At the March 3, 2009 Fillmore Unified School District (FUSD) Board meeting, the Board extensively discussed the budget. The Board heard a budget update, approved layoffs, and cited the budget while considering Raiders Youth Football's request to use alternative payment for use of the high school stadium. The Board also heard a report on the Gifted Program.

Assistant Superintendent Evalene Townend reported on school districts' budget-cutting trends across the county. Districts are laying off employees in all categories: administrative, certificated, and classified. According to Townend, an estimated 400 to 500 Ventura County teachers will lose their jobs. Nine districts will be increasing class size. Many districts are reducing the number of work days, not filling administrative vacancies, offering retirement incentives, postponing facilities maintenance, and concerned about meeting transportation costs.

Superintendent Jeff Sweeney said that FUSD's budget had already been reduced by $1.2 million last year, so further reductions are difficult to accommodate. Sweeney noted, "It is going to hurt one way or another." Board members expressed sorrow over cutting essentials.

Sweeney explained that the budget process involves district staff researching and recommending cuts, which must be considered and voted on by the school board. According to law, certificated employees who will be laid off must be notified by March 15th.

Townend noted that of the eight teachers retiring this year, six of them were accepting the retirement incentive recently approved by the Board. FUSD's retirement incentive was the highest in the county, according to Townend. She commented that the retiring teachers are well aware of their positive impact on the budget and are happy to be helping their colleagues stay employed. Townend explained that each retiree's salary will provide for more than one other teacher.

Staff recommended and the Board approved reductions in services equivalent to 7.4 full-time certificated positions, but mostly consisting of partial or part-time positions, which are measured in full-time equivalencies (FTE's). The positions include: District ELD Coordinator, District Migrant Coordinator, Elementary Reading Coach, and two Multiple Subject Teachers (K-6). High School services being reduced include: Special Education RSP (0.4 FTE), Physical Science (0.2 FTE), Electives (0.4 FTE), Spanish (0.2 FTE), Physical Education (0.4 FTE), and various ROP classes (1.8 FTE's). Townend is personally meeting with each employee being laid-off, and has already spoken to those who are readily identifiable by their job descriptions. The District has not yet decided which two elementary teachers will be laid-off, but expects to make that decision soon.

The Board and staff expressed hope that some of those positions might be restored. The County had warned FUSD to expect a 50% cut in ROP education, and if that cut does not happen or is less than 50%, then fewer ROP positions will be cut. The County may dictate which ROP positions to cut.

The Board adopted a resolution delineating how seniority will be determined among certificated employees when employees have the same seniority date. Seniority is used to determine order of termination and evaluate transfer requests. The tie-breaking criteria include, in order of consideration: type of credential, type of teaching permit, Highly Qualified Teacher status, authorization to teach English Language Learners, subject matter authorizations, verified years of certificated employee experience, and post-graduate education level. The resolution describes these and further criteria, and how they are to be applied, in painstaking detail.

No other budget-cutting decisions have been finalized. Assistant Superintendent Mike Bush provided a budget update. He said the State recommends that school districts not count on receiving any money from the recently passed federal stimulus package, but create plans for using the money in case they receive some. Bush reviewed the size of the net gap between the budget and the available funds after fund reductions (including next year's cost increases and enrollment decline). The net gap is $1.7 million. Bush reviewed and provided an update on proposed cost-cutting measures. Cuts could include postponing maintenance, eliminating programs, and layoffs. Community-based tutoring, art and music grants, teacher mentoring, and administrative training are all likely to be cut. The rough plan includes laying-off five teachers and one maintenance worker. Bush's slide presentation detailing how much could be saved with each cut to reduce the gap will be available online at http://www.fillmore.k12.ca.us/Archive.asp?AMID=47 under School Board Budget Presentations.

Several Representatives from Fillmore Raiders Youth Football were there to advocate for an alternative Use of Facilities proposal. President Jorge Bonilla, Vice-President Isaac Reyes, and Raiders Board Member Todd Schieferle presented the proposal. The usual fee for stadium use is $125 per hour. That includes $32 for maintenance and repairs, $38 for supervision, and $56 towards a new field at the end of seven years. The Raiders organization can provide volunteer supervisors from among school district employees, so the debate revolved around the difference between the Raiders' offer of $30 per hour plus in-kind donations and volunteer work, and the Board's desire to break even at $88 per hour. The Board discussed the importance of keeping Raiders' registration fees low ($180 for football players; $75 for cheerleaders), the amount of potential wear and tear on the field, and the lack of impact in-kind donations would have on the District's bottom line. Bonilla said that the Raider's Board had tightened its budget to come up with $30 per hour, and was offering the most it could afford. Reyes pointed out the fee had increased steeply from last year's $5 per hour, and the organization needed time to adjust. After extensive discussion, the Board asked the Raiders improve their offer to $56 per hour and detail the in-kind donations and volunteer work that would be available. The Raiders will work with their Board, FUSD Staff, and FHS Staff to develop an improved proposal.

FUSD's GATE Coordinator Kristin Lairson reported on the process used to identify gifted students for inclusion in the program. The identification factors include: parent and teacher input, standardized test scores (CELDT and CST), non-verbal and verbal achievement tests administered to referred students, grade point average, district benchmark tests, work samples, reading level, risk factors, and English Learner status. GATE students are informally identified in grades K-3, and formally identified in grades 4-8. 77 students were referred to the program for next year; so far 39 have been accepted, and 32 have been rejected. GATE students receive various learning benefits that can include: different learning tracks, pre-testing that allows them to skip to the next skill level, tiered assignments, Advanced Placement courses, the opportunity to study specific content at a more advanced grade level than their current grade level, enrichment activities, and information regarding learning opportunities outside the district, such as workshops.

Piru 4th Grade Teachers Kristina Renelli and Claudia Cornejo requested and received Board approval for an overnight field trip to Fort Tejon. Forty students will participate in the Living History Program there.