School News

Gregory Hinchliff is a passionate and multifaceted educator with eight years of experience teaching grades 9-12 in subjects including English, Spanish, history, debate, and Native American studies. Dedicated to creating meaningful and inclusive learning experiences, he prioritizes authentic, place-based learning that connects students to their communities and local environments. Greg’s goal is to empower his students to be confident in their unique talents, curious about the world around them, and committed to improving not only their own lives, but also the lives of others.

The Bonsall High School Mock Trial team made a powerful impact in this year's San Diego County Mock Trial Competition, competing against 39 other schools with a total of approximately 800 students from across the region. Despite having an enrollment of just over 300 students, Bonsall High proved its talent and determination, securing notable victories and individual recognitions.

The first team included Bonsall seniors Jesus Jaime and Tomas Sanchez. The league’s coaches recognized senior Fernando Ibarra-Ponce and junior Drake Carterette at the second-team level.

The Bonsall Unified School District will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, June
18, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. in the Bonsall Community Center. This hearing will be held
during the Board’s Regular Meeting to review the district’s Local Control and
Accountability Plan (LCAP) and the 2025-2026 Budget.

The Bonsall Unified School District announces the formation of an advisory committee to develop a comprehensive plan for facility upgrades, maintenance, and potential school site configurations and school attendance boundaries that best serve students and the broader community.

The 2024-25 School Calendar has been approved by the BUSD Board of Trustees.

"The Bonsall Education Foundation is an amazing organization; it's the secret sauce that makes our school district such a special place," commented Superintendent Joseph Clevenger. "I don't know of another grassroots, parent-led, organization that supports an entire school district. We very much appreciate all that they do."

As part of the Bonsall Forward Initiative which supports STEM education, Rawhide Ranch has worked with the district to provide 100 students with an internship in animal science.

The Bonsall Unified School District will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, June 21, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. in the Bonsall Community Center. This hearing will be held during the Board’s Regular Meeting to review the district’s Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) and the 2023-2024 Budget. The LCAP and proposed 2023-24 Budget are on file and available for public review at the BUSD offices. Revisions to the LCAP and/or the 2023-24 Budget may be made in consideration of any feedback (oral or written) from the Public Hearings. The LCAP Adoption and 2023-24 Budget Adoption will then take place at the Special Meeting of the Governing Board of Trustees on June 28, 2023.

The 2023-24 School Calendar has been approved by the BUSD Board of Trustees.

Hundreds of people filled the Sullivan Middle School multipurpose room to view and judge the art during the first hour of the program, while SMS student Jett Van Alfen played background music on his guitar. Ballet Folklorico groups from Vivian Banks Charter School, Bonsall West Elementary School, Sullivan Middle School and Bonsall High School performed while the ballots were being tallied. Students from Joe Prechtl’s multimedia class also got involved by creating a video of the show, including the art displays and interviews with participants and attendees.

Following public hearing and review, the BUSD Board of Trustees approved an adjusted Trustee Area Map (A-E) at the February 16, 2022, regular board meeting. The new Trustee Areas will apply for the 2022 election and continue through the 2030 Census unless the Board of Trustees determines an earlier review is warranted due to significant changes in population within the district.

PROPOSED TRANSFER OF TERRITORY BETWEEN FALLBROOK UNION ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICT, FALLBROOK UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT AND BONSALL UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

Starting this fall, BUSD will be offering FULL Day TK to eligible students similar to the Kindergarten schedule. California's plan to expand enrollment for preschool and Transitional Kindergarten is an effort to set all children on a trajectory of lifelong success by investing in early and equitable learning experiences. Please click on the link to visit BUSD's enrollment and registration portal to learn more!

The Bonsall Unified School District will be holding a public hearing on Wednesday, September 28, 2022 at 6:00 P.M. at the *Bonsall Community Center.
EC Section 60119 requires that local governing boards hold an annual public hearing and adopt a resolution stating whether each pupil in the LEA has sufficient textbooks or instructional materials in reading/language arts, mathematics, science, and history-social science aligned to content standards and consistent with the content and cycles of the curriculum framework adopted by the SBE.

Bonsall Unified School District is in the process of adopting a new Science curriculum for elementary and middle school grades. Please click through to review the new curriculum.

At the Annual Organizational Meeting of the Bonsall Unified School District Board of Trustees held in December, members set the calendar of regular meetings for the 2022 calendar year. The meeting dates can be referenced below or on the Board's public webpage.

BUSD staff has been working with consultant Eric Hall and Associates to develop a Facilities Master Plan. Some aspects of the plan include, but are not limited to, demographics, enrollment and projections, facilities maintenance, safety and security, and educational specifications which describe the requirements and type of schools we wish to develop in the future. Prior to board approval of the plan, the BUSD school board is seeking your input.

BUSD Board of Trustees have called a Special Board Meeting for Tuesday, February 22, 2022 at 5PM. The meeting will be held virtually via Zoom Web Conference. Click through for the agenda. Join the meeting through the link embedded in the agenda or posted under Upcoming Events. Instructions for Public Comment are included under the agenda item.

With the arrival of the udpated 2020 census data, trustees of the Bonsall Unified School District, with the guidance of consultants from Cooperative Strategies, are considering adjustments to the existing trustee area boundaries to ensure demographic equity for each area. With the help of Cooperative Strategies demographers, BUSD has created two new map scenarios for consideration. The Board will receive public comment on the presented map scenarios at the regular board meeting on January 19, 2022. UPDATE: The Board reviewed the two map proposals and, based upon feedback from the public hearing, demographers have created a third map scenario for consideration. The Board will take action on this matter at the next regular meeting on February 16, 2022. Open session begins at 6 PM.

The Bonsall Unified School District Board of Trustees has called a special meeting for Sunday, February 6, 2022, at 9:00 AM. The meeting will be held at the Bonsall Community Center. Please click through the access the meeting agenda.

As part of the 2020 Census review, BUSD will hold a public hearing at the regular board meeting on January 19, 2022, to receive community comments and public testimony concerning the composition of potential trustee voting areas association with the District's by-trustee area election system. Open session for the January 19th board meeting begins at 6:00 PM and the meeting is being held in the Bonsall Elementary School Multi-purpose room.

The window for enrolling students in Kindergarten with the Bonsall Unified School District for the 2021-2022 school year opens Monday, February 1st. To enroll, please visit the online enrollment portal https://bonsallusd.asp.aeries.net/air/ to log in (returning users) or create your account (new users). From the drop-down menu, be sure to select “2021-2022, Pre-enrollment” prior to entering student information. Supporting documentation can be uploaded during the online enrollment process or presented at a scheduled appointment with the school’s attendance clerk/registrar. If additional assistance is required, please contact the Student Services department at (760) 631-5200.

The Bonsall Unified School District Board of Trustees has selected Mr. Joseph Clevenger to serve as the Superintendent following an extensive search facilitated by the San Diego County Office of Education. Input for the new superintendent included sessions with administrators, teachers, staff, parents and district stakeholders. Multiple community forums were held, and an online survey was available for anyone to complete. The Board of Trustees selected Mr. Clevenger from an impressively talented pool of candidates and unanimously voted to approve his employment contract at the regular board meeting of June 23, 2021.

The Bonsall Unified School District will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, June 9, 2021, at 6:00 p.m. to review the District’s Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) and the 2021-2022 proposed budget. The hearing will be conducted via teleconference during the Board’s regular monthly meeting pursuant to the Governor’s Executive Orders (N-25-20 and N-33-20).

Starting 10/19/2020 meals will be distributed at all school sites. Simply have your student request a meal pack containing multiple meals during class ordering. Pack contents will depend on the student's hybrid schedule. Meal packs are also available to students enrolled in virtual learning.

The Governing Board of the Bonsall Unified School District (BUSD), in cooperation with the San Diego County of Education (SDCOE), is seeking input from all stakeholders as we search for our next Superintendent.

On Monday, October 19, 2020, all BUSD campuses will return to in-person learning via a hybrid model, with some students remaining in a virtual learning model. Click through to view Superintendent Jones letter dated October 9, 2020.

FIRST Day of School: Monday, August 24, 2020
LAST Day of School: Friday, June 11, 2021

Superintendent Jones advises of the decision to extend virtual instruction for all students to January 25, 2021.

In the December Issue of the Bonsall Bridge, Superintendent Jones outlines the schedule for student return after the winter break.

In compliance with Education Code 60119, the BUSD Board of Trustees will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, November 18, 2020, at approximately 6:00 PM. The meeting will be conducted via teleconference as indicated on the public hearing notice.

In compliance with Education Code 60119, the BUSD Board of Trustees will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, October 14, 2020, at approximately 6:00 PM. The meeting will be held at the Bonsall Community Center, 31505 Old River Road, Bonsall, CA 92003 *unless otherwise directed by local public health orders, in which case the meeting and public hearing will be conducted via teleconference as indicated on the public hearing notice.

Please click through to view links to previously-recorded meeting presentations.

FREE MEALS AVAILABLE TO ANYONE UP TO 18 YRS OF AGE - MONDAY & THURSDAY 12:OO NOON TO 1:00 PM (TUESDAY, IF MONDAY IS A HOLIDAY)
Distribution locations" Bonsall Elementary, Bonsall West Elementary,
Rancho Viejo Clubhouse & Vivian Banks Charter School

The Bonsall Unified School District will be holding a public hearing on Wednesday, September 9, 2020, at 6:00 p.m. to review the District’s Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan. The hearing will be conducted via teleconference during the Governing Board’s regular monthly meeting pursuant to the Governor’s Executive Orders (N-25-20 and N-33-20).

The 2020-21 BUSD Reopening School Task Force worked diligently developing our plan to begin school on August 19th. Additionally, principals, teachers, and site support staff worked hard to plan the details of site safety procedures as it relates to the guidelines and requirements for reopening schools. This website will serve as the primary location and information for the BUSD reopening/COVID-19 safety plan. The site will be updated on a regular basis throughout the school year, and I will send a weekly message on the front page of the site, in an effort to keep parents informed of what the Task Force has accomplished, and to guide you to any updated information within the reopening plan.

Thank you to the many parents who responded to the Distance Learning and 2020-21 Planning survey. 866 parents participated in the survey! Please know that your preliminary feedback is being used to draft learning models that best meet the needs of our families while following the county health department guidelines. We need to be responsible for the development of our plan by keeping the health and safety of our staff and students at the forefront.

The Bonsall Unified School District will be holding a public hearing on Wednesday, June 17, 2020, at 6:00 p.m. to review the District’s Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) COVID-19 Report and the 2020-2021 proposed budget. The hearing will be conducted via teleconference during the Board’s regular monthly meeting pursuant to the Governor’s Executive Orders (N-25-20 and N-33-20). Click the link below and scroll to the bottom of the Business and Administrative Services Department home page to view the 2021 Budget (Proposed) Report.

Because schools are closed due to COVID-19, children who are eligible for free or reduced-price meals can get up to $365 in food benefits in addition to their pick up meals from school. These food benefits are called Pandemic EBT or P-EBT. Apply online. Details coming soon.

Bonsall Unified School District is in the process of adopting a new English Language Arts curriculum for Pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade, as well as a new Mathematics curriculum for 9th through 12th grade. Please click on the image to review the new curriculum.

Emails are sent to the primary email address updated annually during registration. If you have not received an email, there area few things you can do:
1. Please log into your Aeries Parent Portal account. The messages are included in the daily feed on your dashboard.
2. From the Aeries parent portal, please verify the email address provided as the primary contact. If necessary, please update.
3. Please check your Aeries notifications settings and ensure all district messaging is enabled. Accounts are set to “all” by default; parents who have opted-out of receiving district communications will not receive an email.
4. Please check your email folders including junk and SPAM folders. Sometimes when a mass emailing is detected by service providers, emails are captured by the filter. In your email settings, please “whitelist” or mark all emails from BUSD as “safe”.
5. Please check the District website. All parent communications are posted under the Coronavirus Update graphic on the home page.
6. Follow Bonsall Unified School District on Facebook and @bonsallunified on Instagram.

The 2020-21 Instructional Calendar has been approved by the BUSD Board of Trustees.

"I recently enjoyed facilitating a comprehensive group of staff members from all five schools through a process to develop a new mission and vision for the Bonsall Unified School District. After review from the board of trustees, they unanimously approved our new mission and vision at the January 15th board meeting. Below, our new mission clearly communicates the primary purpose of the Bonsall Unified School District, while the Vision explains the road map or building blocks that must be developed in order to fulfill our fundamental purpose." -- Superintendent David Jones

The hot temperatures and weather conditions have fire safety at the forefront of everyone's mind. This is a good time for all stakeholders to review BUSD's School Protection and Evacuation Plan (SPEP), the District's guideline to follow in case of a wildfire impacting the district. The SPEP which is located under Departments -> Student Services -> Emergency Preparedness -> file located at bottom of the page.

The Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) is a critical part of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) - a fiscal and programmatic accountability plan. Each school district must engage parents, educators, employees, and the community to establish these plans. The plans will describe the school district's overall vision for students, annual goals and specific actions the district will take to achieve the vision and goals.
AGENDA includes:
What is the BUSD Mission and Vision?
What is the current data telling us?
Community Stakeholder Input

Bonsall Blarney Bash is a 21+ event. Proceeds will support student programs at Sullivan Middle and Bonsall High School.

It gives us great pleasure to welcome Ms. Allison Fortney as the new Assistant Principal at Bonsall Elementary School!

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Douglas Staine as the new Director of Human Resources, and Dr. Shaunte Knox as the new Sullivan Middle School Principal.