SJUSD seeks parents, residents to fill vacant committee seats

By Sara Beth Williams–
The San Juan Unified School District is seeking to fill vacancies on five committees, including community advisory, curriculum, and bond oversight committees.

According to the district’s website, committees seeking applicants are: the Curriculum, Standards, Instructional and Student Services Committee (C&S), the Facilities Committee, the Local Control and Accountability Plan Parent Advisory Committee (LCAP PAC), the Citizen’s Bond Oversight Committee (COC), and the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) for Special Education.

Raj Rai, the district’s director of communication, told The Sentinel the C&S committee and LCAP PAC both have three openings, the Facilities Committee has two vacancies, and the COC has one vacancy. Due to changes to the committee’s bylaws, there are currently five vacancies on the CAC for Special Education.

Curriculum, Standards, Instructional and Student Services Committee. According to the district’s website, the C&S committee reviews and makes recommendations to the Board of Education on educational programs, standards, and assessments, graduation requirements, and policies on student behavior and discipline. Each board member appoints two committee members from those who have applied. One appointee must be from the board member’s trustee area. The C&S committee meets on the first and third Wednesday of each month.

Facilities Committee. This committee reviews issues relating to the district’s facilities and makes recommendations to the board. Each board member appoints two members to the committee from the pool of applicants. One appointee must be from the board member’s trustee area. The Facilities Committee meets on the first Tuesday of each month.

Local Control and Accountability Plan Parent Advisory Committee. The LCAP PAC committee provides advice to the Board on matters pertaining to the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) with the goal of improving the performance of English learner, low-income, foster youth students, and other target-area groups. The committee consists of legal guardians of students enrolled in the district with an emphasis on those who represent state and district-identified targeted student groups. Each board member appoints two individuals to serve, and the superintendent appoints six members. The committee meets a minimum of four times per year.

Citizen’s Bond Oversight Committee. This committee meets quarterly and reviews expenditures under facilities bonds and issues quarterly reports on progress. Membership is open to community members who reside within the district’s boundary. Applicants must be approved by the Board of Education.

Community Advisory Committee (CAC) for Special Education. This committee gathers input regarding the San Juan Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) plan and provides feedback to the superintendent and board on necessary changes or additions. The committee also fosters support networks for special education students and their families. Committee membership is open to any parent, guardian, student, staff, or community member with an interest in the delivery of special education services. Historically, the CAC has met monthly. The CAC committee will determine meeting frequency at its organizational meeting at the start of the year.

As noted on the district’s website, vacancies for the C&S committee, LCAP PAC and Facilities Committee will be filled after the special election for the vacant Area 7 trustee, which will be held in November 2023.

Interested applicants can apply for any of the committee openings by visiting the district’s website. Applications can be sent digitally, mailed, or faxed. There is no deadline, and vacancies are open until filled. Committees – San Juan Unified School District