Dear BUSD Community, 

Welcome back to another exciting school year! We hope you are rejuvenated and refreshed after a wonderful summer break. 

As we get ready to open our doors and launch the 2023-24 academic year, the Board of Trustees and I would like to extend a warm welcome to both our new and returning students and families! Our classrooms and campuses are ready for your arrival. We can’t wait for our schools to be filled with the sounds of laughter once again. Our schools have dedicated teams of administrators, teachers, and support staff who are here to partner with you in your child’s education. Together we can foster a strong sense of community and ensure that your child receives the support and guidance they need to succeed.

Thursday, August 10, 2023 is our first day of school and we can’t wait to see you! Let’s make this an incredible year of growth, joy, and memorable experiences!

With BUSD pride, 

Dr. Roxane Fuentes 

Superintendent 

We are happy to announce the selection of Dr. Jamal Splane as our new Principal of Morrill Middle School. Dr. Splane has more than two decades of experience in education, having previously served in a variety of leadership positions including School Psychologist, Director of Student Services/Special Education, Principal, and Director of School Culture & Climate/Curriculum & Instruction.

Dr. Splane earned a doctorate in Education Psychology and a Master’s degree in Education from the University of California, Berkeley. Welcome to the Berryessa community, Dr. Splane! 

We always appreciate the community’s collaboration and support of our students and schools. One of the ways you can help our district obtain more funds that benefit student programs and services is by turning in your 2023 Meal Application. By completing this form, you may also qualify for other food benefits and discounts, e.g., afterschool programs, utilities & internet support. In addition, we encourage you to complete the form since the data helps determine the funds allocated to each school and district.

You can fill out the application online or request a copy at your school site, the District Office or the Nutrition Services Office. 

Please email sns@busd.net or call 408-923-1875 or 408-923-1879 if you need any assistance.

Another way to help your child and BUSD is by ensuring your child is in school every day. Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school and themselves. Start building this habit in Preschool, TK, and Kindergarten so they learn right away that going to school on time, every day is important. Eventually good attendance will be a skill that will help them succeed in high school and college.

Keep in mind, too many absences can cause children to fall behind in school. Missing 10%, or about 2 days each month over the course of a school year, can make it harder to learn to read. Students can still fall behind if they miss just 1 or 2 days every few weeks. Absences and tardiness can affect the whole classroom if the teacher has to slow down learning to help children catch up.

Overall, it is beneficial for all students to attend school every day so that they can retain their lessons daily and successfully progress to the next grade level.  Start them on the right track with early bedtimes and a good, healthy breakfast in the morning.

Thank you for your partnership in advancing our students’ education!    

Construction of the new Piedmont gym continues! The new structure will house a set of bleachers, a basketball court with retractable hoops on the main court, four sets of hoops on the side courts, and a volleyball court. It will include boys' and girls’ restrooms, a single all-gender restroom, large storage, and a custodial closet. The total square footage of the gym is 7,668 square feet. 

Construction for the project started last September over the fall break with the demolition of Building L. The gym construction began the first week of January and was scheduled to be completed by August 4, 2023. Due to the winter rain storms and material delays, the gym is now expected to be completed by early November 2023. Thank you for your support in making this project a reality! 

We would like to bring to your attention important on-going efforts the district has been implementing to address budget challenges. This is a topic regularly discussed in our Board of Education meetings and we will be providing you with regular updates via newsletters.



In 2019, the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) advised our District to develop a budget stabilization plan to address continued deficit spending and declining student enrollment with our 2019-20 budget approval. In response, our board adopted a resolution as part of the 2021-22 budget approval process required by SCCOE. On June 15, 2021, a resolution committing to identifying $6M in reductions for 2022-23 and 2023-24 was adopted. 

Understanding the significance of this work, the District developed a process by which to gather valuable partner feedback. In May of 2022, a BUSD Budget Stabilization Committee was formed consisting of diverse representation from the California Teacher Association Berryessa (CTAB), the California School Employee Association (CSEA), Teamsters, BUSD parents, and a combination of site and District office administrators. Since then the group has met six times with the goal of developing a list of proposed reductions and new ideas for generating revenue. The next committee meeting will be held on September 21st to discuss their proposals in detail and to determine the priority of those ideas to eventually present to the Superintendent and Board of Trustees for recommended adoption. 

We look forward to sharing more updates each step of the way. More information regarding our budget development process and about the Budget Stabilization Committee is available on our website. Thank you for your support and partnership!