Bassett Unified School District

The Bassett Unified School District is a California public unified school district based in the La Puente Valley of the eastern region of the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States.

• Government

The district is governed by a five-member Board of Education. The incumbent members of the Board of Education are Paul Solano (President), Dolores Rivera (Vice-President), Javier Romo (Clerk), Joe Medina, and Patrice Stanzione. The Board has one non-voting student member from the district's high school who represents the district’s whole student body. The current Student Board member is Alex Saucedo.

The Board meets monthly in accordance with California Law. Members of the board are elected by the qualified voters of the district for a term of four years. There are no imposed term limits on board membership. Members of the board receive a no-obligation salary below $300. As may be applicable, one-half of the board membership is due for election (or reelection) every odd numbered year. The most recent board election was for three (3) board seats and was called in November 2013 - Solano, Rivera, and Romo were chosen. The next board election shall be for two (2) board seats and should be called in November 2015 – the membership of Medina and Stanzione shall then be due. Stanzione is the only member appointed onto the board resulting from the resignation of former member Laura Santos in July 2014.

The district is part of the La Puente Valley Regional Occupational Program, a collective program with the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District and the Rowland Unified School District. Board members Rivera and Romo are the Bassett U.S.D. representatives to the R.O.P. Joint Board of Management; Rivera is also the Joint Board's President. The district is a member of many other educational/ governmental organizations throughout the region/ state/ nation and regularly appoints Board members as delegates to those organizations.

• Administration

The board has the duties of managing the district schools, funds and personnel and as well as the power to hire/ fire said personnel, ordering elections to fill any vacancy (or appoint) and to name a district Superintendent of Schools and other high ranking administrators who form his/ her Cabinet. The current district Superintendent of Schools is Dr. Alex J. Rojas, Ed.D. He was invested the status from Deputy Superintendent when his superior (and then district Superintendent) Jose Luis Reynoso, Jr. took an indefinite medical leave and did not return; he resigned months later and thereby made Rojas Interim Superintendent in consequence; the Board appointed Rojas as the prime Superintendent soon thereafter. The district Associate Superintendent is Julio Fonseca, Ed.D the district Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services/ Chief Business Officer is Arturo Sanchez-Macias, the district Executive-Director of Curriculum and Instruction is Martha Arceo, the district Director of Student (Attendance, discipline & support) Services is William Avila and the district Director of Special Education is Rachel Monarrez, Ph.D. These senior executive administrative offices make up the Superintendents Cabinet.

• Taxes and employment

The district is currently assessing/ levying property taxes upon all real-property in the district pursuant to three obligation bonds approved by district-voters in recent years. These obligation bonds are consistent with California law and all funds collected are for local usage and supervised by a citizen’s bond oversight committee of seven members. There are two of such committees: a Measure ‘E’ committee (currently composed of four persons and has been renewed once in consequence of Measure ‘E’ being re-approved) and a Measure ‘V’ committee (yet to be called). The district has a Personnel Commission of three persons, with Dr. Anil S. Muhammed as its Director. The commission is tasked with providing employment related recommendations to the district Superintendent who presents to the Board of Education for their consideration the Commission’s recommendations.

• Associations

The Bassett Teachers Association (B.T.A.) and the California School Employees Association (C.S.E.A.) are the two major associations in the district.

• School sites

The district has one comprehensive senior high school (9-12), a continuation high school (10-12), an adult education program, a child-development program, three elementary schools (K-5), one academy (K-8) and a middle school (6-8) (which is also a California Distinguished school). The district also owns two other campuses for program-usage, Erwin and Flanner. The district's first campus was Bassett Elementary which was closed down and is now part of the lands composing a private community on the corner of Temple and Vineland avenues and Bassett Park operated by the County of Los Angeles. Nearby religious/ private high school Bishop Amat Memorial High School is not operated by the district but is under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

• History

The district itself, its first school and its only high school are named after Mr. Oscar T. Bassett of El Paso, Texas. It was part of Bassett Township in the late 19th century belonging to John Rowland and William Workman. Bassett Township was part of Rancho La Puente, a land grant from the then Alta California Governor Pio Pico. This rancho was composed of many farms, fields and groves; predominantly walnuts, citruses, avocados, grapes, etc. The land was sold to many individuals creating the neighboring cities around the area. The district was supervised by a three-member Board of Trustees and had no more than three schools. By the 1960s, Bassett U.S.D. became a larger academic-entity, however for safely reason some of the first buildings were destroyed and the property sold. By the 1980s, all campuses/ school sites there are today were of existence. In 1998, the small district celebrated its Centennial. The district is located in the unincorporated community of Bassett, and in portions of the unincorporated communities of West Puente Valley, and Avocado Heights and portions of the cities of La Puente, Baldwin Park, West Covina and the City of Industry.

External links

• Official district website

• Media