The LosAltosPolitico.com Podcast

LASD Trustees Agree to Wait 1-year+ on Move Egan Agreement

Hear the Los Altos School District trustees explain why they agree that on April 29 they will effectively vote NO on the tentative 10-year agreement with the Bullis Charter School. This podcast is last 30 minutes of the April 25, 2019, Los Altos School District special board meeting. You can hear them pullback that  Prop 39 offer crafted this past January. That offer would place BCS not only on Egan and Blach as they are now, but add space at Loyola. It would include true reasonably equivalent sharing of outdoor and indoor specialized spaces - much more sharing than now at Egan and Blach.

Instead, the trustees are going to ask Bullis Charter School to accept the "interim facilities" per the 10-year agreement for a year or two.

Here are some time markers for the Board Discussion

0:00 Board of Trustees President Jessica Speiser leads setting the stage.

5:50 Steve Taglio - I'm ok with it if it includes no enrollment growth at BCS

6:45 Bryan Johnson - invites a BCS board member to attend the Ap 29 LASD board meeting.

18:25 Vladamir Ivanovic -

24:06 Shali Sirkay

28:50 Jessica Speiser wraps up

What the LASD Trustees think about the 10-year Agreement with BCS - as of Ap 8, 2019

After hearing 42 persons give public comment on the proposal - with only 3  speakers supporting the proposal as written - the trustees explain their current thinking of the pros and cons of the 10-year proposal. Only Trustee Vladamir Ivanovic is totally nay!.  The crowd cheered and applauded his pugnacious fighting words again and again.

Here are some time markers for you

0:15  Trustee Steve Taglio

4:00  Trustee Vladamir Ivanovich - with much rabble rousing crowd participation

12:45  Trustee Shali Sirkay

17: 25 Trustee Bryan Johnson

23:15 Trustee and board president, Jessica Speiser

27:50 Superintendent Jeff Baier - endorsing anti-charter Sacramento bills in progress 

Opposition to Moving Egan to 10th site - Hear the parents Ap 8, 2019

Location: LASD Covington MPR, the evening of Ap 8, 2019, a board meeting.

Here are 42+ Los Altos School District residing individuals - mainly LASD parents -  telling LASD Trustees what they think of the proposed 10-year agreement to place Bullis Charter School exclusively on the Egan campus starting 2023 - 2025.  

The proposal stipulates that almost 3 acres along San Antonio would be carved out for teacher housing.  The students in the existing Egan attendance area would MOVE to a brand new campus on the Kohls 10th site...about 9.6 acres no earlier than 2023...and as late as 2025.  The land there - worth up to $150M -  is anticipated to cost the District $30-40M, after  Transfer of Development Rights (TDRs) permitted by the City of Mountain View. 

In the interim till 2023 - 2025, BCS would remain split at Egan and Blach.  Portables would be added to Egan....Not to Loyola as would be necessary if this 10-year agreement is not approved and instead the District has to provide a Prop 39 facilities arrangement as floated in Feb. 2019;

Pepei Yu is the first speaker...She has been the face of and organizing force of the opposition for about 6 months. The idea of moving Egan to the Kohls 10th site was first proposed by Task Force member, MV City Council person, Margaret Abe Koge. 

Only 3 speakers of the 42 advocated for the proposal as written. 

For for background information visit losaltospolitco.com.  Our search works pretty well!

Audio Quality after our FREE  Lalahpolitico audio processing:  B- .Lalahpolitico is not to blame for the poor recording environment.

If some want want to send me peoples' name with time markers of when they begin I will update this podcast

 

LASD Trustee Vladamir Ivanovich's remarks Sept. 10, 2018

Audio Summary:
Trustee Ivanovich's remarks at the board meeting...'I have many BCS parents as friends...every charter child costs the district $4000...there will be from half a school to 1 1/2 school of NEW students in NEC within 20 years...Margaret Abe-Koga violated norms when she introduced the idea to move Egan...All this noise in the community about being fiscally conservative is just BCS trying to prevent us from buying the 10th site so it will not be possible to put BCS on it.  They are being so secretive.'  About 3 minutes.

Notice:
I present the LASD Trustees remarks -- probably scripted and rehearsed --  in toto so you can hear them unfiltered for yourself. Lalahpolitico is so disappointed that in reaction to the tough mediated negotiations going on to the renew the five-year agreement between BCS and LASD,  the District is 'leaking' and has decided to engage in ugly, divisive, misleading, and sometimes flat-out untrue propaganda.

LASD Bryan Johnson's remarks Sept. 10, 2018

Audio Summary: Trustee Johnson's remarks at the board meeting...'Why does  BCS [ aka the confidential 5-year agreement negotiation team] say a brand new facility 1/2 mile from the charter unthinkable? Why do BCS negotiators on that team say [in confidence] that would like to grow to 1800?  Why is this BCS unwilling to move to Kohls, yet some BCS individuals are willing to start a new charter school there?  They are so untransparent.' About 3 minutes.

Lalahpolitico: And why is Bryan Johnson leaking these private BCS remarks, violating the mediated negotiations agreement. In contrast... Why is the LASD so secretive about the details of its deal with Federal Realty Trust for Kohls...How much is it going to cost really? Oh yeah, that particular FRT negotiation, but not the BCS one,  is the only negotiation the District thinks needs to remain private!

Notice:
I present the LASD Trustees remarks -- probably scripted and rehearsed --  in toto so you can hear them unfiltered for yourself. Lalahpolitico is so disappointed that in reaction to the tough mediated negotiations going on to the renew the five-year agreement between BCS and LASD,  the District is 'leaking' and has decided to engage in ugly, divisive, misleading, and sometimes flat-out untrue propaganda.

LASD Trustee Sangeeth Peruri's remarks Sept. 10, 2018

Audio Summary: Trustee Peruri's divisive remarks at the board meeting...'It is regrettable that the years of great cooperation between Lasd and BCS seem to be over. They told the demographer their growth plans, and now we asked them to present them to us. But they won't. So secretive and untransparent. There are dire effects on District families and on BCS families of this 'unplanned' growth.  special needs...costs of reconfiguring schools...2-3 schools will close... '  About 6 minutes.

Notice:
I present the LASD Trustees remarks -- probably scripted and rehearsed --  in toto so you can hear them unfiltered for yourself. Lalahpolitico is so disappointed that in reaction to the tough mediated negotiations going on to the renew the five-year agreement between BCS and LASD,  the District is 'leaking' and has decided to engage in ugly, divisive, misleading, and sometimes flat-out untrue propaganda.

LASD Trustee Jessica Speiser's remarks Sept. 10, 2018

Audio Summary: Trustee Speiser's remarks at the board meeting...'Along with Shali Sirkay I marketed Measure N with the number #1 emphasis on a solution to the 10 schools on 9 sites issue...to get a permanent home for BCS...any bond leftovers would go to the other schools. It is so disappointing BCS won't discuss their growth plan. Did we try to talk to BCS about this?  There was a letter?'  About 3 minutes.

Notice:
I present the LASD Trustees remarks -- probably scripted and rehearsed --  in toto so you can hear them unfiltered for yourself. Lalahpolitico is so disappointed that in reaction to the tough mediated negotiations going on to the renew the five-year agreement between BCS and LASD,  the District is 'leaking' and has decided to engage in ugly, divisive, misleading, and sometimes flat-out untrue propaganda.

LASD Trustee Steve Taglio on BCS Growth Sept.10, 2018

Audio Summary: Trustee Taglio's remarks at the board meeting... 'Measure N was supposed to solve the issue of 10 schools on 9 sites...I can't afford to run 10 District Schools...given that I can't change the structure of the 9 schools, the only thing I can move is the Charter.'  About 2 minutes.

Notice:
I present the LASD Trustees remarks -- probably scripted and rehearsed --  in toto so you can hear them unfiltered for yourself. Lalahpolitico is so disappointed that in reaction to the tough mediated negotiations going on to the renew the five-year agreement between BCS and LASD,  the District is 'leaking' and has decided to engage in ugly, divisive, misleading, and sometimes flat-out untrue propaganda.

Hear the Community Discussion about a New Los Altos Library Building and Bond Measure

Highlights of the Sept. 7, 2018 meeting hosted by the Community Coalition of Los Altos, CA, about the local effort to build a brand new Los Altos Library building on the footprint where the current one stands today.

Nancy Iwamoto, our Head Librarian at the Los Altos branch of SCCL,  spoke for about 30 minutes about the history of library facilities in Los Altos, about the current library programs at the main library and about gaps in programs and facilities at the main library.

Cindy Hill, a community volunteer, spoke for about 30 minutes about the research the “New Library” committee has conducted over the past year. A couple of months ago the group hired Godbe Research to test a potential bond measure to pay for a new library. The volunteer group feels ‘optimistic’ because 60% were supportive without any ‘educating’ of the voters about the library needs.

The audiotape of the meeting includes lots of audience input and Q&A.

Lasd 10th Site Task Force, 08/272018 Part1

In the first hour of the 2 part meeting, there was a public comment from a spokesperson representing about 100 Almond parents.  They are opposing the idea of moving Egan Jr. High to the Kohls site. Then Task Force members reintroduced themselves to each other.  There had been a 2-month gap from the prior meeting. There was a tense discussion of whether a District neighborhood school on the 10th site would be "equitable." There was a difference of opinion about whether there was better data on equity available than what had been presented by the District. Then, for the bulk of the first hour, Superintendent for Business, Randy Kenyon, presented some architectural renderings of possible 900 student school layouts on the Kohl site. He answered several clarifying questions asked by the members.