Fillmore Unified School District

The Fillmore Unified School District special board meeting has been postponed possibly due to concerns expressed by the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office to the FUSD School Board and Superintendent about possible Brown Act violations. The District web site notice reading when the special meeting was and if there was time for interested persons to pick up materials mentioned in the Agenda, given that the district office was closed for the week may have been inadequate. The Board meeting has been postponed to Tuesday 02/28/12 at the District
board room begining at 5:30 with closed session and then at 6:30 for open session.

Several comments were submitted to the Gazette regarding this meeting:

Comment #1: At the Feb. 28 Board Meeting the Board will vote on a Layoff Resolution that proposes to eliminate 21.8 FTE certificated positions in the 2012-2013 school year. About 20 of these are teaching positions. Most of these RIFs represent the Districts' attempt to close what they project is an initial $1.5 million shortfall in funding next year from this year's funding level. Fifteen of these positions would result from the District ending its participation in Class Size Reduction program and the elimination of the elementary band program. At the secondary level, contractual over-staffing would eliminate a counselor and an English teacher. At the District level, the coordinator of special projects position would be gone. In addition to these proposed cost saving cuts, the District wants to eliminate the requirement of a health course for graduation and therefore the health teaching position associated with it. The career tech classes would be eliminated, too, along with those teaching positions. Not affecting teachers' employment are the elimination of 2 principals on special assignment positions.

Comment #2: Major changes in curriculum at district high schools will be voted upon in a school board meeting on Tuesday, February 28, at 6:30 pm in the district office board room. All students, staff, parents and interested community members should plan to attend. Additionally notices of which courses will be reduced or cut for budget purposes will be voted on. Proposed change is the dropping of a health class and careers class as a graduation requirement from the high school curriculums from all district secondary schools.

Comment #3: Re: Emergency FUSD Board Meeting. On the last day of school before a furlough week which included two President Holidays, a few high school faculty members at Fillmore High School were startled to learn that without any input from the faculty, students, parents, or the community, major changes in curriculum at district high schools will be voted upon this Tuesday in a hastily arranged school board meeting on Tuesday, February 22, at 6:30 pm in the district office board room. All students, staff, parents and interested community members should plan to attend.

Additionally notices of which courses will be reduced or cut for budget purposes will be voted on. This is complete news to everyone who works in the district. Both of these announcements point to the lack of information from the district office, their lack of communication with the staff and faculty.

One of the most controversial items in the proposed change is the dopping of a health class and carrers class as a graduation requirement from the high school curriculums from all district secondary schools. Several questions should be addressed to the board before this change is voted upon. These include, but are not limited to the following:

Surprising FUSD Graduation Requirment Change: How do our graduation requirments compare with other districts?

If they change FUSD will be out in the cold with very little company. Even the Catholic Schools require Health Ed (Bishop Diego, St Bonaventure, Villanova) as do all of the Public schools in our county as well as LA.

Why did the State of California develop a health curriculum and legally mandate much of it's curriculum? Health Ed legal mandates follow National Standards as well as those of the Center for Disease Control.

Why must health be taught by a credentialed Health teacher? Legal mandatess require a highly qualified person who is trained with the latest knowledge.

Why do Fillmore Administrators feel cutting the Health and the careers Class requirement from the high school curriculum is justified? They have stated at the last board meeting that they want rigor. Is this rigor?

What will be the cost to the Fillmore Community if students are not educated in the area of Health and already serious problems increase?

Why was this proposal developed without any input from staff, students, or parents?

Why was this curriculum proposal only brought to the attention of other District Administrators on Thursday 2/16, to Curriculum Chairs on Friday 2/17, and brought to the vote of the FUSD School Board on an alternative meeting day, during a school furlough, on WEDNESDAY 2/22 when the district office is closed and materials for the meeting can't be obtained?

Tuesday, February 28, at 6:30 pm in the district office board room. All students, staff, parents and interested community members should plan to attend.