Board of Directors

board faq

Leadership and passion drive BCS to become
a model of educational innovation.

General Questions

How does the Board serve BCS?

The BCS Board of Directors is responsible for ensuring the execution of BCS’s mission throughout all aspects of the operation and activities of the School.

  • BCS Board Members are dedicated to the school and the success of its students.
  • BCS Board members are selected for their commitment to support and enhance the mission, structure and function of BCS.
  • The Board is deeply committed to an open and transparent governing process.

Who provides financial oversight of BCS?

The BCS Board oversees the school’s fiscal affairs. Additionally, BCS undergoes an annual independent financial audit by a certified public accounting firm, and BCS provides monthly financial reporting to the SCCOE, which completes its own financial auditing of the school on an annual basis.

How do parents and community members give input at BCS?

The governing structure of BCS gives parents a unique opportunity to help shape their child’s education and provide input into the school’s operations and programs.

  • BCS parents, teachers, staff, and community members, are all encouraged to offer input at BCS’s Annual Strategic Planning sessions. The results of these sessions are conveyed to other parent/teacher subcommittees for further refinement and recommendations for action plans.
  • Additionally, BCS conducts an annual survey of BCS parents, teachers, and staff to receive feedback on the school. The results are presented publicly to the BCS Board for evaluation and action.
  • BCS holds regular public board meetings, each with a public comments portion.
  • The parent teacher group, The Bullis Boosters Club (BBC), hosts forums on topics of parent interest.
  • The Principal and Board Members are always available to receive feedback.
  • BCS also seeks input from Charter School and education experts to ensure that national education best practices are being implemented at BCS.

Expansion/Growth Questions

What are BCS’s growth plans?

  • As a public school, BCS believes that every parent who wants to choose a BCS education for their child should be able to do so. Because of our large and growing waiting list, we notified LASD’s demographer in March 2018 that we plan to grow to 1,200 students over the next 3-5 years to help meet some of the existing demand.
  • Open Enrollment for this year closed on October 12, 2018 and the BCS Board voted to add two kindergarten classes and one additional class in each grade, one through five, for the 2019-2020 school year.

Why is growth necessary?

BCS is growing because we believe strongly in the promise of a quality public education for all, and we want to meet the tremendous demand from the community. Each year, more parents are submitting enrollment forms because they have determined that our educational model best fits their child’s needs.

How will we guarantee educational excellence as the school grows?

  • Above all else, BCS is committed to positive student outcomes. Over the past 15 years, we have grown intentionally to serve more local public school students. Just as the quality of education has not wavered with past growth, we intend to continue to deliver our high-quality model as our school experiences future growth.
  • BCS is committed to educational excellence in several unique ways. Our teachers are evaluated and supported via a performance-based compensation model, and incentives are provided for desirable professional achievements that also exemplify excellence in teaching such as National Board Certification. Our teachers collaborate across content areas, grade levels, and specialties to create rigorous, engaging, interdisciplinary units of instruction that improve student learning. Our commitment to whole child development, focused learning goals, and Project-Based Learning continue to make BCS one of the top-rated schools in the state and the nation.

Facilities Questions

What is the current status of the 5-Year Agreement?

In 2014, BCS and LASD both supported a 5-Year Facilities Agreement and agreed to an enrollment cap of 900, with a 5% allowed buffer. As the agreement will expire in June 2019, BCS is proactively taking next steps and formally requesting facilities from the District through a process referred to as Prop 39. We anticipate that LASD will work collaboratively throughout this process to provide facilities to our growing BCS community.

What is Prop 39 and what does it mean for BCS?

  • Prop 39 (Proposition 39) is a state law passed in 2000 that requires school districts to share “reasonably equivalent” space (both classroom and non-classroom space) with charter public schools. These facilities must share a common border, have similar furnishings and equipment, and be located near the charter school’s desired location.
  • To comply with Prop 39, BCS must file a written facilities request with LASD annually by November 1st in order to be deemed eligible for facilities during the upcoming school year. A final decision on facilities for the following school year must be made by April 1st.

What was BCS’s Prop 39 request for the 2019-20 school year?

  • BCS has requested the appropriate classrooms, specialized teaching space, and non‐teaching space to support 1,105 students, BCS’s total average daily attendance for the 2019‐20 school year (based on actual enrolled students).
  • BCS has shared that our preference is to be located on the Egan site, with exclusive use of the site during the entire school day. Because BCS is the largest school in the district, the site already has the types of facilities needed for all 9 grades, and it would impact the fewest number of public school students, we believe this to be the least disruptive option. We regret any disruption for even a single child for a single year, but note that the District has had many years, including the most recent five years pursuant to the settlement agreement, to effectively plan for a more permanent single site solution while BCS students have been housed in “temporary” portables on multiple sites.
  • In order to implement physical education, BCS has requested reasonably equivalent outdoor playground space and playing field areas, and access to these spaces every day from 8:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Additionally, we’ve requested a gymnasium, tennis courts, track, and locker room facilities for BCS’s middle school program. These requests mirror the facilities that BCS’s counterparts at other LASD schools enjoy.

Why should LASD provide facilities for BCS?

  • In 2000, California voters passed Prop 39 requiring that all public school students (district and charter) should have equal access to public facilities paid for with public tax dollars.
  • It is the responsibility of the LASD Trustees to share facilities equally among ALL public school students in the district without favoring students in district-run schools over those in other public schools like BCS.
  • Of the 1,105 students enrolled in BCS for the 2019‐20 school year, 96% reside in‐district. We are proud to be part of the public school ecosystem in Los Altos by providing another high-quality public education option to local families.
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Bullis Charter School (BCS) is a free public charter school authorized by the Santa Clara County Board of Education (SCCBOE) and subject to the fiscal and programmatic oversight of the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE).