Board names new school after former teacher Sally Buselt

Construction of Sally Buselt Elementary School is underway at Briggs and Wickerd roads in Menifee.

By Doug Spoon, Editor

The Menifee Union School Board on Tuesday voted to name the new elementary school after a former teacher in the district.

The school will be named after Sally Buselt, a 15-year teacher in the district who died in a traffic collision in 2001. Sally Buselt Elementary School is being constructed at the corner of Briggs Road and Wickerd Road in the southeast part of Menifee.

According to a brief bio presented at the board meeting, Buselt “impacted the lives of Menifee Elementary School students and staff. She organized school plays, promoted literacy, piloted a special education inclusion classroom for K-2 students, and mentored new teachers. She was an advocate for students and dedicated herself to ensuring they received a high-quality education.”

The selection is in keeping with a tradition of honoring Menifee pioneers and educators in the area, including Chester Morrison, Callie Kirkpatrick, Herk Bouris, and Kathryn Newport. However, the board’s selection by a 3-2 vote went against the recommendation of the school naming committee.

That committee submitted three finalists for the selection, with Dr. Mae Jemison receiving the majority of first-place votes. Jemison was the first African-American woman to travel into space. She has received 15 PhD degrees and has been a professor at Dartmouth and Cornell. Board member Jackie Johansen, who argued strongly for Jemison, said she is an inspiration to girls everywhere and would be an excellent choice.

Johansen and Morgan Singleton voted for Jemison but were outvoted when Bob O’Donnell, Kyle Root and Xavier Padilla voted for Buselt.

The new school is located in a rural area of Menifee west of the new Liberty High School.