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Paramount Unified board delays facilities master plan after Buena Vista community raises equity and outreach concerns
Summary
Following extended public comment from Buena Vista students, teachers and parents alleging insufficient outreach and predicted harm from a proposed campus relocation, the Paramount Unified board voted to table acceptance of the district facilities master plan and said it will pursue further outreach and options to remove the Buena Vista concept from the plan.
The Paramount Unified School District Board of Education voted to table consideration of its facilities master plan after extensive public comment from Buena Vista High School students, teachers and parents questioned whether the district had meaningfully engaged affected stakeholders.
Teacher Garrett Leppard urged the board to delay the vote, saying the plan "places the interest of one school ahead of the rest of the students and their families" and that Buena Vista families had not been included in the planning process. Several Buena Vista students and alumni described the school as a close‑knit campus that provides safety and supports students who would be harmed by relocation.
The board discussed options for moving forward, with several trustees saying they supported additional outreach and a reconsideration of the Buena Vista concept while allowing other parts of the master plan to proceed. One staff member recommended removing the Buena Vista concept from the current package so general obligation bond spending on other projects would not be delayed.
After the discussion, a motion to table final acceptance and approval of the facilities master plan was made and adopted, recorded in the meeting as "Motion passes 5‑0." The board directed staff to return with a plan for targeted outreach and with options that could include excluding the Buena Vista concept from the January agenda so the remaining elements of the master plan can move forward.
Why it matters: The facilities master plan guides how the district spends bond funds and shapes where students will attend school. Community members said decisions about moving a vulnerable campus to a remote site would affect transportation access, student safety and resources for historically overlooked students. Board members emphasized the need for transparent engagement and data to guide any relocation decision.
What the public said: "This proposal contradicts the district's mission of equitable access," Garrett Leppard told the board, asking for "more time, more voices, more transparency." Buena Vista students said they had not been consulted and worried about losing a campus that provides them a safe environment.
What happens next: The board voted to table the item and asked staff to return with outreach plans and options in January; the board indicated it could remove the Buena Vista concept from the package and consider the remainder of the master plan separately. The item remains unresolved pending that follow-up.
