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Students and parents urge board to save San Pasqual FFA as district staff point to staffing and recruitment fixes
Summary
Students, parents and former students urged Escondido Union High School trustees to keep San Pasqual High School's FFA/agriculture program after district staff said the course had been removed from course request sheets following a 0.6 staffing reduction. Speakers proposed an audit, recruitment plan and a multi‑year extension rather than immediate closure.
Scores of students, parents and alumni addressed the board on Aug. 5 to urge the district to preserve San Pasqual High School’s FFA and agricultural courses and to delay any termination while the board and staff evaluate enrollment and administrative handling.
Angelina Onda, whose daughter is incoming FFA president, said counselors discouraged students from enrolling and that course listings were omitted from course‑selection materials: "We're not witnessing an organic decline in enrollment. We are seeing an administrative driven decline. ... An audit rather than program closure is essential." Parents and students described the program as a pathway to scholarships and careers; one student said FFA changed her life and provided critical scholarship opportunities.
San Pasqual FFA advisor Arnie Wallace, a 21‑year district teacher, said equipment removal and moving the ag teacher out of the ag building made it very hard to restart the program: "When you take all the equipment out of the Ag Building ... it's really hard to start the program back up." Multiple speakers described recruitment plans — visiting middle schools, hosting shadow days, staff‑led promotion — and asked the board to restore ag course listings to the course request menu.
Dr. Casas and other staff responded that the ag course was taken off the course request sheet when the board adopted a 0.6 staffing reduction in March; staff said re‑adding the course to the menu is an operational step that could be done without formal board action and that they would work with the FFA to explore scholarships and membership options to preserve students’ eligibility for awards.
Why it matters: Local CTE and FFA programs provide pathways to postsecondary certificates, jobs and scholarships; abrupt program changes can affect seniors' eligibility for awards and students’ post‑graduation plans.
What’s next: Trustees discussed an independent audit, possible three‑year extension for the program and directed staff to explore restoring the course on request materials and to report back. No formal vote on program closure took place at the meeting.
