Boardmember John Garnica presents Jan Marholin with a Certificate of Appreciation at Tuesday night’s meeting.

Tuesday’s Fillmore Unified School Districts (FUSD) Board Meeting went into great detail about the needed changes to start next year. The District has been failing and needing improvement for 10 years. Along with discussing the Common Core Standards also on agenda were recognizing Jan Marholin for her years of work with the District, the hard facts of the school budget, a report on the Math Task Force, and during public comment someone spoke on the morale the teachers at FUSD.

The required level of performance for all California schools will be changing and that couldn’t come too soon for FUSD, which has seen a decline in its academic achievement for the past 10 year. The changes called the Common Core Standards (CCS), which California adopted in August of last year, are expected to improve academic achievement and help students learn the knowledge and skills needed to succeed after graduation. The CCS is a national education standard that will provide appropriate benchmarks for all students throughout the country regardless of where they live. This new approach replaces No Child Left Behind (NCLB), which left most decisions up to the individual states in determining what needed to be taught, how they should test, and what levels of achievement determines proficiency. State’s standards varied significantly and NCLB was not effective in many states. The new CCS is consistent and much more rigorous than what students were expected to achieve with NCLB. CCS stresses language and math skills with changes in focus and concepts of how to achieve success. The new standards require classes such as history, science, social studies, technical subjects also take part in teaching the students language skills in addition to what they learn in English class. California has added an additional 15% to its standards which include such subjects as penmanship for grades 2-4, phonics, word analysis skills in grades k-3, operations and algebraic thinking in grade 2. Assistant Superintendent Michael Johnson described the standards as “…teaching fewer concepts but in greater depth.” Another change is that students are not to just sit and listen to the teacher; they are encouraged to talk more with the expectation of improving their communication skills. For every two minutes a teacher speaks the students are expected to speak one minute.

FUSD is taking a step forward by implementing the CCS into the next school year’s teaching curriculum and not waiting until 2014 when it will be required. In addition FUSD’s Task Force, which is being designed this year, will be ready to assist in applying the teaching standards. The Task Force goals are to create standard pacing guides that each grade uses throughout the District, no matter which school a student attends. All students will be required to learn exactly what others in their grade are studying. Both staff and faculty are working hard to have both the CCS and the Task Force pacing guides ready to be used next semester. Johnson commented that he was told, “No one in the County [Ventura] is doing a whole school district to address the Common Core Standards.”

Dr. Ellen Green, principal of Fillmore Middle School (FMS) along with Jeremy MacMahan and George Fisher, gave a report on the Math Task Force and the new classes to be available. FMS will offer geometry next year for student wanting to move forward with math. Students taking the class and receiving a passing grade will have their work counted toward the three years of math requirement for college acceptance. Green said grading policy, tests and quizzes will be the same across the campuses with an emphasis on checking to make sure the student understands,… “because math is like building blocks and all aspects must be understood. The Middle School has a tremendous opportunity to do something; our students will start to appreciate math…. I’m so proud to be part of the changes.” Study guides will be published on the school website along with online testing. There are 40-50 students now taking Algebra at FMS who will be ready to move forward with geometry when it’s offered.

Johnson said the rigor of what’s expected of the students has increased greatly. To address those students who, during the transition, are not up to speed, a bridge program will be set up that will work with them for three hours a day, for 20 days.

There will also be some changes for those students who do not pass the exit exam. The exam is given in the 10th grade and those that do not pass are allowed to retake it until they pass. But some who have continued to fail and never pass are still allowed to walk during graduation. FUSD Superintendent Dr. Alan Nishino announced that this practice will not be permitted starting 2016 (which are now 8th graders); all students who have not passed the exit exam will not be allowed to walk in the graduation’s ceremony.

Michael Bush discussed the financial problems the District is facing. Governor Brown’s proposed 2012-13 budget reductions could add up to $2,771,410 which will have a very negative impact of FUSD. There will be no cost of living raises this year. FUSD teachers have already received 10 furlough days from 185 days to 175 days. Nishino stated, “It’s even worse than I’d anticipated. One and a half million this year and if the tax initiative doesn’t go through it will be even worse…. I think we’re at a crossroads of what education will be.” Bush went on to explain the expected tax increase is to pay off the State’s debt and if passed it will not benefit the kids or schools.

Lisa Fluke, a teacher at FUSD for ten years, addressed the School Board with what she said is a lowering of morale among teachers at FUSD. Fluke stated that the new Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent have helped put some exceptional tools in place for the teachers, and the teachers “…seem to be excited to help improve our schools and teaching methods. This would all be very wonderful, if not for the way their message is delivered to the faculty.” She went on to say, “There is a lack of respect and appreciation from these administrators at a level that I have never experienced. I cannot tell you how many teachers I have heard say they have never felt so devalued or disrespected. These are teachers that have taught for 20 or 30 years. My concerns started with the first committee meeting of the year I attended. Mr. Johnson led an inspirational meeting, showed an inspiring 60 minute piece and discussed some very motivational changes he intended to put into place. I was excited and ready to give 100%. At the end of his presentation, he told us there would be those that would not be onboard. He told us there was a plan for those teachers too. He then used the term ‘insubordinate.’ I have heard that term used as a method to get compliance more in the last eight to nine months than I have in my entire life. There are many teachers that would love to speak up, but fear the repercussion…It is disheartening to see so many teachers feeling beaten down…I am hoping that the school board members will find the time to go into the schools and talk with some of the teachers.”

Jan Marholin, who resigned at the end of last year to take a job as CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Clarita, was presented with a Certificate of Appreciation and clock in recognition of her eight years as the principal of San Cayetano Elementary School. Jan Lee, who replaced Marholin, was also welcomed by the Board and staff as the new principal.

Due to safety concerns the Board approved San Cayetano School request for an eight foot high ornamental iron security fence costing $24,468 that will extend where presently there isn’t any fencing. Ten thousand of the cost will be paid out of monies that were leftover from the modernization fund and the remaining to be paid by an insurance reimbursement.