The Foster City Council unanimously took another step toward building a charter school on land adjacent to City Hall Monday night.
Charter school advocates presented plans to build a math and science-focused school modeled on High Tech High in San Diego. They also asked to temporarily shelve the proposal to smooth wrinkles in the city's plans for public use of the school's facilities.
Peter Hayden, president of the Foster City School Foundation formed last year to push for the school, told the council his group could not afford to build the indoor swimming pool, gymnasium or theater that were original prerequisites for city approval of a school there. He also said he disapproved of leasing the land, which Foster City Mayor Marland Townsend said was important for the city to collect sufficient taxes.
Hayden, also the CEO of a Foster City mortgage company, proposed to build a consortium of other organizations linked to the school in lieu of the facilities the charter school would provide. He mentioned the Hillbarn Theatre, Children's Museum and the Foster City Parks and Recreation Department as examples of organizations that could share facilities.
Councilmembers liked the consortium idea but also wanted to see a concrete business plan for the projected $8- to $10-million main building, which has not been submitted.
"I'm anxious to see a program, but we haven't seen one from them yet," Councilman Ron Cox said.
Townsend said the proposed consortium, "may be our solution" to providing public services within the plan.
A private Episcopal school was planned on the site in 1999, but folded in November 2002 because of lack of money.
The council agreed to the general plan for the school, and also said it would support alternative sites in Foster City.
Advocates showed pictures of the 400-student, real world-oriented High Tech High, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and corporate technology interests.
Peter Hanley, vice president of the San Mateo Union High School District, said Bay Area tech companies would be interested in culling homegrown talent through such a school.
"It's going to put Foster City on the right side of history," he said.
Last month, the San Mateo Union High School voted unanimously to approve a charter petition for the school. The next step is for the Foster City School Foundation to give the council a specific business plan before mid-January, when the 2005-2006 budget will be decided.
While Hayden had wanted to the council to shelve to allow time to negotiate financing options, he stood by the group's goal.
"We're still confident this can happen by fall of 2005," he said.
Stephen Baxter can be reached by e-mail at stephen@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 109. What do you think of this story? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.
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