2023-24 Annual Report | Becoming Future Ready

BECOMING FUTURE READY

MISSION & BOARD CORE VALUES

Mission

MISSION

Board Core Values

The San Marcos Unified School District is an innovative and collaborative community providing an unparalleled educational experience. Through an engaging and supportive environment, all our students are challenged, inspired, and poised to excel.

SMUSD EQUITY STATEMENT

The San Marcos Unified School District is an innovative and collabo community providing an unparalleled educational experience. Th an engaging and supportive environment, all our students are c inspired, and poised to excel.

As elected members of the Governing Board of the San Marcos School District, we accept the high honor and trust that has been in us to ensure that the students of the district receive an outsta education that prepares them to be Future Ready in the 21st centu

The following core values underlie our work as a Board and the we make for our students and staff:

SMUSD

Equity Statement

INNOVATION

We support and encourage innovative programs that challenge, and prepare students for the 21st century world of work and citi

EQUITY

EQUITY STATEMENT

To deliver on this promise, we will:

The Portrait of a Graduate is a promise made to every SMUSD student, an we are committed to providing an unparalleled educational experience that prepares every graduate to be Future Ready - f rom the most able to the vulnerable of our students. Racial, socioeconomic, social, or cultural facto should not predict whether or not students are prepared for college, career and civic engagement

We believe that the Portrait of a Graduate is a promise we have to every SMUSD student, and that this promise will be realized th systems, policies, and experiences that promote equitable outc

• Continually reflect on and refine our instructional practices to ensure are meeting the needs of all learners;

HIGHLY TRAINED STAFF

The Portrait of a Graduate is a promise made to every SMUSD student, and we are committed to providing an unparalleled educational experience that prepares every graduate to be Future Readyfrom the most able to the most vulnerable of our students. Racial, socioeconomic, social, or cultural factors should not predict whether or not students are prepared for college, career and civic engagement.

Ensure that every student feels connected to school and is engaged, challenged, and inspired in their learning;

Provide the support needed for each student to develop academic proficiency and the competencies outlined in the Portrait of a Gradua

We believe that we will meet our goals for students by providing exceptional ongoing professional development and training for teachers, administrators and support staff

RELATIONSHIPS

To deliver on this promise, we will:

• Identify and address district systems, policies, and/or practices that a unintentionally getting in the way of the success of students;

• Continually reflect on and refine our instructional practices to ensure they are meeting the needs of all learners;

Ensure that our campuses are safe, welcoming and inclusive places f students, staff members, and families;

• Ensure that every student feels connected to school and is engaged, challenged, and inspired in their learning;

We believe that respectful and collaborative relationships with dist students, staff, families, employee associations, and the broader community will support our efforts to meet the needs of all students.

Help students discover and cultivate the unique gifts, talents, and int that each possesses;

• Provide the support needed for each student to develop academic proficiency and the competencies outlined in the Portrait of a Graduate;

• Partner with our families and our community to support the success SMUSD students by modeling and expecting behavior and speech that promotes a culture of empathy, curiosity, and mutual respect

• Identify and address district systems, policies, and/or practices that are unintentionally getting in the way of the success of students;

• Ensure that our campuses are safe, welcoming and inclusive places for all students, staff members, and families; Help students discover and cultivate the unique gifts, talents, and interests that each possesses; Partner with our families and our community to support the success of all SMUSD students by modeling and expecting behavior and speech that promotes a culture of empathy, curiosity, and mutual respect.

We believe that innovative programs, high levels of student achievement professional development and strong relationships will continue to position destination district for students, families and employees for years to 4

SAN MARCOS UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT EXECUTIVE CABINET TEAM

SAN MARCOS UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT GOVERNING BOARD

Role of the Board

MISSION & BOARD CORE VALUES

The SMUSD Governing Board is elected by the community to provide leadership and citizen oversight to the District’s 19 schools. Governing Board members work with the Superintendent to set the direction for the District that is focused on student learning and achievement, establish an effective and efficient organizational structure, provide support to the Superintendent and staff as they carry out the Board’s direction, ensure accountability to the public for the performance of the District’s schools, adopting district policies, approving Local Control and Accountability Plans, adopting and monitoring budgets, monitoring district performance and student achievement and actively listening to public comments.

Mission

The San Marcos Unified School District is an innovative and collaborative community providing an unparalleled educational experience. Through an engaging and supportive environment, all our students are challenged, inspired, and poised to excel.

Board Core Values

As elected members of the Governing Board of the San Marcos Unified School District, we accept the high honor and trust that has been placed in us to ensure that the students of the district receive an outstanding education that prepares them to be Future Ready in the 21st century

The following core values underlie our work as a Board and the decisions we make for our students and staff:

Board Core Values

INNOVATION

INNOVATION / The Board supports and encourages innovative programs that challenge, inspire, and prepare students for the 21st century world of work and citizenship.

We support and encourage innovative programs that challenge, inspire, and prepare students for the 21st century world of work and citizenship

EQUITY

EQUITY / The Board believes that the Portrait of a Graduate is a promise we have made to every SMUSD student, and that this promise will be realized through systems, policies, and experiences that promote equitable outcomes for all.

We believe that the Portrait of a Graduate is a promise we have made to every SMUSD student, and that this promise will be realized through systems, policies, and experiences that promote equitable outcomes for all.

HIGHLY TRAINED STAFF

HIGHLY TRAINED STAFF / The Board believes that we will meet our goals for students by providing exceptional ongoing professional development and training for all SMUSD teachers, administrators and support staff.

We believe that we will meet our goals for students by providing exceptional ongoing professional development and training for all SMUSD teachers, administrators and support staff

RELATIONSHIPS / The Board believes that respectful and collaborative relationships with district students, staff, families, employee associations, and the broader San Marcos community will support efforts to meet the needs of all students.

RELATIONSHIPS

We believe that respectful and collaborative relationships with district students, staff, families, employee associations, and the broader San Marcos community will support our efforts to meet the needs of all students.

Dr. Andy Johnsen Superintendent

Dr. Tiffany Campbell Deputy Superintendent

Erin Garcia Assistant Superintendent of Business Services

Dr. Joel Garcia Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources and Development

Amy Ventetuolo Public Information Officer

Susan Boynton Executive Assistant to the Superintendent

Jaime Chamberlin Board Member

Dr. Carlos Ulloa Board President

Sarah Ahmad Board Vice President

Andrés Martín Board Clerk

Stacy Carlson Board Member

FAST FACTS

With a long-standing reputation of educational excellence, the San Marcos Unified School District is:

TOP 5 SCHOOL DISTRICTS

out of 42 school districts in San Diego county

SCHOOLS

14 schools have received California Distinguished School designation

3 schools have received Gold Ribbon School Designation

3 schools have received Blue Ribbon School Designation

10 Elementary schools

2 K-8 schools

3 middle schools

3 high schools

1 independent study school 19

23 Advanced Placement (AP) course offerings

San Marcos Unified is the 7th largest school district in San Diego County with 19 schools:

Ranked as one of the +19,500 STUDENTS 95% GRADUATION

RATE

*CA: 84%, *US: 86%

Nearly 80% of AP students who take an AP exam earn a passing score of 3+ or higher.

21.7% CA AP exam pass rate

26.6% US AP exam pass rate

14 Career Technical Education, or CTE, pathways offered 3,114 students engaged in a CTE course

97 students engaged in an active internship

This year the CTE Construction Pathway earned Pre-Apprenticeship Designation through the California Department of Industrial Relations, allowing students to “earn while they learn”

K-12 Visual & Performing Arts Programs

100% of elementary students receive music education

Nearly 6,800 middle and high school students are engaged in at least one VAPA course

Thriving Athletics Department with multiple alumni now professional athletes, including NFL Players

MESSAGE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT

I am excited to share this year’s Annual Report Becoming Future Ready: Bringing the Portrait of a Graduate to Life. As you read through these pages, my hope is that you see the exciting ways we are working to become a Future Ready system that helps to produce Future Ready students, all born from our community-driven Portrait of a Graduate vision.

As we all know, every strong vision needs a clear plan to bring it to life. Our Board-adopted Strategic Plan is our roadmap, and it serves as our Strategic Promise to all students, detailing how we will bring the Portrait of a Graduate to fruition in our classrooms. Through data-driven instructional practices, to supporting our staff with training and professional development and by investing in student and staff wellness, we are driven by this vision to engage students in 21st learning that will equip them for their next stage of life.

This re-engineering of the student experience and associated outcomes do not happen overnight, which is why our Strategic Promise is a 2022-2027 five-year plan. We hope you see how this plan and big vision is progressing throughout our K-12 educational system here in San Marcos so they can make a difference in the future of this community, and beyond.

Thank you for taking a moment to celebrate the year’s successes with us, and for your ongoing support of our amazing students, staff and families!

Andrew S. Johnsen, Ed.D. Superintendent

MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD PRESIDENT

As the Board President of the San Marcos Unified Governing Board, I am honored to support and represent each of our talented Board Members, who are wholeheartedly committed to our students, families, teachers and staff of SMUSD. Together with the Superintendent, our promise to our community is our Portrait of a Graduate, a future ready vision for all students.

As I visit schools on Board Tours and attend a variety of events throughout our district, it is apparent that we are hard at work to continue to keep San Marcos Unified a sought after school district here in North County.

Having spent my career in education, I have seen school operations from all angles, and I am immensely proud of the work we do throughout our entire district for our students. I can also share that, ultimately, our goal is to create systems that enrich and benefit our classrooms and provide inclusive spaces where students can not only learn, but thrive.

I believe you will see a glimpse of all of the tremendous work happening here in the San Marcos Unified School District through the pages of this year’s 2023-24 Annual Report.

Dr. Carlos

Ulloa

Governing Board President

BECOMING FUTURE READY

With a Board-approved and community-driven Portrait of a Graduate vision for all students, the next step was to create a clear direction and a roadmap to bring this vision to life—this is our Strategic Plan, or what we call our Strategic Promise to all SMUSD students.

You will see the high-level components of the plan below with a link to a QR code to review the full detailed plan that includes all of our goals, strategies and tactics.

Why Create a Strategic Promise

In a 21st global economy, San Marcos Unified students must be equipped with the skills and mindsets that will prepare them to meet a rapidly changing world. We believe students who embody the five core competencies outlined in our Portrait of a Graduate: Adaptability, Communication, Critical Thinking, Empathy, and Leadership, will be ready to pursue whatever future they choose, or Future Ready

Goal 1: Future Ready

From the earliest ages, integration of rigorous develop the outcomes

GOAL OVERVIEW

SMUSD prepared for

For the complete SMUSD Strategic Promise flipbook, please scan the QR code

Goal 2: Future Ready

Goal 1: Future Ready Students

GOAL OVERVIEW

Our Strategic Promise outlines the plan to ensure all students embody the Portrait of a Graduate competencies upon graduation.

What We Will Do

All SMUSD classrooms student feels seen, heard designed to promote

From the earliest ages, all SMUSD students engage integration of rigorous academic content and relevant develop the outcomes in our Portrait of a Graduate. SMUSD prepared for the future they choose.

Goal 3: Future Ready

Goal 1: Future Ready Students

GOAL OVERVIEW

Goal 2: Future Ready Learning Environments

GOAL 1

Future Ready Students

SMUSD teachers, support supported by hiring, and training practices learning environments.

From the earliest ages, all SMUSD students engage in the purposeful integration of rigorous academic content and relevant experiences that develop the outcomes in our Portrait of a Graduate. Every graduate leaves SMUSD prepared for the future they choose.

All SMUSD classrooms and campuses are welcoming student feels seen, heard and valued. Learning experiences designed to promote academic, social-emotional,

Our Strategic Promise Goals & Objectives clearly outline our roadmap to actively bring our Portrait of a Graduate vision to life

Goal 1: Future Ready Students

Goal 2: Future Ready Learning Environments

Goal 3: Future Ready Educators

Goal 4: Future Ready

From the earliest ages, all SMUSD students engage in the purposeful integration of rigorous academic content and relevant experiences that develop the outcomes in our Portrait of a Graduate. Every graduate leaves SMUSD prepared for the future they choose.

All SMUSD students engage in the purposeful integration of rigorous academic content and relevant experiences that develop the Portrait of a Graduate competencies.

All SMUSD classrooms and campuses are welcoming places where every student feels seen, heard and valued. Learning experiences are engaging and designed to promote academic, social-emotional, and physical well-being.

GOAL 2 Future Ready Learning Environments

GOAL 3

Future Ready Educators

Goal 3: Future Ready Educators

Goal 2: Future Ready Learning Environments

All SMUSD classrooms and campuses are welcoming places where every student feels seen, heard, and valued.

SMUSD teachers, support staff, and administrators supported by hiring, onboarding, evaluating, professional and training practices that enable them to create learning environments.

GOAL 4

All SMUSD systems—Business Resources, and Governance—are development of Future

Future Ready System

All SMUSD classrooms and campuses are welcoming places where every student feels seen, heard and valued. Learning experiences are engaging and designed to promote academic, social-emotional, and physical well-being.

Goal 3: Future Ready Educators

All SMUSD staff feel valued and supported and Future Ready through hiring, onboarding, evaluating, and professional learning practices.

Goal 4: Future Ready System

SMUSD teachers, support staff, and administrators feel valued and supported by hiring, onboarding, evaluating, professional learning, and training practices that enable them to create Future Ready learning environments.

Goal 4: Future Ready System

SMUSD teachers, support staff, and administrators feel valued and supported by hiring, onboarding, evaluating, professional learning, and training practices that enable them to create Future Ready

All SMUSD systems are designed to support Future Ready students, educators, and learning environments.

“As the parent of two children in the process of creating the and unwavering commitment from emotional well being. The bridge and it was so well displayed during competencies at work in our schools, this new -Vanessa

All SMUSD systems—Business Services, Educational Resources, and Governance—are designed to support development of Future Ready students, educators,

All SMUSD systems—Business Services, Educational Services, Human Resources, and Governance—are designed to support the successful

“As the parent of two children attending our SMUSD schools, in the process of creating the Portrait of a Graduate. I witnessed

How We Will Achieve our Strategic Promise Goals

Our Strategic Promise outlines clear progress Milestones to indicate whether our students are engaged in deeper learning.

The Road to the Portrait Student Milestones

Grade 8

Read, write, speak, analyze, and argue from evidence

The San Marcos Unified School District is an innovative and collaborative community providing an unparalleled educational experience. Through an engaging and supportive environment, all our students are challenged, inspired, and poised to excel.

Demonstrate individual growth in Portrait of a Graduate competencies

Enact a high school plan based on individual strengths & interests

Grade 5

Demonstrate grade level literacy & math

Demonstrate individual growth in Portrait of a Graduate competencies

Grade 3

Read on grade level

Classroom Commitments

• Strong relationships and classroom communities are foundational to student learning and foster their success.

• Students learn with and from each other by engaging in rich dialogue around meaningful tasks.

• Curriculum is reflective of, respectful to, and relevant for our diverse student population; instruction values and responds to the diversity among our learners.

• Demonstrate the competencies of the Portrait of a Graduate

Enact a 2-year post high school action plan based on individual strengths and interests Graduation

To achieve our Milestones, SMUSD engages in the following commitments to achieve deeper learning:

• Students are given time and space to grapple with and grow in their learning; practice is not penalized; and students can demonstrate their learning in multiple ways.

HOW WE ARE BECOMING FUTURE READY

Redesigning the Middle School experience

One of the largest accomplishments this year in moving the Portrait of a Graduate vision for all students forward, is our work around redesigning the middle school experience for students.

Not only is this a changing and often challenging time of life, but the transition from an elementary student to secondary student, can be difficult.

We also realize that student needs significantly shift during this time and we need our learning models and their experience to be one of fostering their individual strengths, talents and gifts, as well as engaging them in their own learning.

SMUSD FUTURE READY MIDDLE SCHOOL DESIGN

Building the competencies of the Portrait of a Graduate through research-based practices

GROUNDED IN COMMUNITY & CONNECTION

• Daily routines support connection, belonging, and positive interactions among all members of the learning community.

• Learning environments are heterogeneous with supports and enrichments that are responsive to variability in learning.

• Curriculum, content, and instruction are culturally connected and collaboratively pursued.

PERSONALIZED & FLEXIBLE

• Learning experiences are tailored to the student’s strengths, skills, interests, and needs.

• Learners engage in flexible pacing and pathways.

• Learning spaces are physically set up to provide flexible small group learning and collaborative working spaces.

CO-CREATED THROUGH SHARED POWER

The student & the teacher co-create the culture and responsibilities of the classroom.

• The student & the teacher co-create a timeline for learning, production, and deadlines.

SKILLS DRIVEN & RELEVANT

• Learners co-labor in tasks that are relevant to their lives, engage their curiosity, and build transferable Future Ready skills.

• Learners productively struggle in meaningful application of knowledge that engages higher order thinking skills.

BECOMING FUTURE READY Through real-world learning experiences

San Marcos High School teacher, Marci Davis, is passionate about providing students with real-world learning experiences at an early age. Her Health Essentials II class, which is part of the CTE Healthcare Career Pathway, is one of the ways real-world Future Ready learning is embraced.

Dyani Vega, a senior at San Marcos High School, secured an internship with Kaiser San Marcos through Ms. Davis’ class. As a student intern, Dyani dives into the world of patient care by rounding with patients, providing blankets or other comfort needs, helps with patient discharges and patient activities, which include painting, word puzzles, and other activities that bring a smile to their face.

“This opportunity has solidified my passion to be in the medical field, especially gaining the day to day insight on what nurses and doctors do,” says Dyani.

While she always knew she was interested in Nursing, after gaining real-world opportunities in a variety of departments including med-surg, postpartum and post-op, her goal is to become a Registered Nurse and Anesthesiologist.

“ I am so excited to have the opportunity to intern here at Kaiser, while in high school. It definitely helps pave a path for my future.”

Dyani Vega, San Marcos High School student

BECOMING FUTURE READY Through safe and supportive learning environments

At SMUSD, we take the safety of our students and staff seriously and with the utmost importance. Not only does each school campus have safety plans and conduct drills and trainings, over the last couple years, SMUSD has worked with our local law enforcement partners to continue to assess and improve the safety of our schools.

A few of these improvements we can share have been to develop a District Safety Taskforce which includes members of our Emergency Operations Command team, school safety teams, law enforcement and labor partners, to ensure we are hearing voices across our district and community. This Taskforce has been hard at work to accomplish safety improvement projects throughout SMUSD including:

DIAMOND SAFETY TRAINING

In partnership with the San Diego County Office of Education and public safety partners, San Marcos Unified was the first district in San Diego county to implement this five-day rigorous and hyper-realistic training. A team from each of our 19 school campuses and District Office underwent this intense training to identify a variety of threats as well as training in the areas of bullying prevention, drug awareness, de-escalation and more.

STOP THE BLEED TRAINING

The District Safety Team in partnership with San Marcos Fire Department & San Marcos Sheriff’s Office will have brought the in-person, hands-on Stop the Bleed training program to every school campus and department in the San Marcos Unified School District by this summer. This nationally-recognized program educates and empowers staff to act quickly and effectively to save lives.

HOUR ZERO EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

The District Safety Taskforce also identified the need for a comprehensive districtwide emergency management program. This year, every school site has been equipped with Hour Zero emergency response classroom bags with critical communication supplies for every classroom for a variety of potential hazards.

LET’S FACE IT. TOGETHER. MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM

We realize safety is bigger than a physical building, and keeping schools the safe and supportive environments they are means also addressing the mental and emotional health of our staff & students. This is why we are in the second year of our Let’s Face It. Together. mental health program created in partnership with funding from the City of San Marcos. The program allows for a tiered approach to providing supports along with a districtwide campaign at every school. In October we kicked off the program to the community-at-large in a press conference on October 10th, World Mental Health Day.

Check out the news story on this training

BECOMING FUTURE READY Through a strong Student Voice

With so many opportunities for students to engage in Leadership opportunities on their campus and at the District level, our SMUSD students are raising their voices to help shape their educational experience.

SUPERINTENDENT-STUDENT ADVISORY COUNCIL

The Superintendent-Student Advisory Council was created three years ago by Dr. Johnsen as a way for students to provide input to the Superintendent to improve the school experience for all students. This year, students in this group took the reins and utilized the opportunity to brainstorm on how they can better bring the Portrait of a Graduate competencies to life on our campuses, and ensure every student feels like they belong. Through thoughtful dialogue and collaboration, they are reshaping how students engage on campus.

STUDENT BOARD REPRESENTATIVES

Because engaging students in every aspect of their education is so important in SMUSD, we have designated Student Board Representatives who participate in every Governing Board Meeting, with a place on the dais, to ask questions, share updates and cast votes in the decision-making process. This year, Kaylin Ocheltree represents San Marcos High School and Nikita Jadhav represents Mission Hills High School. We are grateful for their voice and service all year.

On-campus student groups are a critical component of campus life, help to elevate the student voice and provide meaningful engagement for students.

San Marcos Unified has been intentional about creating opportunities for students to engage and raise their voice on campus. Check out the groups making a difference on our high school campuses:

MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL:

Pacific Islander Student Union

Asian Student Union

Black Student Union

Girls Who Code

GSA

Half the Sky

Hispanic Latino Student Union

PAC (Philippine Appreciation Club)

Women in Stem

SAN MARCOS HIGH SCHOOL:

Asian Student Union

Black Student Union

Bring Change 2 Mind (BC2M)

Hispanic Resource Center

Hispanic Student Union

Jewish Student Union

Middle Eastern Student Union

Neurodivergent Student Alliance (NSA)

No Place for Hate

Rainbow

South Asian Culture

TWIN OAKS HIGH SCHOOL:

Associated Student Body

GSA

Equity Team

BECOMING FUTURE READY Through parent leadership & engagement

The Parent Advisory Committee, or PAC, is a group of dedicated PTO presidents representing every school in the district, who meet monthly with the Superintendent. During these meetings they receive updates on district news, hear about different district department operations, share ideas with one another and learn tips and tools to best serve our school communities.

Through their dedication and selfless service year after year, our schools benefit from events like family carnivals, appreciation days and celebrations, fun runs, fundraising events, field trips and more. Their service helps create memorable events and experiences that help our students become Future Ready.

BECOMING FUTURE READY Superintendent Spotlight

During school visits and Board Tours, Superintendent Dr. Johnsen gets to meet a variety of hard-working staff that often don’t receive a lot of visibility or attention, but do their jobs with excellence behind the scenes. This year, Dr. Johnsen wanted to take a camera with him on his visits to spotlight some of the amazing SMUSD staff members that make our school communities so special. We invite you to scan the QR code below and learn about the staff members who have been in the Superintendent Spotlight this year:

Thomas Altieri, Campus Supervisor Woodland Park Middle School

Gregorio Vega, Head Custodian San Marcos Middle School

Lolita Rich, Typist Clerk Discovery Elementary School

Anne McCullough, Librarian La Mirada Academy

Lupe Escobedo, Office Manager San Marcos Elementary School

Melanie Aperocho, Health Aide Mission Hills High School

Natsuko Doyle, Instructional Aide Special Education Double Peak School

Tina Casey, Transitional Kindergarten Aide Joli Ann Leichtag

Brittney Gibbs, ASSET Coordinator Twin Oaks High School

Ali McCallister, Special Education Instructional Aide San Elijo Elementary School

Be sure to follow our San Marcos Unified YouTube to see who will be in the spotlight next!

Cutting the ribbon on Future Ready facilities

RICHLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FINAL PHASE COMPLETION

The newly-constructed Richland Elementary School in San Marcos has taken two years to complete, and the Dedication Ceremony in September 2023 marked the final completion of the project. Prior to construction, Richland Elementary School was the oldest school in the district and is now a multi-level brand new modern facility complete with separate Kindergarten areas, a MakerSpace, collaboration areas, gardens and more.

SMUSD AG FARM

In Summer 2023, Governing Board members, staff and the community gathered to cut the ribbon on a brand new facility dedicated to a historic San Marcos industry, the SMUSD Ag Farm. The brand new Ag Farm features a small livestock barn, a large livestock barn, and the reconstruction of the poultry barn and houses a variety of livestock including cows, pigs, chickens, sheep, goats, and more. In February 2024 the first set of baby goats were born on the new farm!

DOUBLE PEAK SCHOOL KINDERGARTEN BUILDINGS

The brand new Kindergarten wing at Double Peak School was officially open for our youngest learners this Fall 2023-24 school year. The construction features 2 single-story buildings connected by a covered breezeway, 5 classrooms, 7,602 square feet, complete with Future Ready furnishings to foster modern and supportive learning environments.

This year, five more elementary schools will be receiving new Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten age appropriate furniture, including flexible seating, reading nooks, collaboration spaces, and more to create more Future Ready learning environments.

BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE

The SMUSD Facilities Master Plan, or FMP, is an essential element of a district’s planning process, outlining quality of existing facilities and potential renovation and expansion requirements. A major update to the FMP was completed this year as we plan to ensure our school facilities are Future Ready:

Enrollment & Demographics

Analyzing historical enrollment data, projections indicate a continued decrease in the next five years, reflecting a broader trend across San Diego County and California. The FMP also included analyzing planned development projects and housing units that have been confirmed.

Capacity Analysis

The capacity analysis determines where there are available classrooms or overcrowding at each school, which helps make facility-related decisions on school campuses.

Facilities Needs Assessment

The Facilities Needs Assessment process included taking an extensive inventory of District facilities and infrastructure, all portable buildings within the District, and an estimated cost to implement improvements, including both hard and soft costs.

Funding

Funding options include State facility grant programs, along with other potential sources like developer fees, community facilities districts (CFDs), redevelopment areas (RDAs), Career Technical Education grants, and a potential voter-approved general obligation bond measure.

Implementation

As a result of the findings in the Facilities Master Plan, an Implementation Plan has been created that includes three phases of all school needs in order of school age with the highest need projects included in Phase 1.

To view the detailed Board presentation and Facilities Master Plan, please scan the QR code here

BECOMING FUTURE READY Through prudent fiscal stewardship

San Marcos Unified files another Positive Budget Certification

With a goal of prudent fiscal stewardship, San Marcos Unified is building on our budget stability measures and has filed another Positive Budget Certification, which is the highest level of budget certification a district can achieve, signaling that the district is in good financial standing.

While the District has maintained a balanced budget, news from the State of California about the coming final budget is highly uncertain.

“The State Budget is currently projecting a large, multi-billion dollar shortfall, and with a lower than expected cost of living adjustment, or COLA, and COVID funds expiring, there is a lot of uncertainty at the state level. While SMUSD is pleased to present a strong budget, the next two years are going to be very challenging.” Erin Garcia, Assistant Superintendent, Business Services.

$322.3M Budget Revenues $328.4M Budget Expenditures 9.98% Reserves 3% minimum reserves required by the State

How San Marcos Unified Is Funded

Not all school districts are funded equally. School districts in California are funded through the Local Control Funding Formula, or LCFF, based on the students it serves. As a result, San Marcos Unified does not receive as much funding as our surrounding districts.

LCFF DISTRICT

in this model there are three categories of funding:

Local examples of districts who receive all three of these funding sources are: Oceanside Unified School District, Vista Unified School District, and Escondido Union School District.

BASE FUNDING

based on the number of students and attendance.

SMUSD receives this funding source

SMUSD does NOT receive this additional funding source. DOING MORE WITH LESS X $ $ $ $ $ $

SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING

is additional funding based on the number of unduplicated students, those who are English learners, foster youth, low-income, or homeless, to best address their needs.

SMUSD receives this funding source

CONCENTRATION FUNDING

provides significant additional funding when districts have a high percentage of unduplicated students.

San Marcos Unified is proud to have a music program and physical education program at every school, and offers one of the highest total compensation (salary & benefits) for teachers.

Based on our funding structure, San Marcos Unified receives less funding to provide the same services as neighboring districts.

“I rode to school in San Marcos on the bus over 30 years ago, and we want to do everything we can to serve the families of San Marcos by providing the safest and most convenient transportation services possible.”

Michael Sawyer, Executive Director, Transportation Services

BECOMING FUTURE READY Through Student-Focused Services

BRINGING BUSSING BACK

For the first time in more than 10 years, the 2022-23 enacted California State Budget included additional funding for Home to School Transportation providing San Marcos Unified with nearly $2.8 million per year to either expand Home to School transportation or absorb the funds into the existing Transportation Budget.

Because there is no mandate to expand services, some districts chose to simply absorb the funds into their operating budget. However, we heard from our San Marcos community that this expanded service is something families wanted, and in March 2023 the Governing Board approved the Home to School Transportation Plan.

The plan outlines which students would be eligible for the new service, per the State’s funding criteria, and outlines the goal to phase in as many schools as possible in the coming years.

By August 2024, every elementary school in the San Marcos Unified School District will offer bus service with plans to include middle schools in the coming school year.

TRANSPORTATION FAST FACTS

60 transportation routes made daily with NEW Home to School transportation routes

1,215 students take SMUSD bus service to and from school every day

108 Transportation Department staff members

84 buses in the Transportation Department fleet, including 7 electric grant-funded buses, with 27 more electric school buses to be added to the fleet by the fall.

Last year, the Transportation Department logged 733,663 miles driven, saving parents and families time and mileage on our local roads.

FARM TO SCHOOL MEALS

CULTIVATES HEALTHY NUTRITION AND LOCAL FAMILY FARMS

One of the highlights of the Child Nutrition Services (CNS) department at SMUSD is their unique Farm to School initiative that supports the local economy and provides the freshest seasonal produce to our school cafeterias.

Not only do I love the variety and seasonality of local produce, but it also helps us support our local economy, reduce our carbon footprint, and support family businesses.” Naomi Shadwell, Executive Director, Child Nutrition Services

Serving over 15,000 meals a day across the district, the $13 million CNS budget is state & federally funded and self-sustaining, meaning they do not receive funds from the SMUSD General Fund and are modeled similarly to a restaurant managing revenues and expenses. Additionally, CNS has also partnered with our CTE Culinary pathway to involve students in menu and recipe creation. This year Mission Hills High School students Angel Bautista, Deyna Lemus, Elizabeth Anyayahan, and lead chef Samantha Dahl, won the pozole recipe challenge and the winning recipe was served to thousands of students this winter when this seasonal Mexican dish was featured on the menu.

CHILD NUTRITION SERVICES FAST FACTS

$13 million self-sustaining budget - no funds received from the SMUSD General Fund

15,000 meals served daily

165 employees

Farm to School initiative supports family farms by purchasing local produce

BECOMING FUTURE READY Through Continued Excellence

This year our Classified School Employee Association partners organized an Appreciating Classified Employees (ACE) program, which invites school administrators and other officials to “job shadow” classified school employees.

SMUSD District leaders job shadowed classified staff from around our District. From early morning school bus routes, to lawn mower riding on the fields, to quickly and efficiently serving lunch to hundreds of students, this job shadow day was an unforgettable experience creating meaningful connections between our staff.

Vanessa Shreve

Jennifer Larochelle

Janet Wilson-Cantu

Elisabeth Plastridge

Whitney Dean

Rosenda Ruiz

Amanda Miller

Rajeswari Dorairaj

Cheri Bailey

Irene Pilve

Rebecca Boehm

Anita Lopez-Vazquez

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF OUR 2023-24 EMPLOYEES OF THE YEAR

Sasha Stone

Courtney Canetti

Christi Schroeder

Renee Hill

Kim Gates

Barbara Lamb

Trinidad Rodriguez

Elisa Martinez

Michelle Borja

Elba Torres

Rikki Kuykendall

Kylie Falk

Trish Fleming

Jeanette Arzate

Jesse McAteer

Sylvia Hernandez

Danielle Leiva

Paloma Orozco

Jocelyn O’Neil

Genoveva Gomez

Leandra Martinez

Wendy Castellanos

Ashley Curtis

Brittney Gibbs

Michelle Borelli

Michelle Borelli

Antonio Cornejo

Shannon Chapman

Noemi Grasso

Karian Sohn

Jenni Speed Inns

Patricia Michellys

Barbara Lamb

Veronica Sandoval

Each year from all of the Employees of the Year, four employees are also selected as winners of the title of District Employee of the Year. This year the District Employees of the Year are:

Certificated Employee of the Year: Kim Gates, Teacher, San Marcos Elementary

Certificated Employee of the Year: Leandra Martinez, Teacher, San Marcos High School

Classified Employee of the Year: Courtney Canetti, Library Media Tech I, Richland Elementary

Administrator of the Year: Patricia Kurylo, Assistant Principal on Special Assignment, Educational Services

2023-24 AWARDS & ACCOLADES

San Marcos Unified School District

2024 Best Communities for Music Education, NAMM Foundation

San Marcos Unified School District

Speak Up Hero Award, Project Tomorrow

San Marcos Middle School

2024 California Schools to Watch, California Department of Education

Angela Rico & Quibey Gonzalez-Hernandez

Student Equity Leadership, San Diego Office of Education

Isabella Jimenez-Ramirez

San Diego County 2024 Youth of the Year, Boys & Girls Club

Jessie Way

25 Most Remarkable Teens in San Diego, San Diego County Public Defender’s Office

Dr. Kelly Brown

Excellence in School Site Leadership, San Diego Office of Education

Amy Ventetuolo

Rising Star, California School Public Relations Association