'Move Egan' 10-year Agreement Videos-Status Report

As of Sunday, May 5, 2019 we know the LASD Trustees tabled the 10-year Agreement at their April 29 meeting. They did not vote on it. The key stated reason for the ‘pause’ was to allow time to conduct expansive outreach and public education over many months, if not years. [Lalahpolitico: in the meantime, we have little public education about, and no Granicus video transparency into this pivotal three week period.]

The day before, April 28, eleven BCS board members voted to approve the 10-year Agreement.

Trustees including Johnson, Speiser and Taglio want to take more time to try to explain the complex rationale for why the agreement was the ‘least bad’ agreement. And they want to reconsider at least 13 alternative ‘facilities solutions’ that seemed feasible to some members of the public. They want to take the time to answer 50+ FAQs and ‘bring the public along to their point-of-view.’ But Trustees stress the outreach process might change their minds, not just minds of some of the public.

On April 29, the LASD trustees also agreed to an ‘interim 2-year agreement’ that consisted of the first part of the 10-year Agreement but omitting the ‘Move Egan’ language. This would keep BCS split across Egan and Blach, adding some portables at Egan, and caping BCS enrollment at 1111, about where enrollment is now. The discussion before the vote wavered a bit between setting the term at 1 vs. 2 years.

Joe Hurd, David Jacques, Bullis Charter School

Joe Hurd announced last fall that BCS was starting a Prop 39 annual request for facilities process

The following day May 1, Joe Hurd of BCS signaled that their board was disappointed with lack of action on the 10 year-Agreement but was ok with the interim facilities and enrollment cap, but for only 1 year. His communications also stated that BCS was going to prepare in parallel, Prop 39 facilities responses, just in case an interim deal could not be struck.

On Thursday, May 2, LASD sent BCS a signed 2-year interim agreement document. The letter asked BCS to counter-sign it by end of day May 9, 2019. If not signed, LASD would start to execute on the Prop 39 process.

Now we wait for the next move.

Where is the transparency for non-parents?
Where is my granicus video?

LASD already did a lot of outreach between April 8, when the 10-year Agreement was aired, till April 29 when the board ‘paused’ it. However, overwhelmingly LASD current parents and some Egan neighbors participated, not the general public. There were 3 board meetings, over a dozen forums at LASD school MPRs, and 3 administration office hours.

This really was a hostile set of venues for the general public. Yeah, there were a few non-parents: mainly ex-LASD trustees or ex-LASD teachers/principals who attended. Lalahpolitico agrees with Shali Sirkay’s point. Lalahpolitico: Who is going to air an opposing opinion when faced with a wall of parents, many who are foaming at the mouth, albeit usually politely foaming?

When transparency at LASD is needed most, ironically there is less of it.

Specifically, the three board meetings were NOT VIDEOED because they were held in the Covington MPR instead of the Board Room. There is no video or publically produced audio of the school Q&A forums.

Readers already know what the official outcomes were. But you may want to hear exactly what a particular LASD trustee said, how they said it, and look at their body language and interactions.

Readers already have heard that during public comments too many parents and Egan neighbors said mistaken things or used inflammatory language. If you doubt this, please listen for yourself. About 10 or so BCS parents showed up at the April 29 LASD meeting.

Lalahpolitico has privately produced some video and audio. They are embedded here for your convenience. To access all the Youtube features, I recommend browser viewing at Youtube.com or from an Youtube app or at Podbean.com. You can find summaries, and sometimes names, and timestamps