So Bullis took out a full page ad in the Town Crier and also sent mailers to all of the households within the school district (see the picture at the bottom of this post). In it they claim a compromise with LASD to accept facilities split between Egan and Blach.
However a compromise requires that BOTH sides work together to come to a shared agreement. The Bullis "compromise" dictates the terms of that split, demanding concessions and additional facilities above and beyond what is legally required under Prop 39. The "compromise" was announced in a press conference without any participation from LASD. And this plan furthers their unilateral decision to double the size of their school body. If they truly wanted to be an asset to and serve the entire community, they would work together with LASD, the PTAs, and the broader community on these decisions. Instead, they do what they want and then get indignant at any sort of pushback.
And if in fact BCS did get what they asked for, they would be illegally running 2 independent charter schools with only one approved petition. SCCOE superintendent Dr. Xavier De La Torre has confirmed that if Bullis wants to operate a second completely independent school, they need to get a second charter petition approved. And they would first have to go to LASD with the proposal. Good luck with that.
Also, BCS' legal response to LASD's preliminary offer paints a much different picture. The word "compromise" appears nowhere in their documents. Instead, they harp on the fact that they are due a single site and how several of the LASD campuses would be just fine if you kick out all of those pesky non-charter students thankyouverymuch. Funny how none of that language made it into the press release.
Some other points from their letter that are pure spin and don't reflect reality: BCS is not a "start up". They are 10 years in and on track to be the biggest school in the district. BCS has done NOTHING to influence LASD curricula. There is absolutely no evidence that BCS has met with and influenced LASD staff on their programs. And to BCS claims they are a "public" school: Yes, they operate with public funds; But they also have access to tremendous private resources; they enroll statistically significantly fewer ELL, special needs, and Hispanic students than LASD; and they use tools like the $5000 de facto tuition to keep the undesirable kids away. BCS may operate under a public charter, but they do not act like a public school. I think this review on greatschools.com from a BCS parent illustrates this point very well:
We ultimately chose BCS because we felt it would be an easier transition for our kids, who were used to a more refined school environment. While not necessarily a bad thing, LASD has kids with some pretty severe learning differences who, according to some parents, can make classroom dynamics tough for the untrained teacher.
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