Lafayette School District Governing Board Reverses Allen Bill Decision

The Lafayette School District Governing Board has reversed an August 18 decision rejecting Allen Bill transfers - a process enabling families to use place of employment in lieu of place of residency for the purpose of determining which school their child will attend.

Last Friday, the board opted to accept those transfers.

The initial denial of Allen Bill students occurred because some Governing Board members feared the district "soft cap" of 24 could be exceeded at the kindergarten level, school officials said.  Allen Bill admissions are an "all or nothing deal" – the District is not legally able to be selective about those admissions.

"We are eager, where possible, to accommodate the families of those who are a part of the Lafayette community via their employment – especially those of the teachers in our partner school district, Acalanes," said Governing Board President Ann Appert. "However, we are balancing that against our commitment to keep class sizes small in Lafayette."

The first day of school indicated an enrollment drop of five kindergarten students in the District, according to Appert. "This allowed us to accept the Allen Bill students while maintaining our commitment to protecting those soft caps," she said.

The news pleased a number of hopeful families, including Bookmark Café co-owner, Soraya Radmanesh.

"I'm really glad they made the decision because we know other families too (who were impacted)," said Radmanesh. "My son is now at Stanley."