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Published on 05/19/1999 All articles from this issue

Almond parents dominate LASD boundary meeting

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By Linda Taaffe / Town Crier Staff Writer

The boundary committee unveiled four preliminary scenarios for the reconfiguration of the Los Altos School District's internal boundaries at a special meeting May 10 at Almond School that drew more than 100 parents.

The proposals, which have some students commuting to their second closest schools, and in some cases, crossing major intersections, sparked parent concern over the safety and possible congestion of new traffic patterns.

School officials say the moves are needed in order to keep schools below 480 students each - which is key to maintaining the quality of its academic programs. Almond is the closest school for 571 students; Santa Rita for 523 students and Loyola for 497 students.

"This is not an easy challenge. It's not a perfect scenario, but we came up with the best guess," said committee member Nanette Freedland.

The committee has been meeting since February to formulate a plan that will redistribute student populations when Covington School is reopened as the district's seventh elementary school in 2001.

According to parameters set by the board, each school cannot exceed 480 students each or 380 students for Bullis-Purissima School in 2002; the area north of El Camino Real has to be divided into two segments by San Antonio Road; bus services should not be included; and students cannot pass their closest school to attend another school.

Working within those parameters, committee members developed four scenarios that closely mirror one another in about 90 percent of the boundary areas.

All scenarios left Oak School boundaries unchanged. There was less consensus in deciding where the line should go between Almond and Covington schools; Almond and Springer schools; Bullis-Purissima and Santa Rita schools; and where to divide the Los Altos Hills students between Bullis, Covington and Loyola schools.

Under one scenario, students within one-third of a mile of a school entrance would attend that school. Those who live farther, would attend their second closest school. This could mean, for example, that the neighborhood south of Almond (in back of the school), which is closer to Almond but farther than one-third of a mile to the school's entrance, would attend another school.

A grandfather clause would allow some students starting grades 4-8 to choose to attend either their old school or their newly designated school.

Each scenario included safety concerns about intersections and required some sort of signal installations and crossing guards at specific sites.

The discussion drew concerns from mostly Almond parents, who say the boundary changes could compound traffic problems.

"It's a fundametal issue of not having schools in the right location," said Almond parent Teri Eyre, who raised concerns about the northern portion of Los Altos, which is more dense than the southern end and has fewer school sites.

"Our neighborhood schools are deteriorating. We're moving toward a scenario where we have a model of commuter schools."

Some parents suggested re-opening Egan Intermediate School, which is located in the north end of town, as an elementary school to alleviate potential commuting problems in the future.

Board president Kristine Salmon said the district is "nowhere near" deciding boundaries.

For more information about meetings, call 941-4010.