Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Saratoga City Council takes stand in favor of unification

School officials say move is premature

By Michelle Alaimo

In what some Saratoga residents are calling an "irresponsible, hasty and premature" decision, the Saratoga City Council passed a resolution Oct. 7 supporting the realignment of school district boundaries. Unification of Saratoga school districts would have a dramatic impact on Los Gatos schools.

The council's decision came after some 50 Saratoga residents in a standing-room-only crowd of nearly 175 voiced their opinions on the resolution, with many-- including the Saratoga Union School District Board--asking the council to wait until all the facts from the Santa Clara County Committee on School District Reorganization study were in.

The three councilmembers who supported the resolution--which is being sent to the county committee--say they believe having city boundaries match school boundaries will contribute to Saratoga's sense of community.

Just two weeks ago, another packed house demanded that the City Council take a stand. At that time, Councilmember Paul Jacobs said, "Us simply passing a resolution does not add anything to the solution." But, at the same meeting, Vice Mayor Don Wolfe said, "I think it's time for the city to say 'one city, one district.' "

Many members of the Saratoga community, including SUSD PTA presidents, came to the meeting and pleaded with the council to not take a stand until all the facts are in.

Argonaut School PTA President Charlotte Sparacino said, "What might be nice might not always be practical and feasible. The council cannot pass a resolution for or against school boundaries without having all the facts."

Some audience members expressed concern that the city was throwing its support to unification without considering what Saratoga High School would do about playing fields and the auditorium it shares with Los Gatos High School.

The Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District is waiting until all the facts are in from the study before taking a stand. Last month, however, the Los Gatos Union School District board passed a resolution stating it does not support changing school boundaries but, rather, supports leaving things as they are.

LGUSD board member Dorothy Rouse, who attended Saratoga's City Council meeting, said in a later telephone interview, "To me 'community' is not city boundaries."

LGUSD Superintendent Bert Pearlman said in response to the council move that changing school boundaries to conform to city boundaries "is not at all practical for Los Gatos." He added that to do so would be financially impossible.

The K-12 district scenario was added at the Aug. 27 Santa Clara County Committee on School District reorganization meeting after a member of the SUSD board asked the committee to consider a scenario which would unify Saratoga as a K-12 district and do the same for Los Gatos. The scenario was then added to three other scaled-down scenarios presented at the same meeting.

The reorganization committee's consultant, Michael Winters, is scheduled to make his final report to the committee in December. The committee would then make its recommendation to the state Board of Education in February 1998. If the state board approves the recommendation, an election would be held in June or November 1999.

The state board determines who is eligible to vote in the election. If the scenario is approved by voters, the earliest any changes would take effect is July 1, 2000.

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