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With Los Altos School District board member Vladimir Ivanovic slated to give up his seat in March, the board voted unanimously this week to fill the vacancy with a provisional appointment until Ivanovic’s term expires in December.
Ivanovic, who was first elected in 2014, announced earlier this month that he would resign, effective March 11, in response to his fellow board members’ support for giving a new campus to Bullis Charter School.
The district is planning to build the campus on an 11.7-acre plot of land in Mountain View’s San Antonio Shopping Center, and the board has indicated its interest in placing Bullis there. Ivanovic believes this move would unfairly privilege the charter school, which has been at odds with the school district for decades.
Per California law, the school board has until March 20 to either call for a special election or make a provisional appointment to fill his seat, Superintendent Sandra McGonagle told the board at the Jan. 26 meeting.
The board ended up voting 5-0 to go with a provisional appointment. The school district is now expected to move forward with notifying the public of the vacancy and accepting applications. The plan is for board members to interview applicants and select someone to fill Ivanovic’s seat at a March 19 meeting.
Ivanovic had told the Voice last week that if he garnered support from parents for his views on the 10th site and Bullis Charter School, he would consider calling for an election to fill his seat and run for that spot himself. Community members at Monday’s meeting urged the board to consider the appointment option and asked Ivanovic to apply for it.
Ultimately, Ivanovic told the board he would support going with a provisional appointment, but that he wouldn’t be a candidate for the seat. However, he did not rule out later petitioning for an election, if he got community support.
School board and community weigh in on options for filling vacancy
During public comment at Monday’s meeting, three people urged the board to consider picking Ivanovic to replace his own seat. They pointed to Ivanovic’s years of experience, and argued that it’s important for the school board to have a dissenting voice.
“He’s served on the board for many years,” district parent Herb Marshall said. “While his opinion may not have always been aligned, he was willing to voice that opinion for a discussion. I think that’s what boards need.”
Longtime district parent PeiPei Yu encouraged Ivanovic to apply for reappointment, similarly highlighting the value of his differing opinions and noting he asks challenging questions that spark discussion.
Following the public comments, trustee Jim Malone asked Ivanovic if he would be willing to apply for appointment if the board decided to move forward with that option.
“The only way I would consider an appointment is if the board committed to renovation and modernization of LASD campuses before giving BCS a brand new campus,” Ivanovic told Malone. “If the board is willing to do that, … I would be willing to consider being appointed to the board.”
Malone followed up by asking Ivanovic if he would vie for his seat if the board went with a special election.
Ivanovic responded that if, when he attends upcoming PTA meetings, he feels that parents support the board’s decision to put Bullis Charter School on the 10th site, then he wouldn’t call for a special election.
Malone expressed concern about how much a special election would cost the district, especially since that money would come out of the general fund, which is used for staff salaries and programs for students. Calling for a special election down the line, after the deadline to get on the June ballot, would cost the district more than half a million dollars, McGonagle said.
Under a provision of state law, a registered voter could force a special election to fill the vacancy by submitting signatures from at least 1.5% of the registered voters in the district.
Board member Stella Kam urged the public not to petition for a special election because it would cost the district a lot of money for a short term board member.
Board president Vaishali Sirkay expressed disappointment in Ivanovic’s decision to resign in the first place, praising his contributions to the district.
“You do offer a lot, and it’s not just the dissenting opinion,” Sirkay told Ivanovic. “I have felt that you would always put the LASD kids at the center of your decisions.”
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