BUSD losing eighth-grade students

The 2016-2017 final audit for Bonsall Union School District said that “… about 32 percent of eighth-graders continue on with the district and articulate onto the high school’s ninth grade class.”

So, now if parents want an inter-district transfer out of BUSD, they must meet with the principal for a one-hour interview, and they might be asked to have a follow-up conversation with the superintendent. It sounds rather intimidating.

One reason for this exodus may be the results of the 2017 California Assessment of Student Proficiency and Performance, as 61.54 percent of the BUSD 11th-graders did not meet the state standards in reading; 67.31 percent did not meet the state standards in writing; 74 percent did not meet the state standards in mathematical concepts and procedures and 80 percent did not meet the state standards in problem-solving and data analysis. Moreover, according to the School Accountability Report for December 2017, only 20 percent of the ninth-graders at BUSD can meet the physical fitness standards for California.

Other reasons for transferring out of BUSD may be the minimal choices for extra-curricular activities, a few interscholastic sports, few electives, and no honors classes in math, science, history or English. It is not surprising that parents are requesting inter-district transfers for their children. Parents know the needs of their children and should be able to choose what they believe is the best educational setting.

Jan Patterson