What is BESCA and what is its role at Booksin?

BESCA is short for the “Booksin Elementary School Community Association” and we are Booksin’s parent-teacher organization. All parents/guardians with a current student at Booksin are automatically part of the BESCA General Membership. We are an entirely volunteer-led organization led by 9 elected parents serving as Executive Board Members as well as a Staff Advisory Board made up of Booksin’s Principal, Assistant Principal, and 7 Teacher Representatives (one from each grade).

Booksin is fortunate to have strong and collaborative relationship between our staff and parents. Booksin is the 2nd largest elementary school in SJUSD and we are proud to have one of the highest parent volunteer rates within the district. Parent invovlement allows us to bring some amazing programs to Booksin. The main role of BESCA is to partner with our school's administration and staff to enhance and enrich the school experience for each and every Booksin student. Because the school district does not have funding available to provide additional enrichment programs (e.g. art, music, and garden etc), BESCA raises and budgets approximately $300,000 each school year to fund additional enrichment programs, support classroom teachers and school staff, and organize a variety of school community-building events.

BESCA directly supports Booksin with offering our students a well-rounded school experience by supporting programs, field trips, and classroom supplies. In addition, BESCA supports Booksin by organizing parent volunteers in a variety of roles to support teachers inside the classrooms and behind the scenes to create a culture of parent involvement that keeps are school vibrant and thriving.

Meetings

General memberships meeting are held via Webex at least 6 times per school year from August through May. We strongly encourage all of our Booksin parents/guardians to join us for these short and informative 1 hour meetings. During our meetings, we discuss a variety of important topics such as how to spend the money we raise, plans for upcoming events, volunteer needs, and the status of the programs we run. In addition, our principal gives also provide an update on school news. Attending the General Membership meeting is an easy way to learn about current activities and events as well as stay in touch with what is going on in our school community.

Agendas for our meetings are posted on Konstella and access to the Webex meeting link is provided at least 2 business days in advance on the school calendar.

Our 2024-2025 general membership meeting dates are on the following Tuesday evenings from 7:00-8:00pm:

  • August 27, 2024

  • Sept 24, 2024

  • Nov 19, 2024

  • Jan 28, 2025

  • Feb 25, 2025

  • April 1, 2025 (Members participate in our annual Board vote)

  • May 13, 2025 (Members participate in our annual Budget vote)

Financial information

BESCA is an official 501(c)(3) organization, Tax ID #23-7399164, and donations are tax deductible
to the extent allowed by law. Here is a copy of our IRS Letter

BESCA Bylaws

Read our most recent official bylaws to understand how BESCA is governed.

Looking for Reimbursement information?

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