Opinion Editorial By Sheila Duckett, Classified School employee since 1980

A few years ago, the Fillmore Unified School District (FUSD) received grant money to fund a School Resource Officer (SRO) for three years, a current Ventura County Sheriff assigned to the Fillmore Sheriff station. Prior to the grant, FUSD operated without an SRO. When the grant money ended, FUSD funded the majority of the cost to retain an SRO for $100,000. (The city and Sheriff department also contribute.) At the same time, libraries and computer labs, direct services to students attending FUSD were being reduced or eliminated.

During this current school year, the District continues to spend $75,000 educational dollars on a Ventura County Sheriff while further cuts to persons who work with students are reduced or eliminated once again. FUSD will fund only 2 hours a day of an elementary school library, direct cuts to students. Where once there were six employees who coordinated activities in computer labs, now there are only two, another direct cut in learning services to students.

It’s no secret; Fillmore schools are ranked as low performing schools, always striving for improvement. How is cutting services to students a means of improving test scores? The $75,000 that FUSD spends on an SRO would go a long way to restore educational opportunities for children in our district. Many of our students would benefit by working in small groups to accomplish their reading and/or math goals. Each school site does its best with what it has to achieve its goals. Imagine what each site could do with additional monetary help.

All school districts up and down the state are directly impacted as a result of the state’s budget problems. Results of a phone survey taken April 22, 2010 of SRO’s at Ventura County high schools found that, besides Fillmore Unified School District, there is only one other school district in the county that continues to spend educational dollars on an SRO.

• Santa Paula High School has not had an SRO since their grant money ran out and commented that it was too expensive to fund.

• Oxnard High has an SRO at each of its high schools, fully funded by the city.

• Moorpark’s SRO is currently fully funded by the city but will not be funded next year due to the expense.

• Ojai School and the city share the cost 50/50 but neither will fund the position next school year. Comment – too expensive and money is needed for educating our students.

• Conejo Valley Unified has three SROs, fully funded by the city.

• Ventura Unified School District has three, one at each of its high schools, fully funded by the District.

The School Resource Office is a luxury item we can no longer afford.