Saugus Union School District

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE RECOMMENDATION TO CLOSE BOUQUET CANYON AND RELOCATE EMBLEM STUDENTS DURING CONSTRUCTION 
(Discussion below)

Why is the district recommending closing Bouquet Canyon School?

Bouquet Canyon’s 542 students occupy portable classrooms. The campus has been a temporary site for 20 years. It is increasingly difficult to maintain the campus. We have had frequent power outages and problems with the restrooms and sewer line.

For years we held on, hoping that we could build the new school on land owned by the school adjacent to the Bouquet Canyon campus. We have a state approved set of plans ready to proceed, but we have been unable to reach agreement on several matters with the developer adjacent to our land and do not have final approval from the county.

Finally, the current state economic crisis has resulted in a freeze on the state school construction program. There is no money to build the school at this time.

Why is the decision to close Bouquet Canyon School being made so quickly?

We do not believe it would be fiscally responsible to keep Bouquet Canyon School open another year. Also, each year, the challenge to ensure a safe, functioning campus for our students and programs increases.

We need to make a decision in time to allow families to register their incoming kindergarteners and enroll their children in the school of their choice. Kindergarten enrollment and open enrollment begin in early March.

Where would Bouquet students go?

Students in the local neighborhood would go to Rosedell. The Haskell Canyon community would go to Foster. However, any families that wish to stay in the local community would have the option to go to Rosedell. Families would also have the option of attending any of our open enrollment schools.

Which schools are open for enrollment?

Cedarcreek, Foster, Helmers, Highlands, (with restrictions), North Park, Rio Vista, Santa Clarita, Skyblue Mesa, Tesoro del Valle, West Creek.

What guarantees can the district give that students who transfer to another school through the open enrollment process will be able to stay at that school through sixth grade?

Once the students enroll in a school through the open enrollment process, they would be able to stay at that school. Every attempt would be made to accommodate younger siblings at the same school as they enter kindergarten.

Why is the district recommending relocating Emblem School to Highlands during the second phase of construction?

Once Bridgeport students return to Bridgeport, the enrollment at Emblem will be well under 300 students. It is not fiscally prudent to spend the overhead to keep a school of that size open. We anticipate that eventually Emblem will be a school of over 800. We have an opportunity to complete the second phase of the construction and modernization project before the enrollment increases from nearby approved developments.

Would all of the current Emblem students be able to attend Highlands?

The local community would remain within the Emblem boundary. Estrella Vista and Canyon Ridge would be within the Foster boundary. However, any students currently attending Emblem would have the option to stay with Emblem at Highlands or attend any of our open enrollment sites. Those choosing to attend Emblem at Highlands would be able to stay with Emblem through the sixth grade.

Why are you recommending opening West Creek? 

West Creek is a state of the art facility that will provide the most up to date learning environment. In addition to the West Creek and West Hills communities, we plan to recommend that we open the school to all of our Saugus schools to allow families that would like their children to have an alternative learning experience to attend. In addition, there would be some spaces available to students outside of our boundaries.

The focus of the school is currently under discussion. We will share our ideas with the board at the January 26 board meeting. We hope that this new opportunity for learning would be followed by other schools in our district defining their unique quality programs and inviting students to attend through the open enrollment process.

The board will consider action on the boundary and facility recommendations at the regularly scheduled board meeting Tuesday, January 26, at 7:30 p.m. The meeting is open to the public.