BUSD approves preliminary MOU for native grant proposal

Joe Naiman

Village News Reporter

A preliminary memorandum of understanding between the Bonsall Unified School District and the Pala Band of Mission Indians Learning Center which identifies the parties’ roles should a Native Youth Community Project Promise Neighborhood Grant be awarded was approved by the BUSD board Sept. 13.

The 5-0 vote approves the MOU which establishes the framework for a formal working relationship and specifies services and resources that the school district and the tribe will commit to the program if the grant is awarded. The MOU centers around four areas: early intervention and learning, transition to college or career activity, career technical education and general educational development, and parent and guardian involvement.

“This is just some early foundational work to establish eligibility for this grant,” said BUSD superintendent Joseph Clevenger.

Native Youth Community Project Promise Neighborhood Grant awards are provided by the U.S. Department of Education. The grants are competitive, so there is no guarantee that the Bonsall school district and the Pala tribe will receive a grant. “It really might be a long shot,” Clevenger said.

The early intervention and learning component will establish a family resource center at each BUSD school. Grant funding will be used to renovate space needed for those facilities.

The transition to college or career will include efforts to reduce truancy. Grant money will be used to help students and traveling tutors with transportation and will also allow field trips which may result in summer internships for high school students.

Grant money for the career technical education and general education development portion will allow expansion of career technical education course options and will also allow pathways to be aligned with internship opportunities. A Cupeño pathway will promote native language learning for students.

The portion on parent and guardian involvement will include quarterly parent resource meetings at family resource centers to update families on services provided such as the online updating system, nutrition services, employment services, behavioral health services, and financial literacy training.

“This grant would provide unprecedented resources for academic and extracurricular activities,” Clevenger said.