Family, friends, and the community are invited to attend as the first graduates from Ventura County Library’s Career Online High School receive their diplomas. During the graduation ceremony on Tuesday, March 20, at 7pm, in the Topping Room of the E.P. Foster Library in Ventura, six graduates in cap and gown will share their stories and their plans for the future.

Career Online High School (COHS) is offered by the Ventura County Library’s READ Adult Literacy Program in partnership with Gale, a Cengage company. COHS provides adults the opportunity to earn an accredited high school diploma and career certificate by utilizing the flexibility of the Internet to accommodate busy adult schedules.

Career Online High School is one of several programs offered through the Ventura County Library READ Adult Literacy Program, and is an ongoing program accepting signups throughout the year. To learn more about the READ Adult Literacy programs and ways you can help, call (805) 677-7160.

The EP Foster Library is located at 651 E. Main Street in Ventura, and free parking is available in the parking lot located behind the library. This event is free and open to the public. For additional information, contact Nancy Schram, Ventura County Library Director at (805) 256-8535

Fillmore Unified School District

NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE
February 27, 2018

The Fillmore Unified School District (FUSD) met with representatives from the Fillmore Unified Teachers Association (FUTA) on Tuesday, February 27, 2018 to negotiate. Negotiations were held at the District Office (627 Sespe Avenue, Fillmore, California) beginning at 9:20 AM.

Present for the Fillmore Unified Teachers Association:
Jennifer Beal Fillmore Middle School
Tammy Ferguson San Cayetano Elementary School
Donna Wojciechowski Heritage Valley Independent Study
Marisa Martinez Fillmore Middle School
Kelley Hess Fillmore Middle School
Kassie Chambers Rio Vista Elementary School
Heather Milam Mountain Vista Elementary School District
Kristin Dewey San Cayetano Elementary School

Present for the Fillmore Unified School District:
Andrea McNeill, Chief Business Officer
Stefan Cvijanovich, Asst. Superintendent, Human Resources and Pupil Support
Todd Schieferle, Director of Human Resources
Dr. Adrian Palazuelos, Superintendent

Articles discussed today were as follows:
 Article 5: Salaries
o FUSD provided FUTA with a counterproposal
o FUTA provided FUSD with a counterproposal
 Article 6: Hours of Employment
o FUSD provided FUTA with a counterproposal
 Article 8: Extra Pay Positions
o FUSD provided FUTA with a counterproposal
o FUTA provided FUSD with a counterproposal
 Article 11: Evaluation Procedures
o FUSD and FUTA agreed to and signed a Memorandum of Understanding on February 7, 2018 to create a joint evaluation committee including a timeline for implementation
 Article 19: Class Size
o FUTA provided information on their decision to remain status quo with Article 19 (except Article 19.1.5)

Today’s negotiations session ended at 3:22 PM. FUSD and FUTA have held three negotiation sessions during the 2017-2018 school year.

Negotiations Sessions
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
Tuesday, February 27, 2018

The next negotiations session for FUTA and FUSD is Tuesday, March 13, 2018.

Trees have always helped define the CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) campus, which has just been recognized as a 2017 Tree Campus USA university.

“The canopies of trees throughout the campus add to the serenity of our campus,” said Director of Facility Support Raudel Banuelos. “I feel that the trees play a very important part of what attracts students to our campus along with the outstanding curriculum, faculty and staff.”

This is the sixth year CSUCI has won a Tree Campus designation, which means CSUCI meets the five core standards for effective campus forest management: a tree advisory committee; a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual funding for the campus tree program; an Arbor Day observance and a student service-learning program.

The environmental honor comes from the Arbor Day Foundation program, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.

“Students are eager to volunteer in their communities and become better stewards of the environment,” said Matt Harris, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “Participating in Tree Campus USA sets a fine example for other colleges and universities, while helping to create a healthier planet for us all.”

During the 2017 Earth Day celebration on April 21, CSUCI students worked with CSUCI’s grounds crew to plant five new strawberry trees and 10 Western Redbuds in the Central Mall. The students learned how to properly transplant a tree and all trees took root and are growing.

CSUCI tree advisory committee members have a five-year tree maintenance plan for fiscal year 2018/19 to safeguard against tree limb fall hazards in high-traffic areas.

CSUCI continues to practice good stewardship toward the environment by planting native trees such as coast live oak, valley oak, toyon shrubs and western sycamore. In addition, the campus continues to observe water conservation practices and reduces the use of pesticide.

CSUCI is among 344 campuses across the United States that have earned this recognition.

The Arbor Day Foundation has helped campuses throughout the U.S. plant thousands of trees and Tree Campus USA colleges and universities have invested more than $48 million in campus forest management last year. More information on the program is available at: https://www.arborday.org/programs/treecampususa/.

About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CSUCI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CSUCI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more by visiting CSUCI’s Social Media.

Jose Alamillo – Stanislaus State
Melissa Assphor – Cal State Channel Islands
Lindsey Brown – Northern Arizona, Boise State, Washington State,
University of Weber
Elizabeth Castandeda – University of Colorado Denver, Arizona State
University
Kasey Crawford – Dixie State
Alexia Rangel – Cal Lutheran University
Allison Recancoj – Vanguard University
Jairo Rios – Saint Mary’s College
Michael Sanchez – Humboldt State
Cali Wyand – Montana State University, University of Montana, Fairleigh Dickinson
Adrian Escobar – Cal State Channel Islands
Maria Fernandez – Cal State San Bernardino, Cal State Channel Islands
Veronica Garcia – Western Washington University, Washington State, Cal State Channel Islands
Marian Gonzalez Padilla – Northern Arizona University, Hawaii Pacific University, University of Providence, Mount Saint Mary’s University, Concordia University
Sydnee Isom – Northwestern College
Efrain Perez – Cal Lutheran University
Maria Padilla – Mount Saint Mary’s University
Rosalina Ortega – Cal State Channel Islands
Ian Morris – San Diego State, Humboldt State, University of Oregon
Ashley Montano – Cal State Channel Islands

Fillmore Unified School District

The Fillmore Unified School District (FUSD) met with representatives from the Fillmore Unified Teachers Association (FUTA) on Wednesday, February 7, 2018 to negotiate. Negotiations were held at the District Office (627 Sespe Avenue, Fillmore, California) beginning at 9:50 AM.

Present for the Fillmore Unified Teachers Association:
Jennifer Beal Fillmore Middle School
Mary Jordan CTA Regional UniServ Staff
Tammy Ferguson San Cayetano Elementary School
Donna Wojciechowski Heritage Valley Independent Study
Marisa Martinez Fillmore Middle School
Kelley Hess Fillmore Middle School
Kassie Chambers Rio Vista Elementary School
Heather Milam Mountain Vista Elementary School District
Kristin Dewey San Cayetano Elementary School

Present for the Fillmore Unified School District:
Andrea McNeill, Chief Business Officer
Stefan Cvijanovich, Asst. Superintendent, Human Resources and Pupil Support
Todd Schieferle, Director of Human Resources
Dr. Adrian Palazuelos, Superintendent

Articles discussed today were as follows:
Article 5: Salaries
o FUSD provided FUTA with proposals
o FUTA provided FUSD with a counterproposal
Article 6: Hours of Employment
o FUSD provided FUTA with a counterproposal
o FUTA provided FUSD with a counterproposal
Article 8: Extra Pay Positions
o FUSD provided FUTA with a counterproposal
o FUTA provided FUSD with a counterproposal
Article 11: Evaluation Procedures
o FUSD and FUTA agreed to and signed a Memorandum of Understanding to
create a joint evaluation committee including a timeline for implementation
Article 19: Class Size
o FUTA remaining status quo with the exception of Article 19.1.5
Article 17: Leaves
o FUTA expressed an interest to sunshine Article 17

Today’s negotiations session ended at 3:07 PM. FUSD and FUTA have held two negotiation
sessions during the 2017-2018 school year.

Negotiations Sessions
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Wednesday, February 7, 2018

The next negotiations session for FUTA and FUSD is Tuesday, February 27, 2018.

Three additional local high schools will join the winner of the Ventura County Academic Decathlon in the statewide competition to be held in March in Sacramento. Calabasas High School was guaranteed a spot in the state competition after winning at the county level. And now, La Reina, Oxnard and Westlake High Schools have been invited to participate as “at-large” competitors. At-large teams are selected to fill open spots in the state contest based on how well they scored in their county competitions.

“Having four high schools represent Ventura County in the California Academic Decathlon is a great honor,” said Ventura County Superintendent of Schools Stan Mantooth. “It’s a testament to the hard work and countless hours of preparation students and coaches dedicate to the competition.”

The California Academic Decathlon will be held on March 23 and 24 in Sacramento. The winner of the state competition heads to the United States Academic Decathlon. Ventura County teams have made it to the nationals six times, placing second in 2000 and 2002, and taking first place in 1999, 2003, 2008 and 2009. A list of past winners is available here.
More About the Academic Decathlon

The Ventura County Academic Decathlon, coordinated by the Ventura County Office of Education, is an opportunity for local high school students to compete against like teams of students countywide. Students compete in ten academic events: essay writing, speech, interview, art, economics, language and literature, mathematics, music, science and social science. This year’s competition was held on January 27 and February 3.

High schools fielding teams this year were: Adolfo Camarillo High School, Buena High School, Calabasas High School, Channel Islands High School, Fillmore High School, Hueneme High School, La Reina High School, Moorpark High School, Newbury Park High School, Oak Park High School, Oxnard High School, Pacifica High School, Rancho Campana High School, Rio Mesa High School, Royal High School, Santa Susana High School, Simi Valley High School, Thousand Oaks High School, Ventura High School and Westlake High School.

A unique aspect of the competition is that it’s designed to include students from all academic backgrounds. A team consists of nine full-time students from the 9th through 12th grades at the same high school. Each team is comprised of three students whose grade point average falls into the “A” category, three students in the “B” category and three students in the “C” category. More information about the Ventura County Academic Decathlon is available here.

About the Ventura County Office of Education
The Ventura County Office of Education provides a broad array of fiscal, training and technology support services to local school districts, helping to maintain and improve lifelong educational opportunities for children, educators and community members. VCOE also operates schools that serve students with severe disabilities and behavioral issues, provides career education courses, and coordinates countywide academic competitions including Mock Trial and the Ventura County Science Fair. Learn more at: www.vcoe.org.

Fillmore Unified School District

Comprehensive School Safety Plan
Information presented by Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources and Pupil Support, Stefan Cvijanovich

Approve Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Board approved the Single Plans for Student Achievement for all district schools.

Notice of Completion for Roof Restoration
The Board approved a Notice of Completion for roof restoration projects completed by Midstate Sheet Metal, Inc.

Extension of Contract for Dr. Adrian Palazuelos
The Board announced the recent positive evaluation of the Superintendent and unanimously approved a contract extension for Dr. Adrian Palazuelos to continue as Fillmore USD Superintendent through June 30, 2021.

Personnel Recommendations
The Board approved all personnel recommendations including new hires, promotions, resignations, and leaves.

(l-r) are 2nd place runner up Presley McLain and 1st place winner Nadia Palazuelos, who will compete at the Ventura County Spelling Bee Final in March.
Enlarge Photo

Congratulations to all San Cayetano 3rd -5th grade students who were eligible to participate in the school Spelling Bee, which was held Monday, January 29th. After several elimination rounds the final contestant standing to represent San Cayetano is 5th grade 1st place was winner Nadia Palazuelos. Our 2nd place runner up was Presley McLain. Nadia will move on to the next round to compete at the County level. The Ventura County Spelling Bee final will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on March 3, 2018, at California State University Channel Islands. The county champion will fly to Washington, D.C. to compete in the National Spelling Bee.

Submitted by Tricia Gradias, Principal, San Cayetano School.

The Fillmore Unified School District (FUSD) met with representatives from the Fillmore Unified Teachers Association (FUTA) on Tuesday, January 30, 2018 to negotiate. Negotiations were held at the District Office (627 Sespe Avenue, Fillmore, California) beginning at 9:00 AM.

Present for the Fillmore Unified Teachers Association:
Jennifer Beal - Fillmore Middle School
Tammy Ferguson - San Cayetano Elementary School
Donna Wojciechowski - Heritage Valley Independent Study
Marisa Martinez - Fillmore Middle School
Kelley Hess - Fillmore Middle School
Kassie Chambers - Rio Vista Elementary School
Heather Milam Mountain - Vista Elementary School District
Kristin Dewey - San Cayetano Elementary School

Present for the Fillmore Unified School District:
Andrea McNeill, Chief Business Officer
Stefan Cvijanovich, Asst. Superintendent, Human Resources and Pupil Support
Todd Schieferle, Director of Human Resources
Dr. Adrian Palazuelos, Superintendent

Articles discussed today were as follows:
•Article 5: Salaries
Tabled to February 7, 2018
•Article 6: Hours of Employment
FUTA provided FUSD with a proposal
•Article 8: Extra Pay Positions
FUTA provided FUSD with a proposal
•Article 11: Evaluation Procedures
FUSD provided a draft Memorandum of Understanding to create a joint evaluation committee
•Article 19: Class Size
FUSD provided FUTA with a proposal
Today’s negotiations session ended at 1:25 PM

The next negotiations session for FUTA and FUSD is Wednesday, February 7, 2018

The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program named Ventura College one of the nation’s top 150 community colleges eligible to compete for the 2019 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. The prize includes $1 million dollars in prize funds, as well as Siemens Technical Scholars Program student scholarships, highlighting the critical importance of improving student success in America’s community colleges.

The Prize, awarded every two years, is the nation’s signature recognition of high achievement and performance among America’s community colleges. The Aspen Prize recognizes institutions for exceptional student outcomes in four areas: student learning, certificate and degree completion, employment and earnings, and access and success for minority and low-income students. Ventura was also awarded the nomination honor for the 2017 award.

“I am grateful for the dedicated work of all our college employees,” said President David Keebler. “Their efforts directly help students succeed at Ventura College. It is very exciting to receive this recognition from the Aspen Institute and we look forward to completing our application for the 2019 award.”

Ventura College is one of 16 California Community Colleges eligible for the prize. A full list of the selected colleges and details on the selection process are available at www.aspenprize.org.

Ventura College is invited to submit an application to the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence containing detailed data on degree and certificate completion (including progress and transfer rates), labor market outcomes (employment and earnings), and student learning outcomes. The Aspen Institute will select ten finalists, from the 150 eligible nominations, to be named in fall 2018. The Aspen Institute will then conduct site visits to each of the finalists and collect additional quantitative data. A distinguished Prize Jury will select a grand prize winner and a few finalists with distinction in early 2019.

About Ventura College: Ventura College, an accredited two-year institution of higher education, has been a part of the beautiful seaside community of Ventura, California, since 1925. It is conveniently located approximately 60 miles north of Los Angeles and 30 miles south of Santa Barbara. The 112-acre campus, set in the rolling hills of Ventura, has an enrollment of 14,500 students. Ventura College offers Associate of Arts and Associate of Sciences Degrees in 33 majors, and Certificates of Completion and Proficiency Awards in 61 areas of study. Ventura College also has Transfer Guarantee Agreements with CSUCI, CSUN, UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Santa Cruz. Class schedules are posted at www.venturacollege.edu. For more information, contact the Ventura College Student Connect Center at 805.289.6420.

About the Aspen Prize: The prize is funded by the Joyce Foundation, the Siemens Foundation, and the Kresge Foundation.

The Aspen College Excellence Program aims to advance higher education practices, policies, and leadership that significantly improve student outcomes. Through the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the New College Leadership Project, and other initiatives, the College Excellence Program works to improve colleges’ understanding and capacity to teach and graduate students, especially the growing population of low-income and minority students on American campuses. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org/college-excellence.

The Aspen Institute is an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, DC. Its mission is to foster leadership based on enduring values and to provide a nonpartisan venue for dealing with critical issues. The Institute is based in Washington, DC; Aspen, Colorado; and on the Wye River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It also has offices in New York City and an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.

A Camarillo couple’s foundation has made a $300,000 donation to California Lutheran University’s Center for Entrepreneurship to expand opportunities for students at the college and throughout Ventura County.

Entrepreneur Dave Gross and his wife, Cal Lutheran alumna Dawn Gross, provided the gift on behalf of NewCo Foundation, which they started to further entrepreneurship and career technical education for students in Ventura County.

Part of the five-year donation will fund cash prizes for the center’s annual New Venture Competition, which provides Cal Lutheran undergraduate and graduate students from all disciplines with the opportunity to learn entrepreneurial skills, experience the challenge of launching a startup business, and connect with mentors and investors. The gift will also cover expenses for students to travel to regional and national pitch competitions and to study entrepreneurship in other countries.

The donation will also enable the center to co-fund a pitch competition for elementary through graduate school students in Ventura County in collaboration with the Ventura County Office of Education and Aspire3, a Ventura startup that provides programs and tools for aspiring entrepreneurs. Cal Lutheran, which also runs a Start-Up Kids program, will work with other institutions that teach entrepreneurship to host the competition in May on the university’s Thousand Oaks campus.

Since 2014, Dave Gross has mentored student entrepreneurs at Cal Lutheran. He also volunteers daily and has taught engineering and entrepreneurship classes at Rancho Campana High School in Camarillo. A year ago, the Grosses launched RCMAKES, a student-operated makerspace and job shop at Rancho Campana.

Dave Gross co-founded and is a managing partner of Persistence Partners, a local early-stage venture fund. Its investments include cloud-based software company Procore Technologies, biomedical company Sirigen and wellness software platform BioIQ. He co-founded and served as CEO of digital advertising firm Connexity, which was bought by Shopzilla. He also co-founded internet advertising firm Fastclick, which was bought by ValueClick. He founded his first company after earning bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering and environmental studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and working as an engineer for a decade.

Dawn Gross, a Braille transcriber and nationally recognized advocate of Braille literacy, earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Cal Lutheran and is the Braille program manager with the Alternate Text Production Center of the California Community Colleges. She has served as treasurer or controller of Fastclick, Connexity, Persistance Partners and RCMAKES.

For more information on the center, visit CalLutheran.edu/entrepreneurship. For information on NewCo, visit newco.foundation.

The Fall Semester for Fillmore High School will be extended for three weeks from January 8th to January 26th. Final exams are now scheduled for January 23, 24, and 25, 2018 due to the Thomas Fire closure.