Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutSeptember 10FINAL  –  approved  11-­‐12-­‐14     Los  Altos  Hills  Education  Committee  Meeting   Regular  Meeting   September  10,  2014   1.  Meeting  was  called  to  order  at  7:07pm  by  the  Chair,  Ms.  Rose.   Present  were  all  committee  members:  Jennifer  Carlstrom,  Duncan  MacMillan,   Heather  Rose,  Andrea  Angquist,  Kristin  Russell,  and  Karen  Schuster.    John   Harpootlian  was  present  as  the  council  liaison.    Also  present  were  John  Swan  and   Gary  Waldeck.     2.  Minutes  for  August  and  May  approved  unanimously.     • Motion  made  to  approve  minutes  from  May  by  Jennifer  Carlstom,  duly   seconded,  the  May  minutes  were  unanimously  approved.    Committee   members  present  for  this  vote  were  Jennifer,  Duncan,  Heather,  Andrea,  and   Karen.   • Motion  made  to  approve  minutes  from  August  by  Duncan  MacMillan,  duly   seconded,  the  August  minutes  were  unanimously  approved.    Committee   members  present  for  this  vote  were  Jennifer,  Duncan,  Heather,  Andrea,  and   Karen.     3.  Committee  Chair  and  Secretary  were  voted  in.    Chairs  are  asked  by  council  to   serve  two  years  terms.    Ms.  Rose  is  willing  to  serve  as  chair  for  one  more  year.     Motion  made  to  approve  Heather  Rose  as  Chair  and  Karen  Schuster  as  recording   Secretary  by  Duncan  MacMillan,  duly  seconded.  Motion  Carries  unanimously.     Committee  members  present  for  this  vote  were  Jennifer,  Duncan,  Heather,  Andrea,   and  Karen.     4.    Bond  on  the  ballot:  Measure  N.     • This  committee  may  make  a  recommendation  to  the  council  to  endorse   Measure  N.    Motion  made  by  Jennifer  Carlstrom  for  the  committee  to   recommend  council  endorse  Measure  N,  duly  seconded.  Motion  Carries   unanimously.    Committee  members  present  for  this  vote  were  Jennifer,   Duncan,  Heather,  Andrea,  and  Karen.    Disclaimer:    Heather  Rose  had   endorsed  Measure  N.   • Committee  agreed  that  the  Chair  should  address  Council  on  Measure  N   during  the  public  comment  section  (9/11/14  meeting).  Heather  Rose  will   recommend  endorsing  Measuring  N.  Since  this  will  not  be  on  the  agenda,   Council  will  need  to  make  an  emergency  action  declaration  when  asking  for   support  on  Measure  N.    Only  the  Council  can  speak  on  behalf  of  the  Town.     5.  Enrollment  Report  and  Our  Town  newsletter  subcommittees:       • Motion  to  convene  an  Enrollment  Report  Subcommittee.    Jennifer  Carlstrom   moved  to  include  Andrea  Angquist,  Jennifer  Carlstrom  and  Duncan   MacMillan  in  the  Enrollment  Report  Subcommittee,  duly  seconded.  Motion   FINAL  –  approved  11-­‐12-­‐14   Carries  unanimously.    Committee  members  present  for  this  vote  were   Jennifer,  Duncan,  Heather,  Andrea,  and  Karen.   • Jennifer  Carlstrom  made  a  motion  for  an  Our  Town  subcommittee.    Members   include  Kristin  Russel  and  Heather  Rose,  duly  seconded.  Motion  carried   unanimously.    Committee  members  present  for  this  vote  were  Jennifer,   Duncan,  Heather,  Andrea,  and  Karen.     6.  Andrea  Angquist  departed  at  7:25pm  due  to  illness.    Kristin  Russell  arrived  at   8:09pm,  after  the  Town  safety  meeting  concluded.     7.  Public  Comments:       • John  Swan,  candidate  for  LASD  school  board,  spoke  to  the  committee  and   answered  questions  from  the  members  about  his  plans  for  LASD  if  elected  as   a  trustee  on  the  school  board.    Disclaimer:    Heather  Rose  had  endorsed  John   Swan  for  school  board.   • Gary  Waldeck  spoke  on  the  procedures  for  “emergency  action  declaration”  at   Council  meetings  when  an  item  is  not  on  the  agenda.     8.  School  Board  Reporting  Assignments:       The  committee  members  will  continue  to  gather  information  on  local  schools  for   Council  by  attending  relevant  school  board  meetings.  Committee  members   volunteered  to  do  the  following:     • Heather  agreed  to  attend  and  report  on  BCS  meetings.       • Jennifer  Carlstrom  agreed  to  report  on  LASD.      Disclaimer:    Jennifer  Carlstrom   is  Gardner  Bullis  PTA  President  and  President  of  LAEF.   • Kristin  Russell  agreed  to  report  on  MVLA.   • Duncan  McMillan  agreed  to  continue  to  report  on  PASD.       • Karen  Schuster  agreed  to  report  on  Gardner  Bullis  as  only  public  school  in   town.    Disclaimer:  Karen  Schuster  is  Egan  PTA  president  and  LAEF  board   member.       9.  Safe  Routes  to  School:   • Gunn/Miranda  drop-­‐off.    The  light  sync  is  ok  for  the  amount  of  traffic.    Half  of   the  traffic  is  coming  from  Los  Altos  Hills/Palo  Hills,  and  Stanford  West.    Good   results.     • Suggested  routes  (to  school)  task  force.    Going  to  schools  with  a  trifold   brochure.    Review  school  boundaries  with  suggested  routes.    They  will  take   this  data  and  look  for  overlaps.    Review  road  maps  and  crossing  guards.       These  are  positive  strides  towards  safer  routes  to  school.   • Penny  briefed  Heather  on  the  Palo  Alto  Safe  Routes  to  School  program.     Penny  said  that  bussing  LAH  students  is  a  sore  point  for  Palo  Alto  residents   because  bussing  is  not  a  general  service  for  all  PAUSD  students.    LAH   residents  are  not  satisfied  with  the  bussing  program  that  they  pay  $1,000  per   year  per  student  for  because  the  morning  ride  is  too  long:     FINAL  –  approved  11-­‐12-­‐14   Nixon/Terman/Gunn  share  one  bus  in  the  mornings,  so  a  5-­‐10  minute  drive   becomes  a  40  minute  bus  ride  for  Terman  and  Gunn  in  the  mornings.     10.  School  District  Updates:       Egan  Jr.  High:    Egan   is   the   largest   school   in   the   district.    Actively  looking   for   a   crossing  guard  in  front  of  Egan.    Looking  for  a  different  crossing  guard  for  Foothill   Expressway  and  Edith.     Gardner  Bullis:  Cross-­‐walk:  Sourcing  the  light  and  flashing  crosswalk.    Future  hope   for  a  crossing  guard.    Potential  for  speed  tables  to  slow  traffic  in  town.     LASD:    Bond  -­‐  Measure  N  is  moving  forward.    Added  102  students  over  the  summer.     BCS:    700+  students.  Los  Altos  Hills  resident  Peter  Evans  helped  to  sign  a  “cease-­‐ fire”  agreement.    Two  lawsuits  were  dismissed.    Another  board  member  Mr.  Phillips   is  a  Los  Altos  Hills  resident  and  new  chairman  of  the  BCS  board.    Santa  Clara  County   agreed  to  remove  the  preference  for  Los  Altos  Hills  over  the  period  between  now   through  2020.    BCS  formed  a  subcommittee  about  supporting  the  Bond.    This   committee  drafted  new  language  about  supporting  Measure  N.    Looking  to  be  good   partners  with  LASD  going  forward.     MVLA:  1,900  total  Los  Altos  High  Students.  600  Freshman.    All  students  will  be   learning  in  the  cloud,  supported  by  Google  and  their  Chromebook  donations.   Concerns:  A  few  incidents  of  stealing  and  publishers  are  slow  to  move  on-­‐line,  so   students  still  need  textbooks.     11.    New  Business  and  Discussion  Items:       • Gardner  Bullis  families  feel  the  new  principal  is  great.    New  BCS  board   members  are  in  place.  LASD  has  a  new  vice-­‐superintendent.    New  Principals   and  Vice-­‐Principals  at  both  Gunn  and  Terman.     • Palo  Alto  Superintendent  is  Glenn  “Max”  McGee,  Ph.D.  Evaluate  Palo  Alto   IDT’s  -­‐  is  there  a  better  formula  or  a  different  number?  Dr.  McGee  will  be   invited  to  speak  to  the  council.    Heather  took  the  action  item.   • Equivalence:  BCS  and  LASD  spend  approximately  the  same  amount  per   student  per  year,  once  LAEF  &  Bullis  Foundation  donations  are  considered.     • PASUD,  LASD  and  MVLA  are  “Community  Funded”  which  means  that  they   collect  more  in  property  tax  than  the  LCFF  level  that  is  the  funding  level  for   most  CA  public  schools.    For  example,  with  the  switch  to  LCFF  last  year,  there   was  no  discernable  change  to  funding  to  these  districts.    But,  the  LCFF  raised   the  funding  level  for  some  traditional  public  schools  and  charter  schools.   • BCS  is  a  public  charter  school,  chartered  through  SCCOE,  and  receives  the   LCFF  funding  level,  as  do  all  charter  schools  in  CA.     There  being  no  further  business.  the  meeting  was  adjourned  at  8:39pm.