Lee Dimmitt will run the meeting as AVCA's new president. Carol Hallett will serve as secretary. Director Art Beaudreault replaces District 10 Councilwoman Nancy Pyle, and vice president Ray Strong, along with treasurer Gary Soule, round out the ranks. They will hold office for two years.

Dimmitt, a retired airplane pilot, has been active in another community organization--the Woodside of Almaden Homeowners Association--and plans to stay involved even while serving as the association's president.

"San Jose is my anchor, my homeport, and my life has always revolved around our city," Dimmitt said. "I have attended its schools, its colleges, and it has been the base of my livelihood. One can easily realize that I owe my home city a great deal for my success in life. Now that I am able to spend the time and effort, I can give back something."

The group's new secretary, Hallett, lives out in the South Almaden Valley Urban Reserve but likes to make the trek into town for community events. In the past few months she has helped create a monthly "family fun night" at Almaden Feed and Fuel to ease tensions between restaurant owners and residents who complained about late-night noise at the restaurant.

"I became more visible during the past three years because of my active role in my opposition to the McKean Sports Complex, my interest in resolving the traffic issues for South Valley, the proposal to take the McAbee Bridge out of the General Plan, et cetera," Hallett said. "I attended multiple meetings because it is a good source for learning what is happening in the Almaden area. Some of the board members noticed me and approached me about joining."

Hallett added that she hopes to draw a larger portion of the Almaden community to the meetings over the next two years with a combination of interesting events and speakers.

The subject of the March 14 meeting comes on the heels of a grassroots-driven proposal to break some schools out of the San Jose Unified School District--including all of Almaden Valley's public schools--a topic that has been percolating for several months. Parents of Almaden and Blossom Valley schoolchildren began collection signatures for a petition in January. The issue flared up when district officials announced on Jan. 4 that Randol Elementary School would be closed to help balance a projected $9 million to $11 million shortfall for the 2005­06 school year.

The district board is to vote on March 10 on closing both Randol and Allen, requiring students from the two schools to move to the nearby Steinbeck Middle School campus. Steinbeck was tabbed for closure next year as well.

By closing Randol--located on the edge of Almaden and Blossom valleys--Cory Elementary School and Steinbeck Middle School, district administrators expect to save an estimated $1.9 million per year. Last year the district closed three elementary schools for an estimated savings of $1.5 million per year.

Chris Brubaker, a parent of two Randol students who's spearheading the secession effort, said the movement initially arose out of the school district's inability to get a parcel tax passed. He will be speaking about his proposal at the March 14 meeting.

AVCA's new president said he hopes to learn more about the feasibility of secession at the meeting. "In my opinion, the school district has grown from a relatively small district to an overburdened, cumbersome bureaucratic organization that can't issue audit reports in a timely manner or respond effectively to the needs of our children in the south valley," said Dimmitt.

The next meeting is March 14 at 7 p.m. in the McDonald's at 5925 Almaden Expressway.

Reporter Anne Gelhaus contributed to this report.