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BUSD board considers mission statement

The Bonsall Unified School District Board of Trustees will vote on whether to adopt a new mission and vision statement at its first meeting next year.

Bonsall Unified Superintendent David Jones presented a newly-drafted mission and vision to the trustees at their meeting Dec. 18.

Jones said making sure the district – which was officially formed in 2014 – has a coherent mission and vision has been one of his priorities since he was hired in 2017.

“What is the mission of the school district?” Jones said he wondered. “Couldn’t find one. What is the vision of the school district? Couldn’t find one. Do we have collective commitments and core values that we adhere to every employee to help us be productive? Don’t have them.”

Jones clarified for the board what he said was the difference between mission and vision.

“In 1969 our mission in the United States was to land on the moon,” Jones said. “That’s your mission, to get to the moon. Your vision is all the things that they needed to do, plan, organize and become in order to get to the moon and accomplish your mission.”

He said the new statement was drafted with the help of a group of 41 classified staff members, certificating teaching staff and leadership, as well as two school board members.

The new mission statement drafted for the district is to “empower all students to achieve their maximum learning potential.”

To that end, the district’s vision statement includes five goals:

Comprehensive PK-12 curriculum

“We will develop and implement guaranteed and viable curriculum within our core subject areas across the district,” an informational sheet on the vision statement given to board members reads. “We will hold high expectations and actively engage students in learning grade-level essential standards. We will provide teachers with core and supplemental curriculum in order to ensure there are options for collaborative teams to deliver rigorous and meaningful targeted lessons. We will develop learning environments, lessons, and activities to improve student learning and to prepare students for college, career and adult life skills.”

Rigorous instruction and assessment

“We will be relentless in our pursuit of removing the barriers to learning for all students by providing high-quality instruction that addresses varying academic needs,” according to the sheet. “All students will have the opportunity to access, participate in and progress in an innovative, technology-rich and broadly accessible learning environment. We will recognize the unique needs and challenges of individual students and provide social-emotional intervention and support when there is a need. Students will learn in an empowering environment that is inclusive and supportive of our different cultural and socio-economic backgrounds and perspectives. We will develop and teach high academic and behavioral expectations, and we will respond with corrective action and support when there is a need.

We will provide evidence to demonstrate the degree to which students have mastered grade-level essential skills. Student learning outcomes will be assessed and monitored through data-driven, collaborative and decision-making protocols that will inform our instruction and drive intervention and enrichment opportunities. Our commitment to the work of continuous improvement in instruction and assessment will be grounded in timely, accurate, and evidence-based formative and summative assessment data that will inform our ongoing effort to improve student achievement outcomes.”

Collaborative professional learning community

“We will develop a collaborative culture in each school, collective responsibility for all students, and a dedicated focus on improving student learning,” the vision statement continues. “We will take action based on assessment data to improve our teaching strategies and ensure high levels of learning. We will implement a schoolwide system of interventions to provide students with additional time and support when they don’t learn essential grade-level standards. We will focus on the following four critical questions to guide collaborative teams and ensure continuous improvement to maximize each student’s learning potential:

1. What do we expect all students to know and be able to do?

2. How will we know when students have learned it?

3. How will we respond when students don’t learn?

4. How will we respond when students already know it?”

Safe and orderly schools

“We will provide safe and comprehensive PK-12 school facilities where the needs of students and staff are addressed,” the sheet reads. “To ensure our schools remain safe, we will develop and implement sound policies, rules and procedures. We will engage in activities that promote and reinforce effective practices that ensure student safety. These activities will include clear behavioral expectations for students and staff, the development and implementation of comprehensive school safety plans, and various measures that promote safe and secure facilities. Training will be provided for all staff regularly so they will be able to follow through with fidelity of safety protocols in any emergency situation.”

Engaged family and community involvement

“We will harness and strengthen family and community partnerships of our schools in order to engage all students in the acquisition of knowledge and skills for success in college, career and adult life,” the statement says. “We believe that parents, guardians, and the community are our partners in educating our children. We will strengthen our English Language Advisory Committee (ELAC), District English Language Advisory Committee (DELAC), and School-site Councils (SSC) to include our broader community in the decisions that affect children and families. We encourage participation in and contributions to Parent Teacher Associations (PTA), Parent Information Network Group (PiNG), and the Bonsall Education Foundation (BEF). Parents and guardians are welcome in our schools, and their support, time and donations are encouraged. We will promote regular, two-way, meaningful communication and collaboration between home and school to support the growth and achievement of our students.”

The statement was presented to the board of trustees as an informational item only and will not be voted on until next year.

Will Fritz can be reached by email at [email protected].

 

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