Monday, February 1 will be the Fillmore Lions Student Speaker contest. So now is the last chance t( enter and win $75 for winning and $25 for entering. The topic is "UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE-HOW WILL IT AFFECT US?" The outcome of this debate will affect all of us for years to come.

The winner of the Fillmore contest Feb. 1 will move on and compete for $21,325 in prize money and scholarships. Call Bill Edmonds at 524-4839 or see Mr. Josh Overton at the high school. All high school age youth who reside within the Fillmore High School District boundaries are eligible to compete. This includes home taught students as well as Fillmore residents who attend other high schools. This also includes foreign exchange students.

Students who wish to enter may contact Bill Edmonds at 524-4839 or Josh Overton at the Fillmore High School drama room. Edmonds emphasized that this public speaking competition will be very worthwhile to the students and interesting to their parents and to the community. Public speaking competition will also look very good on college applications and resumes.

Time is drawing short and students should start at once. It takes time to develop and practice a good speech. Act now. The contest will take place Monday, Feb. 1 beginning at 7:00pm at the Scout House at the end of Sespe.

The Board of Directors of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Clara Valley has been working on a reorganization and revitalization strategy the last 3 months that has brought needed change and enhanced communication and partnerships throughout both communities of Fillmore and Santa Paula. In order to strengthen service delivery and to ensure stability, the Board has decided to temporarily suspend services at 3 sites effective January 31, 2010 and will continue operations at 2 sites in Fillmore and Santa Paula.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Clara Valley are encouraging parents to send their children to the Clubhouses that will remain open: FILLMORE - Fillmore Clubhouse, 565 First St., 524-0456. SANTA PAULA - Las Piedras Clubhouse, 431 13th St., 933-3676.

In order to cut expenses, the Santa Paula Clubhouse at 1400 Harvard Blvd. will be closed temporarily. This will also make room for a renovation project that has been funded through grants and collaboration with the City of Santa Paula. Construction includes a rebuild of the public restrooms on the outside of the building, a remodel and enlargement of the entry to the Clubhouse, updated wiring, and installation of heating and air conditioning.

The 2 other closures at Rancho Sespe, CONTINUED »

Fillmore Unified School District

Fillmore Unified School District Trustees have learned that the district needs $2.2 million dollars to break even next year.

Mike Bush, Assistant Superintendent for Business told the board at this weeks meeting that “We're dead with less.” He went on to say that it's expected that the state will take away at least $2.1 million dollars to help make up for the state budget deficit. Bush added that if the state takes the additional money, that means that the state will have cut the Fillmore school budget by 20 percent over the past three years. This equals $3.6 million dollars. Bush said the state budget is $19.9 billion dollars “Out of whack.”

Board member John Garnica noted that California has the lowest credit rating in the country and he pointed out that California has dropped to last place in spending per pupil for education.

Bush also brought to the board the issue of insurance costs for district employees. The district now pays all the costs of the HMO Blue Shield Access Plus and the staff members may choose to purchase a Blue Cross PPO plan. He suggested the district switch from the Access Plus plan to Blue Shield Net Value. This plan would save the school district $150 per month per employee. Bush said the plan has the same basic benefits and the same doctors as the Access Plus. The savings to the district would be over $500,000 dollars, Bush added.

Human Resources Consultant Bev Jones said CONTINUED »

Will Piru Charter School offer a true educational alternative? The answer is a resounding yes!

Piru Charter School supports the Educating the Whole Child approach to learning that includes: using researched-based instructional strategies to increase student achievement, using a social-emotional development program that impacts the attitudes of children in a positive and profound way, and using aerobic exercise to focus, motivate, and invigorate students. This powerful three-step recipe for student success is a true educational alternative and will be the only school in Ventura to offer it!

Lower class size in grades 4-6 to 24 students will mean that all students will receive more of the individual attention they need to successfully enter middle school, high school, and college. As educational material in mathematics, language arts, and the content areas becomes more complex, and as some parents are less able to help their students at home, it is educationally unsound to increase class size to THIRTY-TWO students in grades 4-6. Piru Charter School will be the only school in FUSD to offer this exciting and important student to teacher ratio!

Keeping struggling students in core instruction, rather than having them sent to CONTINUED »

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

The National Weather Service has predicted that several large storms will bring significant amounts of rainfall to the county next week. As the storms approach, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Aviation / Search and Rescue Unit would like to remind all residents of the dangers that can come with this type of weather.

As the rain makes its way to the rivers and streams, please stay away from the moving water and be aware that the water can be an attractive nuisance to children. It only takes a small amount of water to wash away vehicles and cause drivers to lose control. As a preventive measure, do not attempt to cross moving water either on foot or in a vehicle. Remember that even normally shallow water crossings can become hazardous during heavy rains, as flows increase during these times.

It is especially important to report any suspicious or dangerous activities in or around waterways over the following weeks. Prevention and early detection is key to avoiding possible tragedies, and in an actual emergency time is of the essence.

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

Location: Todd Road Jail, 600 S. Todd Road, Santa Paula, CA
Date & Time/ RB#: January 18, 2010
Unit Responsible: Ventura County Sheriff’s Department--Todd Road Jail

In anticipation of heavy rains expected to last through the weekend of January 23rd and 24th, the Ventura County Sheriff's Todd Road Jail facility began issuing sandbags on Friday, January 15th. The Jail initially had 3,000 sandbags filled and ready for immediate pick up on a 24-hour basis. To date, approximately 800 of those sandbags have been given out to the public. The Jail has the capacity to fill an additional 10,000 bags if significant flooding issues become a concern within the county.

Members of the public and government agencies needing sandbags should go to the Todd Road Jail with a vehicle capable of transporting the sandbags. Further instructions will be provided via intercoms at the gate or public lobby entrance.

Public notification of this assistance program was made through the Sheriff's Office of Emergency Services and through the highly effective Farm Watch email network. Farm Watch is an email network administered by Captain Tim Hagel at the Sheriff's Santa Clara Valley Station. It is primarily designed to keep local farmers and ranchers informed of crime trends and other issues affecting rural areas of the county. In general, rural areas are impacted much more severely during heavy rainstorms.