I'm glad. Seems rational thinking is finally taking hold.
What a pariah BCS has become in the community; well, except for their inner circle who seems to be in denial about how disgusted the surrounding communities have become with that place.

I totally agree with the comment above. It will be very interesting to see how many families apply to BCS this year, and whether the demand from in-district parents rises or falls compared to last year. BCS has done so much to damage their own reputation this year. If demand decreases, I hope they see this as a sign that they need to stop the lawsuits for their own sake.

This saga is pretty similar to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

I respectfully disagree. Its one thing to disagree on how a school is managed, whether as a business or otherwise, but academic results speak for themselves.

The quality of instruction as evidenced by student test scores, the statistics of where Bullis Charter School graduates attend at the collegiate level, and the broad based, well balanced skill sets in art, drama, science, and critical thinking displayed by students is the more compelling argument whether they are doing it right or not.

No, I don't have any children at Bullis Charter, and am not affiliated with the organization. I have attended their open houses, observed the students, and researched the test scores though. They are impressive.

The bigger issue here is not whether Bullis Charter or the School District is right in the eyes of the law. Its whether the existing structure of public education, which has existed in its current form for decades, remains to be the most effective and efficient way of preparing children in this new economy.

Bullis Charter makes a compelling argument that allowing schools to innovate and move in different directions makes possible schools that can teach better and more efficiently, than a public school can.

An argument can be made that just like personalized medicine for individuals, personalized education for students will yield better students by developing their specific strengths and supporting their weaknesses. That's good for everybody in the long run.

Test scores are not the only indication. They can be "rigged" by having the right students.

I do agree that there should be choice. Even if normal public school is good for some, it is not the best for everyone.

However, there are charters that do this the right way. Look at Summit Schools. They have a couple of schools and a new one coming to this area. They seem to be community minded.

Bullis Charter began with a bunch of rich bullies, and they are still trying to bully their way to get what they want - causing the school district to waste precious funds fighting legal battles - or just give up a school to them and make the people who live there drive to another school.

They should have gotten community support before starting the school. They stared the school by being spoiled brats - and this is what happens.

I, also, have no relation to Bullis, to Los Altos District, or to Summit.

Just SO sick of all this ridiculous fighting. With all the money those Bullis parents spent, they could have built their own school - which is what they just should have done to begin with.

don't give up bullis charter school....we support you 100%... do it for the kids...

Using $5K donations from the kids to pay their lawyers. Ouch! That does not seem to sit well with the judge, and certainly will not play well in the court of public opinion!

Why would Mtn. View Schools be involved with this at all?

The amount of money already spent from the very deep pockets of the BCS 1%-ers
Would probably pay for a new facility of their own!

What is it about these rich people that makes them think they are always right? Because they can either pay everyone off or bankrupt them to become 'right'?!

Even if this charter school was so much better at educating kids...what is the lesson learned from their actions....that the kids with the richest parents are the only kids who get a good education? Until we - as Americans - begin to think about others more than ourselves we will be doomed to this selfish, every man for himself mentality!
Find a way to compromise, to do what is best for all the kids!

@Hardin

If you are contending that charter schools are fine, but its the way Bullis Charter went about conducting business that is offensive, that's really missing the forest for the trees.

Bottom line, parents choose schools where they believe their children will thrive, not based on whether they play nice with other schools.

But if parents DID choose schools based on how they play with other schools, its seems to me that judging from the history of this issue, neither party is innocent, or played has "nice". The school district has been doing enough of its own "goosestepping" around the court judgements, as much as Bullis Charter has been aggressive in its court actions.

And, "Well they STARTED IT...." is only an effective argument when you're on the playground.

@Hardin - not sure you've looked at their test scores compared to other LASD elementary skills and the delta is very minor actually. And it's pretty arguable that if you actually adjusted for kids in LASD schools that are english as second language or otherwise challenged, you'd find that LASD schools are roughly the same or better test-wise in some instances. The background of the kids at the school are skewed. I can't say this is purposely done as it is likely self-selected by the parents in hispanic neighborhoods not wanting to put their kids in BCS for whatever reasons.

More importantly though is that BCS offers a different approach -- not necessary better -- but different that may in fact help many children that traditional schools won't or can't.

SO I would really like to see BCS exist. But it must exist in harmony with the community. Today, given its Board and aggressive mentality, it exists as a self-entitled, self-centered, and bitter place. Very sad and unfortunate. This must change for BCS to live on.

Hardin: please check your research on BCS test scores. Surrounding public schools are typically within ~1-2% of BCS. LASD schools Oak, and Covington, for example are at 983 API, and BCS is API is 984.

That BCS requires $5K per student to keep up with the LASD average implies that BCS is very INEFFICIENT and NOT COST EFFECTIVE.

Please read my comments again, I stated Bullis Charter test scores are impressive, I did not contend them to be superior to the school district's.

But it is the combination of high test scores, well rounded extra-curricular activities, and the students themselves that I used to make my assessment.

YMMV, depending on what you're looking for in a school.

Hey Bullis = GET OVER YOURSELVES! (and is it BULLIS or BULLIES?). I don't like arrogance, and I don't like bullies, and I ESPECIALLY don't like arrogant bullies. The only thing a bully understands is being confronted by someone who is not weaker than they, be it physically or financially. It's damned well time that our community confronts these bullies and treats them as such instead of treating them as innocent, well-meaning school administrators.

Hi Hardin, it seems to me that you used the "impressive" test scores to question the whole public school model:

"Bullis Charter makes a compelling argument that allowing schools to innovate and move in different directions makes possible schools that can teach better and more efficiently, than a public school can."

I am respectfully saying that a more careful examination shows that BCS is simply not an outlier that proves any such point.

It will be quite fascinating if the names of people donating to this endless legal assault on our community will be released...and the amounts given! Interesting indeed.

Hardin outlines some of the benefits of BCS. But what are the costs?

-There's the $5000 ask requested from each family. And this amount is surely going to rise, due to the legal costs BCS is incurring.
-There's the cost of going to a commuter school. This includes the cost of driving your child to/from school everyday, as well as not having your neighbor's kids as classmates.
-There's the risk inherent in a very unstable environment at BCS. Who knows where the school will be located next year? Maybe it will be even further from your home?
-There's the risk inherent in a school run by an unelected Board. Do you want to go to a school where you have no voice in the way it's run?

Do the benefits of attending BCS vs LASD outweigh the cost? That's for each family to decide

We need to know if the BCS legal machine is being funded by outside interests. The fact that BCS is fighting so hard to keep that information private makes me think that they have something to hide.

Tom, I agree. I also think this is why the catholic schools do not release any test results. In an area with such good grammar schools, the value of paying a premium is just not there anymore.

I think it is time for the LASD parents to shun the BCS parents. By staying quiet and not organizing and voicing an opinion which is contrary to the rogue BCS board, the BCS parents are partially responsible for the disgusting actions of their school's board. If you are a BCS parent please find another community. You are not welcome in Los Altos!
You may disagree with my comments, however, please keep in mind that these thoughts represent many Los Altos residents.

Bullis Charter has brought nothing but arrogance and bullying to a once tight community. Bullis children as used as pawns for the Bullis board's reach of the "greater cause" of charter schools.

There is no measure that shows that Bullis Charter kids do any better than LASD kids yet the school has torn this community apart and taken away precious education dollars and mind-share resources for over 10 years.

That a parent would want their children to join a school that has done so much harm to our community is mind-boggling. Los Altos Schools each offer an incredible curriculum and a wide variety of at-school and after-school enriching activities. Teachers are just amazing and cater to the individual needs of each child. The only thing LASD lacks is a PR and marketing machine - something that "public" Bullis Charter seems to have plenty of funds for.

Oh Barbara, lets not light the torches and grab the pitchforks quite yet. Sounds a bit juvenile "Lets shun them and not talk to them"
I despise Bullis as well but you're proposing schoolyard stuff.
I'll base my personal associations on my own factors.

@Hardin: Since you brought up colleges, here are some some remarkable statistics from the LASD Almond Elementary School class of 2006, which just graduated from high school in June 2012.

Of the 83 Almond graduates from the class of 2006, five are now freshmen at Stanford, and others from the class attend Cal, Cornell, Johns Hopkins, MIT, Pomona, and Princeton, as well as other notable colleges and universities. Some of these students attended LAHS and some attended other high schools, but they all had their start at Almond Elementary School and Egan Junior High.

I'd say LASD is doing a fantastic job of educating our children for college and beyond.

" ... than a public school can" ? Do you mean neighborhood public school? BCS is supposed to be a public school, yet the low-income kids (aka underperforming kids) who can walk to it aren't attending there. Instead, they attend the neighborhood public schools, Santa Rita and Almond, also with high test scores. BCS has higher test scores because they don't serve those low-income kids, not because they're so much better. In fact, if you consider the kinds of students they serve, it's Santa Rita and Almond who are the real success stories around here. BCS has found many ways to keep out underperforming kids and attracted parents who want to avoid the same. To then tout their scores considering this fact I find disgusting.

[Post removed: off-topic]

LASD is doing a wonderful job of educating our children. By almost any measure, ours is one of the top performing school districts in the entire state. Please explain to me, BCS parent, why you feel justified in attempting to close down a high performing LASD neighborhood school? You could have chosen to send your child to a neighborhood school and you choose not to. That is your choice. Other children should not have to suffer because you want to send your kid to a discount private school.

In the beginning, didn't the charter school want to open within the school district? Or was it just a school site they wanted? Whatever; it was denied. Fast forward...Realizing Bullis administration would not condone this idea today, if it is about a different choice for education, if it is REALLY about the choice in education, why can't we approach the idea of running the charter as an LASD school, with LASD administration? Bullis admin will not want to give up their school, but LASD could start a program within the district to meet these needs. Then, the parents that are truly looking for this different approach, will come back to LASD, without having to pay $5k. It will essentially shut down Bullis because they won't be needed. Understanding this would be difficult for LASD, it would be better than the continuing battle, and LASD would have the control to make the right choices for ALL of the students. Give the $$ to the schools, not the lawyers. Would LASD consider this approach? Would Bullis parents consider this approach?