Bullis Charter School Enrollment includes outreach to the Day Worker Center

Bullis Charter School Enrollment Diversity Outreach 2012-13

Here’s an eye-opener about Bullis Charter School enrollment diversity efforts. Their enrollment coordinator swore under oath they do all this stuff now…Spanish and Mardarin translators at open houses, translate the web site into those languages, advertise in Spanish, admission applications in Spanish, outreach to Day Worker Center, etc.  Lots of North of El Camino efforts.

Lalahpolitico notices the only rebuff the BCS outreach coordinator experienced was from LASD, when BCS sought to include an announcement of Open Enrollment in the LASD newsletter and also to table at and LASD info event. What’s with that?! A true and correct copy of Bullis’s request, and a true and correct copy of the District’s rebuff, is  Exhibit A. ( Find it on LASD’s Doug Smith’s blog.)

 

We I, JOAN MELLEA, declare as follows:

CASE NO. 109CV144569

DECLARATION OF JOAN MELLEA IN SUPPORT OF BULLIS CHARTER SCHOOL’S MOTION TO COMPEL COMPLIANCE WITH JUDGMENT AND WRIT

 

Date:      August 15, 2012   Time:      9:00 a.m.   Dept:      2

The Honorable Patricia Lucas

Petition Filed: June 10, 2009

I am the parent of a Bullis Charter School student, and serve as the school’s Enrollment Coordinator.  I have served in this role for the last eight years.  In my capacity as Enrollment Coordinator, I am involved in formulating and implementing community outreach efforts that occur every year prior to our Open Enrollment and admissions lottery.  I also coordinate and implement outreach programs throughout the school year.  Such outreach programs are focused primarily on the Los Altos School District, and are intended to reach the entire territorial jurisdiction covered by the District, including parts of neighboring Mountain View.  Moreover, Bullis has increased its outreach efforts in response to concerns regarding Bullis’ student body diversity.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

Prior to and during Open Enrollment for 2012-2013, Bullis conducted extensive community outreach.  Among other things, Bullis:

  • Held five parent information nights, including three for K-6 parents and two for middle school parents;
  • Offered five school tours; and
  • Continued to staff a dedicated phone number and email address for registration, enrollment, and program related questions.
  • Bullis also spread the word across Los Altos and surrounding areas by:
  • Advertising in local newspapers;
  • Posting flyers and/or posters in downtown Los Altos, downtown Mountain View, the Los Altos public library, the Mountain View public library, and Mountain View churches, businesses, and daycare centers;
  • Distributing flyers and FAQs to more than 30 local preschools;
  • Posting signage outside of Bullis’ campus (on a high traffic Los Altos boulevard);
  • Advertising on local community websites; and
  • Sending notifications of Open Enrollment to local parent list serves, as well as neighborhood email list serves.

In order to ensure that we reached the Spanish-speaking and Mandarin-speaking community, as well as the area north of El Camino Real (which is typically less affluent), among other things, Bullis:

  • Engaged the CEO of Rocketship Education, staff members from Escuela Popular and KIPP Heartwood, the Executive Director of the Mountain View Day Worker Center, and the Hispanic Outreach Coordinator for the City of Mountain View to develop a Hispanic outreach plan;
  • Provided translated versions of Bullis’ website;
  • Provided recruitment materials in English, Spanish, and Mandarin;
  • Made Spanish- and Mandarin-speaking translators available at parent information nights;
  • Provided registration packages in English and Spanish;
  • Advertised in local papers in Spanish;
  • Advertised on local websites in Spanish;
  • Posted flyers in apartment building lobbies, bus stops, fast food restaurants, and a car wash, among other businesses, located north of El Camino Real;
  • Distributed flyers at two parks north of El Camino and a park in Mountain View;
  • Set up information tables in a park located north of El Camino Real; and
  • Held two weekend coffee hours with parishioners at a Mountain View church, provided English and Spanish recruitment materials, and staffed the events to include Spanish-speaking parents.

In order to further ensure that we reached all potential Bullis applicants, we asked the District if Bullis could participate in the District’s Kindergarten Information Night. The District refused to allow us to participate. We also asked the District to announce the beginning of Bullis Open Enrollment in the newsletter it sends to families across the District; once again, the District declined. A true and correct copy of Bullis’ request, and a true and correct copy of the District’s response, is attached as Exhibit A. ( Find it on LASD’s Doug Smith’s blog.)

I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing is true and correct.

JOAN MELLEA

LALAHPOLITICO COMMENT:  If you know what LASD does for outreach, shoot me an email. nschroder@losaltospolitico.com

 

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