. As he explained during the November elections, Luther is a common Indian last name, and his parents admired and named him for Pablo Picasso.
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The LASD board heard public comments Jan. 14. This time BCS parents showed up. About 35 of the 45 speakers were from BCS.
The meeting was over 3 hours long because of so many public speakers. The surprise was that they were overwhelmingly BCS parents. I estimate about 35 of the 45 speakers were from BCS. Lalahpolitico has never seen such a large turnout of BCS parents at an LASD Board Meeting.
“We are not a commuter school.”
“I picked BCS because I live near it”
“Over 50 kids bike to BCS each day. Don’t force more car use”
“Please don’t discriminate against us.”
” There is capacity in LASD…do a grade reconfiguration”
“The district needs a 10th site…but not in Sunnyvale or San Jose.”
A smaller share of speakers were from LASD, but the vast majority were more conciliatory than usual.
None spoke for grade reconfiguration…instead… overwhelmingly this bunch agreed…
“The district needs a 10th site …within or very near the district”
“Push back against the City’s resistance about Hillview…Hillview…Hillview”
“Use 2 story-construction for new buildings” – advocated by HAE board member, Noah Messel
“Passing a bond will not be a problem…just pass the hat for a 10th site…people will be happy to get this over with”
LALAHPOLITICO: Maybe a little too sanguine about getting a bond issue or new parcel tax passed? We already learned from last summer’s survey that voters say no to paying for a non-specific plan. There is still NO CONCRETE PLAN. And it turns out the new Superintendent’s Task Force isn’t creating one – just more non-specific “approaches” again, again, again.
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One of the BCS parents who arrived late said she had just come from BCS parent info night. She claimed there were 150 parents there and that that meeting was a great one, very unlike the LASD one she was at now!
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BCS at Blach. Photographer is standing near the back boundary of the Blach campus, at the edge of second, unfenced grassy field – the one BCS had access to — looking back at the “front” of the cluster of BCS portables. To the right, the white portables are the back of a private pre-school. On the left the large white building is a Blach gym.
In this photo, it must have cost about $200,000 to put the 4 portables of the 2012-13 Prop 39 facilities at Blach in August 2012.
Randy Kenyon, LASD business manager, said at the Jan. 14 LASD meeting that it costs about $5000 a year to rent a portable. But it costs on the average $45,000, more or less, to move, site and hook one up to utilities. Reuse of an existing portable by moving it saves no money compared to just renting a new one.
Therefore the 2013-2014 Egan – Blach 2013-14 offer can be costed out by the portables involved at $50,000 per portable.
BCS at Blach. The district put 3-4 portables next to track in August 2012. There is room for only one more row in August 2013. BCS did not occupy the Blach facilities this year. Notice the useless strips of land which are the BCS land area. The track and the big grassy area are NOT for BCS.
Mark Goines said he believes portables can be arranged to create a quad on Blach.The map of Blach suggests this is not possible. There are 3 or 4 rooms there now – shown as the “bcs 2013” orange rectangle. There is room only for another 3 or 4 in this grassy square – shown as the “bcs 2014” orange rectangle. Unless of course, land will be reallocated next year?
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The LASD board voted for option 1 – split the 2013-2014 Prop 39 facilities across Egan and Blach.
The LASD board voted to direct staff to prepare an initital Prop 39 facilities offer that splits Prop 39 facilities across Egan and Blach. The LASD staff will be playing with “splitting BCS” at various grade points, ostensibly to let Egan share more of the “burden” with Blach. They will toy with splits at 3, 4, 5, or 6. BCS is a school where the pedagogy is based on a k to 8 configuration. The Board will show the Prop 39 offer to the public at it’s next Board meeting Jan. 28. The amended proposal will be sent to the BCS board by Feb. 1, the due date.
The burden on Blach has been virtually zero this school year. BCS chose not to occupy it’s 7th & 8th grade orange rectangle, shown on the map. Story here.
LALAHPOLITICO: It seems unbalanced that the LASD board is willing to consider splitting BCS into K-5 and 6-8 for facilities reasons, but is not willing to reconfigure LASD sites as K-5 except for pedagogical reasons. See how LASD’s Randy Kenyon shows there is excess capacity at junior highs and overcapacity at our elementary schools in this post.
