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Vista Unified School District Superintendent Matthew Doyle speaks at Rancho Minerva Middle School during a community forum regarding school consolidation on March 16. Photo by Laura Place
Vista Unified School District Superintendent Matthew Doyle speaks at Rancho Minerva Middle School during a community forum regarding school consolidation on March 16. Photo by Laura Place
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Vista Unified appoints committee to consider school consolidation

VISTA — A nine-person committee comprised of Vista Unified School District teachers, parents, administrators and community members is beginning to form recommendations regarding the future of several school sites.

In the face of declining enrollment in Vista Unified, the district has convened the Asset Management Advisory Committee to help determine what changes, if any, need to be made at four identified school sites — Rancho Minerva Middle School, Monte Vista Elementary, Beaumont Elementary, and Vista Innovation and Design Academy, or VIDA.

The Vista school board appointed nine members from over 20 applications at its April 6 meeting. The advisory body will meet several times over the next two months, gather community feedback and make recommendations this summer to the board of trustees. Possible proposals could include school closures, consolidation or transitioning campuses to magnet schools.

The nine-person committee could recommend school closures, consolidation or transitioning campuses to magnet schools. File photo/The Coast News
The nine-person committee could recommend school closures, consolidation or transitioning campuses to magnet schools. File photo/The Coast News

The committee comprises representatives from several categories to ensure proper representation of district voices. According to Kristen Rose, CEO of Foresight Planning Management, the newly-formed committee will also help make other district site recommendations.

“We want to make sure that we have a variety of perspectives,” Rose said. “This is a long-term committee — it stands for approximately two years, so making sure that you have as much equal representation from across your district is really important to getting a really useful and collaborative process.”

Major General Raymond Murray High School principal Dr. Narciso Iglegsias was selected to fill the administrator requirement on the committee, and Grapevine Elementary School’s Craig Groschup is the teacher representative.

Other members are business owner Tory Walker, property owner/renter Amanda Remmen, parent Sophia Ramos, expert knowledge representative Kevin Kirby, and California School Employees Association representative Mario Bojoquez, representing the district’s demographic composition.

While the committee can have as few as seven members, the board appointed two at-large committee members, Charles Bradshaw and Keri Avila, a representative from the Vista Teachers Association.

In determining their recommendations, the committee will examine several factors related to the four schools. These include the facility’s age and condition, enrollment and logistics, potential for site improvements, and equity considerations.

More information about the asset management process is available at vistausd.org under the District Asset Management Committee tab.

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