BUSD accepting applications for advisory committee

The Bonsall Unified School District is soliciting applications for members of a committee which will identify and analyze sites for a new high school campus.

The BUSD board's Oct. 12 meeting addressed the application and selection process for the committee members. Applications to serve on the committee must be received by the superintendent's office no later than Oct. 31. A 4-1 BUSD board vote Sept. 14, with Erin English opposed, approved the creation of the Superintendent's Advisory Committee. The committee as proposed was called the Superintendent's School Site Advisory Committee, but the removal of the word "site" allows BUSD superintendent David Jones to utilize the committee for other activities if warranted.

"I could deploy the committee for different purposes, and right now the committee's task is high school site selection," Jones said.

Completed applications will be forwarded to each BUSD board member on Nov. 2.

"All five board members will review all of the applications," Jones said. "Each board member will select their top applicant from each of the six geographical areas."

The Nov. 9 board meeting is expected to discuss the selections of the six committee members along with an alternate from each geographic area.

The composition of the site selection committee will consist of one resident and one alternate apiece of the Pala area east of Couser Canyon Road, the Rancho area east of Interstate 15 and west of the Pala area, the Bonsall West area west of the State Route 76 bend, the Bonsall Elementary School area south of Camino Del Rey, the Gird Road area north of Highway 76 and west of I-15, and the Sullivan Middle School area north of Camino Del Rey, south and east of Highway 76, and west of I-15. At least two of the committee members will be retired residents who do not have children living at home, at least one will have at least one child living at home who is enrolled in Sullivan Middle School or Bonsall High School, and at least one will have at least one child enrolled in a BUSD elementary school or younger living at home.

The committee will also include, if possible, two to three BUSD staff members, including: the high school principal and assistant superintendent; a Bonsall Teachers Association member teaching at the elementary or middle school level; a Bonsall Teachers Association member at the high school level; a Bonsall Sponsor Group member, and a Bonsall Chamber of Commerce member.

The committee members will be authorized to obtain advice and guidance from professionals with school site selection, school funding, facility planning or design, and real estate experience. The ability of the committee members to obtain advice from such experts eliminates the need for the committee members themselves to hold such expertise.

"The advisory committee and the people on the committee will be people from the public within our community," Jones said.

The school district has contracted with a real estate professional to identify all possible sites within the district boundaries which have a minimum of 30 acres, including 25 acres outside the 100-year flood plain and access to a public street.

The application form was posted on the district's www.bonsallusd.com website, and Jones is also utilizing the district's Blackboard Connect e-mail blast which is sent to parents of BUSD students, social media, and this article to obtain citizens interested in serving on the committee.

"We're hoping to cover all of our bases and open it up to anyone," he said.

The district will accept applications sent electronically, by U.S. Postal Service mail to the superintendent's office, or by hand-delivery to the superintendent's office.

"The board is interested in giving the public a voice," Jones said. "We welcome the community involvement and input."

Committee meetings are scheduled for Nov. 15, Nov. 30, Dec. 5, Dec. 12, and Jan. 4.

"From there our ultimate goal is to bring by the January board meeting two or more options of where we could potentially build the high school," Jones said.

The committee will be tasked with identifying and analyzing all possible sites, including the current location on the Sullivan Middle School campus, to determine the best long-term solution. The committee's duties include identifying and analyzing multiple sites for a high school, providing a report to the BUSD board for review which compares each of the sites including known limitations and potential costs, obtaining site-specific information and incorporating existing information into an analysis and review, and recommending at least two sites to the BUSD board. The committee will also provide written reports about meetings, recommendations, and actions on a regular basis as well as writing a final report.

"My goal is to make the best site selection for the students," said Jones. "What's in the best interest of the children should be the bottom line."