Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma
Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma
A grassroots effort is plowing forward after the Bonsall Unified School District (BUSD) Board of Trustees gave the Bonsall Charter Academy of Learning (BCAL) a Notice of Revocation and Opportunity to Cure, meaning the school needs to fix its failing budget, without hindering the quality of education, to prevent the district from withdrawing its charter. The notice was given at a BUSD board special meeting on November 28 with a December 9 deadline.
Dozens of parents and students were present, many clueless and in shock that the school is facing a $167,918.96 deficit by the end of the school year. The primary cause is a low number of students attending the school.
Many parents questioned who was to blame and why the news was so sudden. The most direct answer came from member Dick Olson, the old liaison between the BUSD board and the school’s previous board, which the district withdrew. “Everything should be gleaned toward Laura , she’s the director.”
Responsibility was also placed on the board, district employees and the school’s Parent Advisory Board (PAB). After hearing of a possible financial problem, PTO president and PAB member Edee Pitcher said she and some other members met with Badillo to review the budget, but Badillo stated she only had one copy with personal notes that could not be shared.
This lack of information was one of the reasons member Sylvia Tucker voted against the notice. She provided the only dissent in the 3-1 vote. Member Robert Turner was not present
On November 30, BCAL Director Laura Badillo resigned from the district. Superintendent Jef Schleiger confirmed there was a “direct correlation between the cure and what happened with .” He went on to say it was due to the manner in which she was treated at the November 28 meeting.
The year began with two directors, the other being Dave Mahoney who resigned from his position on November 4 citing personal reasons. Neither position has been replaced, but teacher Jason Marks has been acting as the lead teacher, although this position in not currently official, said Schleiger
Assistant Superintendent Wayne Jones presented detailed budget information at a meeting on December 1, which was created by PAB and concerned parents wanting to fix the problems. Jones explained that much of the budget is determined by the ADA number, which is the average number of students attending the school per day.
BCAL’s 2005-06 budget was created for an average of 107 students, but the school’s average is only 93.72. If the school continues its current pattern, they will be $167,918.96 in the red by the end of the year.
Parents met up again on December 6 to update each other on progress towards curing the situation. A committee formed to resolve the budget issues determined they could cut $173,225.71 from the budget, including a $10,000 “buffer,” which would give a $5306.75 profit at the end of the school year. Discussions also noted the loss of two teachers in recent weeks, whose positions are only being filled by the current staff.
A priority list was then created to determine in what order the items removed from the budget would be returned. The list in order of importance is:
• One teacher
• One full-time office staff member
• $1000 for marketing purposes
• Material allotment I
• Textbook allotment I
• One full-time director
• A second teacher
• Material allotment II
• Communication equipment
• Electrical equipment
• Computer hardware
• Magazine subscriptions
• Out-of-town confrences
• Material allotment III
• Textbook allotment II
PAB chairman, Keith Ways, has requested a $70,000 grant from the Pala Band of Mission Indians and a $50,000 grant from San Diego Gas and Electric. He said he is not sure if he will receive answers prior to the deadline but hopes that an extension will be given at the upcoming board meeting.
Attendees were encouraged to gather financial pledges and donations from fellow parents and businesses. Based on the group’s plans, those monies gathered will be used to help bring back items removed from the budget.
Marketing plans were also created and approved to be used as part of the cure. The group will meet again at 6 pm on December 8 in the Bonsall Community Center, a day prior to the cure’s delivery to the district. The proposed cure will then be reviewed at the BUSD board meeting on December 12.
Olson attended one of the PAB meetings and encouraged, “We can do it; we can do it.”
Schleiger also assured in an interview his belief that the situation can be resolved.
Tucker, who has a long history with the charter, believes the parents “see it as an opportunity to be involved that they didn’t know they could.”
Those interested in making a financial pledge or donating an item to the school, can contact Kit-Bacon Gressitt at (760) 522-1064 or e-mail [email protected].
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