Parents and staff tell board to involve stakeholders before moving Buena Vista and creating Odyssey middle school

Multiple public commenters urged Paramount Unified's board to slow plans for site reconfiguration and to include staff, families and students in planning.

Garrett Leeper said concentrating Odyssey program resources at a new 6–8 campus near Buena Vista High School could stratify students by selecting participants as early as sixth grade, disadvantaging English learners and students from less-resourced families. "Concentrating resources in one school risks creating a system of haves and have-nots," Leeper said, and recommended distributing resources across existing middle schools so all students can access strong STEM opportunities.

Keelan Grace, a district employee of nearly 20 years who said she is a product of the district, said site staff were not consulted and had not been shown alternatives to the proposed moves. She voiced concern that moving Buena Vista to West Campus could expose that campus's students to challenges they now avoid because of the site's distance from the comprehensive campus. "We need to be part of the conversation," she said, reporting that some students chose not to attend the meeting because they felt teachers would not be heard.

Employee-representation speakers and union leaders also urged more collaboration between district leadership and staff on consolidation and curriculum implementation, highlighting concerns about communication, professional-development time, special-education supports and consistent implementation at sites.

Board members acknowledged these concerns and announced plans for more stakeholder engagement, including an October roundtable hosted by the PTA and future presentations and discussions at upcoming meetings.