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• Consensus of Council was to hear comments from the School Superintendents and <br /> District Board members in attendance first and to amend their comment time to three <br /> minutes. <br /> OPENED PUBLIC COMMENT <br /> David Pefley, Los Altos School District Board Member, Los Altos Hills resident, <br /> suggested that there was a "new team" directing the LASD and as a newly elected <br /> official, he was looking forward to serving on the Board. He acknowledged that he had <br /> actively worked to prevent the closure of Bullis School and was saddened when the <br /> school where his children attended was closed. Pefley suggested that with the new <br /> demographics and changes in the economy, the Board was actively reviewing a "best <br /> plan" for the Bullis site to be remodeled and reopened. An architect had been hired and <br /> the Board was reviewing refinancing options for the work. He hoped the Community <br /> would grant additional time to the District to work towards common ground. Pefley <br /> suggested a ninety (90) day delay in the Council vote on redistricting and offered that the <br /> interval be used for meetings between the different factions to find an amenable solution. <br /> He suggested that the redistricting process would polarize the community. <br /> Tim Justus, Superintendent, Los Altos School District, addressed Council. He offered <br /> that both districts that served the Town provided an excellent education. He questioned if <br /> the education provided to the Town's students in a different location than the Bullis <br /> campus had been less effective and warranted a change. He understood the value of a <br /> school campus as a community asset and explained that the district was looking forward <br /> to reopening the facility. <br /> Councilmember Jones thanked Justus for appearing and spoke to a recent letter that had <br /> been authored by Justus regarding the district's plans for the Bullis site. Jones noted that <br /> the plans for the school looked vague and requested if there were more concrete plans for: <br /> a timeline of reopening the school; the district's commitment to the project; and,the form <br /> of the school. Justus explained that teachers, board members and district staff had been <br /> working on the plan to reopen the school. He expected the construction to begin in the <br /> Spring of 2007. Justus offered that the final determination for the school form would <br /> need to be approved by the School Board but he expected it to be a K-6 elementary <br /> school. <br /> Mayor Kerr asked if the district was still considering the option of a magnet school. <br /> Justus responded that the district was now looking at a K-6 elementary school for the site. <br /> He acknowledged that he would be open to a subcommittee of the LASD being included <br /> in discussions/negotiations with the Council and PAUSD to find a resolution to the issue. <br /> Rich Fischer, Superintendent, Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District, <br /> noted that he had participated in the CPR discussions as a"neutral" and concurred that it <br /> had been frustrating effort that had concluded without achieving a resolution to the issue. <br /> He hoped the Council would consider granting more time to the neighboring districts to <br /> negotiate an amenable solution. Fischer noted that he had not been invited to share his <br /> opinion on the redistricting plan and suggested that it would take students away from the <br /> 7 <br /> City Council Meeting Minutes <br /> March 23,2006 <br />