Los Altos School District Board Trustee Vladimir Ivanovic announced his resignation last week, citing fundamental disagreement with the district’s decision to build a new Bullis Charter School campus on the so-called “10th site,” an 11.7-acre property purchased for $155 million near the San Antonio Shopping Center in Mountain View. Ivanovic’s resignation will take effect March 11.
After serving on the board for 11 years, Ivanovic said in a one-page resignation letter that he cannot support what he called a plan that “privileges BCS over LASD,” imposes a significant long-term tax burden and jeopardizes future facilities bonds.
In his letter, Ivanovic outlined three primary concerns: that BCS would receive new facilities before any LASD elementary campus, that the total cost of the plan is excessive, and that bonds required for future LASD construction are at risk of failing. He noted that under the current implementation schedule, modernization of LASD campuses would not be completed until the 2032–2033 academic year, while construction of the Bullis campus on the 10th site would be completed as early as July 2028.
According to Ivanovic, the district’s Facilities Master Plan, adopted in 2024 and amended in 2025, allocates $2.1 billion over the next 30 years for land acquisition, construction and modernization when principal and interest are included. Of that total, Ivanovic estimates that approximately $500 million would be spent to purchase the 10th site and build a Bullis campus, with roughly half of that amount paid in interest.
Ivanovic said that while LASD has sufficient existing bond capacity to build the Bullis campus and modernize current schools, any new construction for LASD campuses would require additional bonds.
“Unfortunately, the track record of taxpayers approving facilities bonds for LASD is poor,” Ivanovic said. “The last bond measure passed with just a 1.2% margin, so it is doubtful that bonds for new construction would pass. LASD campuses would not get the upgrades they need.”
He said the decision risks leaving district schools without needed upgrades while Bullis receives new facilities first.
Los Altos voters narrowly approved a $350 million bond measure in 2024 with 56.2% of the vote, authorizing the purchase of the San Antonio site and construction of a new Bullis campus.
Beyond the financial implications, the decision to place Bullis on the 10th site has been controversial. In October 2025, Bullis Charter School officials stated publicly that they had no intention of relocating, saying the school intended to remain at Egan and Blach junior high schools. At an Oct. 13 meeting, LASD trustees voted 4-1 to begin the process of allocating the site to Bullis, with Ivanovic casting the sole dissenting vote.
When asked at the Jan. 12 board meeting whether he would reconsider his resignation, Ivanovic responded, “Unfortunately, the answer is I can’t. It’s irrevocable.”
In an email to the Town Crier, LASD Superintendent Sandra McGonagle said she was “very thankful for Vladimir’s many years of dedicated service to LASD.”
According to McGonagle, the board will be presented at its Jan. 26 meeting with the option of either a special election or a provisional appointment and will make a decision following an overview.
