Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma

Bonsall's inflated student numbers

BUSD enrollment projections for future years is exaggerated. The district’s annual growth rate over the last four years has averaged only 3.7 percent which included adding a new grade to the high school each year.

Yet, they are projecting the annual high school growth rate at 17 percent each year over the next four years. This is an unrealistic projection. Also over the last several years, the elementary school student population has been declining.

They have also overestimated their current enrollment. There are over 77 fewer elementary school students and around 47 fewer high school students than the district projected for this school year. BUSD adopted a budget in July, 2018 based on these projections. As a result, the current budget will have about $850,000 less revenue coming from the state.

At a school board meeting, it was stated that only 75 percent of Bonsall fifth graders go on to the Sullivan Middle School, and only 45 percent of the 8th graders matriculate into the high school.

The district's projected enrollment from new housing ignores these facts. They assume that every student will attend the high school, when in fact, only 34 percent of the elementary students matriculate to the high school. These student enrollment numbers just don't justify building a new high school now. Vote no on Measure EE

Kerry Patterson

 

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