Pictured (l-r) Mountain View Principal Chrissy Schieferle, school board member David Dollar and Heidi Popp. Popp was given the “Be the Change” award.

Pictured (l-r) Cynthia Frutos, David Dollar and Isela Larin. Larin was given the "Be The Change" award for her outstanding career counseling at SHS (Sierra High School).

The open session of the Fillmore Unified School District (FUSD) Board meeting was December 16, 2008, at 6:00 p.m. in the Board Room at the District Office. The Board presented awards to Isela Larin and Heidi Popp, swore in newly elected Board Members, elected a president, received recommendations from the Reconfiguration Committee, discussed fundraising principles, discussed contracts, and heard a facilities update on recent leaks.

Cynthia Frutos introduced Isela Larin on behalf of Sierra High School (SHS). Larin was awarded a "Be the Change" certificate for her outstanding work. She provides career counseling to SHS students, as well as Fillmore High School (FHS) students. Larin received praise for arranging remarkable guest speakers, and helping each SHS student with a plan for life after high school.

Mountain Vista Elementary School Principal Chrissy Schieferle introduced Heidi Popp. Popp was awarded a "Be the Change" certificate. Popp had sought donations for a "coat closet" from Mountain Vista staff, Fillmore Middle School staff, and the community. Schieferle said that Popp had hoped to gather enough coats and clothes to help the needy during the holidays, but collected so much clothes that the "coat closet" will be open year-round.

Board Members John Garnica and Virginia De La Piedra were re-elected in November, and were sworn in for another four-year term at this meeting. The Board elected Garnica to be School Board President, elected Board Member Tony Prado to be Vice President, and elected Board Member Liz Wilde to continue as Clerk. The Board decided to continue holding meetings on first and third Tuesdays. The Board appointed Prado as the School Board Representative on the County Committee on School District Organization. It appointed Superintendent Jeff Sweeney as the Ex-Officio Clerk and/or Secretary, with Assistant Superintendent Mike Bush as alternate. It appointed De La Piedra and Garnica to the Vision 2020 Steering Committee, with Wilde as alternate. It appointed David Dollar to the Agricultural Advisory Committee.

Sweeney presented the Recommendations of the Reconfiguration Committee. The Committee, facilitated by Sweeney and consisting of FUSD staff and students' parents, had met twice per month during 2008 to discuss school needs. It also visited schools outside Fillmore. Average attendance at meetings was approximately 13 members, but there was always a teacher from each school. Six Committee members were present to discuss the Recommendations with the Board: Jack L. Morales (CSEA), Sean P. Morris (parent), John Schaper (Piru Elementary), Jennifer Weir (Mountain Vista), Anna Morielli (FMS), and Liz Wilde (FUSD Board). The Committee's report listed Recommendations in matrix form, including a description and rationale for each suggestion; there were ten Short Term Recommendations (to be implemented in the next school year), seven Short/Long Term Recommendations, and twelve Long Term Recommendations. The Board will discuss the Recommendations on a regular basis at future Board meetings. The Committee also developed a community survey which will be mailed to parents, staff, and community members of Fillmore and Piru. Survey results will be scientifically analyzed, and become part of the advisory process. The Board asked for some modifications to the survey, and praised the Committee for its hard work.

The Board and FHS Cheerleading Coach Trina Tafoya spent considerable time discussing a proposed contract for Eddie Rios, a tumbling coach and choreographer who provides specialized services to the Cheerleading squad. Tafoya explained that the nearest qualified tumbling coach providing private lessons was in Camarillo, and all squad parents had wanted Rios to come to campus during practices to save time and money. He attends practices twice a week or less. His services are supposed to be paid for this year by cheerleaders' fundraising activities. Rios had operated without a contract under the previous administration, and the District plans to correct that. The Board requested some changes to the proposed contract: a weekly maximum pay limit, a requirement that Rios provide $1 million liability insurance, a requirement that Rios's hours be logged, and a provision indicating that Rios would not provide services unless the cheerleading account contained enough money to pay for those services at the time they were provided. The contract will be revised and reconsidered at the January 6th meeting.

Assistant Superintendent Bush stated that it was a rough week for facilities across the district. There were gas leaks at FHS. FUSD has hired an outside contractor who found and repaired all but one leak; he was still looking for that leak as of Tuesday. The cafeteria will not have gas, and the gym will have no heat or hot water until the last leak is found and repaired. Sespe Elementary was the only school that did not have a roof leak during the recent rains. FMS had many roof leaks. The FHS gym roof leaked Sunday night and warped the basketball court. The District is waiting to see whether the boards will dry out or need to be replaced.

The Board accepted the 2007-2008 Audit Report. Greg Cook, of Vavrinek, Trine, Day & Co., LLP (the accounting firm which conducted the audit), presented the report and answered questions from the Board. Cook said that FUSD's financial statements met accounting standards, FUSD had corrected all issues brought up in the previous year's report, and FUSD's financial statements complied with Federal and State regulations.

After discussion, the Board did not approve a profit-splitting alternative payment plan for facilities use by Sespe Players. The Board's primary concern was that there was no guarantee FUSD's costs would be met, especially since Sespe Players had not indicated how many hours it would use, and how many tickets it would need to sell to break even. Sespe Players will be invited to submit another offer.

The Board approved a grant application which Facilities Director Bob Sube has produced to provide, as the application states, "replacement of wood chips currently used as fall zones for eight playground structures at three elementary schools [Pire, Sespe, and San Cayetano] with recycled rubber chips." Bush said that the new chips would be made from tires, the material is safe, and they anticipate $149,000 from the grant.

The Board approved a Deferred Compensation Plan that will allow FUSD employees to have 457(b) tax-deferred retirement accounts, in addition to other retirement savings options. The TDS Group, Inc., will administer the Plan.

Bush provided a budget update. $247,000 of e-rate funds have been approved for FUSD to spend on network connectivity. FUSD received approval for $460,000 to rewire Piru. The California legislature is in a special session to develop a budget plan. The Republican December 15th plan for 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 calls for $6.5 billion in revenue increases from redirection of existing funds, and $15.6 billion in reductions, according to School Services of California Fiscal Report. Bush noted $10.6 billion of the reductions would be from education funds.

Student Representative Garrett Reilley reported that Finals were scheduled at FHS from Tuesday through Thursday, December 18th. He mentioned that ASB might use some money from fundraisers to cover an outside area so that students would have another place to eat when it rains.

SHS Site Council and FHS Site Council submitted Plans for School Block Grants. The Board approved the Plans.

The Board approved new math textbooks.