Ruben Sauceda speaks to the school board during the June 3rd meeting.
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FUSD Board Resolution Page 1
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FUSD Board Resolution Page 2
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In a special meeting held on Thursday, June 3rd, the Fillmore School Board of Trustees unanimously approved Resolution 09-10-25. By passing this Resolution, the Board has granted themselves the ability to circumvent part (Article 10) of their collective bargaining agreement with the Fillmore Unified Teacher Association (FUTA), and thus giving themselves “sole discretion” in making transfers and reassignments “to and from” Piru Elementary School for the 2010-2011 school year. In letters dated June 4, 2010 five teachers at Piru Elementary School were notified of their reassignments. Four of these teachers were petitioners in the effort over the past year to convert the school to a charter school; these four teachers are Mrs. Susan Jolley, Ms. Shara Elliott, Ms. Jill Kelley and Mr. Chris Pavik. A Piru second grade teacher, Mr. John Schaper who was opposed to the charter petition has also received a transfer notice. Schaper did not respond to requests for comment. The letter to teachers signed by Superintendent Jeff Sweeney states that this action is “non-disciplinary”, and does not signify that the District is charging any teachers with “specific acts of misconduct”. Sweeney states in the letter that this is “one of a number of changes that will be made to begin the healing process of the Piru school community…” At press time Sweeney was unable to respond to comment requests due to not having enough time with end of year business. School Board members did not respond to requests for comment made via contact information provided on the District website.

The text of the Resolution contains 14 paragraphs describing why the Board feels action must be taken. Nine of the paragraphs clearly make reference to the fact that certain teachers were part of the charter petition over the last year. The Resolution states “fifty percent of Piru Elementary teachers submitted a petition to the District…seeking to convert Piru Elementary school to a charter school”…”the petition to convert Piru Elementary to a charter school was opposed by other Piru teachers, many classified staff and a majority of Piru parents”…” throughout the entire hearing and appeal process, both proponents and opponents vigorously advocated their position”…”on June 1, 2010 the District received a petition signed by 97 parents, expressing and requesting the removal of certain Piru Elementary teachers who were proponents of the charter petition.” The entire text of the Resolution is available to the public at the School District office.

The bargaining agreement between CONTINUED »

Announcements
Fillmore High School Graduation is this 7 pm Thursday, June 10 at the Fillmore Football Stadium.

Presentations
Mayor Patti Walker presented a proclamation to the Fillmore High School Fillmore Flashes Cheerleading Squad in recognition of their winning track record at numerous competitions including March’s California State Championships, where they won First Place for the third consecutive year. Of over 30 squad members, 16 are on the Competition Team. Walker commended coaches Katrina Tafoya, Eddie Rios, and Katie Aguilar “for motivating the cheerleaders to be champions.”

Public Comments
Councilwoman Laurie Hernandez announced a slow pitch softball tournament fundraiser for the Amber Leon Memorial Fund at 9 am Sunday June 13 at Shiells Park. Cost is $300 per team. Please support the Leon family with the cost of Amber’s memorial service. Contact Melissa Long: 794-5280.

Fillmore Chamber of Commerce President David Crockett announced an open house at the Fillmore Family Medical Group to be held 5-7 pm on the first floor at 828 Ventura Street.

Crockett also gave a CONTINUED »

Noah Stoessl, 8, of Fillmore, was airlifted by a VC Fire Department helicopter out of a remote section of Los Padres National Forest, Saturday, north of Fillmore. As of Sunday Stoessl was in good condition at the Ventura County Medical Center. He had been hiking with his mother and a group of people on a trail above the U.S. Forest Service’s Oak Flat Ranger Station, when he fell about 10 feet, hitting his head on a rock. He has been reported in good condition.

Mike Saviers

Mike Saviers’ grin was audible through the phone, and now his self-deprecating humor comes through from the other side of his sunglasses. The sun’s higher in the sky and he’s no longer sitting in the shade; would he like to move? “Oh, I could use some color on my head,” he laughs as he runs his hand over his shiny scalp. Powered by a can of Diet Coke, he thinks through his answers yet displays a surprising degree of candor, remaining patient through equipment malfunctions, flying papers, and a deluge of questions; he’s an advocate of the slow pace of small town life.

It’s what he likes about Fillmore, where he moved his family in 1991; the city is about the same size as Santa Paula when he was growing up there. “I’m as local as you can get without being from Fillmore,” he jokes. Saviers waves back to someone rolling by in a sedan, “The people here are awesome. It’s fun to walk around; people know each other. Before we lived here in Fillmore, we lived in east Ventura. Life is different—it’s more kick-back and relaxed here.”

After thirty-some years in law enforcement, Saviers appears to fit the bill of a capable cop—approachable, but someone you don’t want to mess with. When asked how he ended up the provisional school board member, he seems surprised himself.

Saviers originally wanted to go into CONTINUED »

On Thursday, June 3, Fillmore River View LLC, the partnership made up of several developers responsible for the Fillmore Business Park Project held an informational meeting for the community at the Senior Center in Fillmore. Over 30 residents and local business owners came to hear the presentation. Presenter, Ray Harper of KDF Communities, one of the developers, believes that Fillmore with the addition of this Business Park is ideally situated to attract some large and diverse companies, bringing with them jobs at all levels of pay, expertise and skill.

What Happens Next?

As the development phase of the project is complete, the phase of a joint venture group taking possession in now in process. The project is currently in escrow with a joint venture group consisting of PacTen Partners and The Southwest Carpenters Pension Fund. According to Harper, both of these groups fund their projects with cash, so there is no dependence on approval from any lender or need for a line of credit. If things progress on schedule escrow will close in the next few months, and at that time the venture group will begin the process of developing building plans, obtaining contractors, and receiving necessary permits from the City for Phase One of the project. Phase One will consist of nine separate buildings on 7.76 acres; totaling 122,162 square feet of interior space being built according to previously approved master plans. The process of obtaining permits generally is a back and forth ongoing event between the City and the venture group that may take several months of negotiating.

How will this project benefit Fillmore?

Fillmore residents and CONTINUED »

On Tuesday, June 1, 2010, the Fillmore School Board of Trustees met for a regular public meeting. As usual Public comment was the first order of business, with Board reports, action and discussion items rounding out the meeting.

During public comment the Board heard from several community members about inquiries regarding how the District is assessing student progress and what programs are in place to improve student achievement. Mrs. Rita Avila, a parent from Piru, put the Board “on notice’ regarding her request of an accountability report. Avila mentioned Board President Mr. Tony Prado’s recent comments regarding his disregard of State test scores and Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) data regarding the District. Prado did respond that he did in fact believe testing to “be very important”, but that the No Child Left Behind program is currently under debate. The Board also heard from Mrs. Mary Ford who spoke in favor of having a local resident, Mrs. Cynthia King, a certified mediator, help with the issues in Piru. District Superintendent Mr. Jeff Sweeney did thank and agree with Ford regarding the help that King can bring, and Sweeney reported that King has in fact been invited to act as a mediator in the community of Piru. Sweeney provided some background on King, including that she has returned to live on the King Family Farm on Guiberson Road and has worked with many schools and with many small towns in the past, as well as large corporations and companies. King will begin the mediation process immediately by meeting first with Piru teachers and staff and then with School Board members.

Board members also heard from CONTINUED »

At the Piru School Site Council (SSC) meeting on Tuesday, May 25, 2010 Dr. Michael Babb, a director with the Ventura County Office of Education presented a brief introduction on the roles and responsibilities of School Site Council as mandated by the State of California Education Code Section 52852. This Code specifies who can serve on the Council, what the Council is responsible for, and how they shall carry out their duties. Currently a majority of the members of Piru SSC are serving for the first time. It appears timely that Dr. Babb did his presentation now, this late in the school year. Several parents and community members used their public comment time to inquire about how the Piru SSC has been operating over the past school year and the records of their decisions. No responses were provided at this meeting.

What is School Site Council?
The California Education Code (Section 52852) mandates that a School Site Council, (SSC) is a planning and advisory committee that is made up of at least ten (10) members. A SSC must include an equal number of teachers/staff and parents. For a ten-member group the make up of the group must include the principal, four teachers or staff members, and five parents. The teachers and staff at the school elect the teacher and staff members of SSC, and the parents elect the parent members. The SSC with more than ten members, can include community members that are neither parents nor employees of the District if it so chooses. Dr. Babb emphasized that the structure of the Council is important as it ensures a balance in influence over decision making, and that the “principal has one equal vote” to the parent members. And that the principal does not lead the group, but instead should provide any requested information to the SSC so that they can make decisions accordingly. Babb also reminded parent members that they are there to serve the “interests of all children” which attend the school. SSC is one of the ways that schools meet the State guidelines which mandate parental involvement in order to qualify for and receive particular (supplemental) funds.

School administrators must often take CONTINUED »

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

On May 19, 2010, four suspects were arrested for felony conspiracy to commit a crime and commercial burglary in the City of Fillmore. The suspects belonged to a theft ring, which was responsible for stealing in excess of $21,000 in cash and property. The theft ring consisted of 2 to 6 suspects who would enter a store and intentionally distract a lone or multiple employees for the purposes of stealing their purses, cash from register, or monies kept near the register. Additionally, suspects would also steal merchandise if the opportunity allowed. The theft ring targeted businesses based on their research of the store to determine sales volume and the numbers of employees. The suspects would then determine the numbers of ring members were necessary to commit the crimes.

The members of the ring would cause a distraction by luring the employee(s) toward the back of the store, usually with a request to have an item shown to them or explained to them how it worked. On one occasion, the suspects purposely broke a bottle in the back of the business, which caused the employee to respond to the spill and clean it up. Once the employee was lured to the back and distracted, the others then searched the front register area for items to steal. The group that committed the theft would then walk out of the store without being detected. The suspect(s) causing the distraction would eventually walk out of the store once the other suspects were safely out of the store. Business owners or employees would usually discover the thefts minutes or in some cases hours later.

The following businesses, in the Fillmore area, reported thefts of this nature:
99 Cent Store, 703 Ventura Street, Fillmore
Elva's Market, 3969 Center Street, Piru
All Occasions Bridal Shop,1317 Ventura Street, Fillmore

The City of Oxnard also CONTINUED »

Former Mayor Roger Campbell challenged the accuracy of statements made at the previous city council meeting regarding the Fillmore Business Park. Campbell explained the difference between residential, commercial, and industrial development which had been mistakenly misidentified earlier. He urged council to assist in ways to finance the Park and cited the need to have the site construction ready.

Announcements
Fire Chief Rigo Landeros announced that the Fire Department has updated the emergency preparedness information on the City website, where residents can now also register for reverse-911 alerts. He thanked Disaster Coordinator Patrick Maynard for his efforts in compiling the information and updating the site.

Councilwoman Laurie Hernandez urged local nonprofit groups to verify whether they should have filed IRS #99-09 forms. She also noted that Cabrillo Economic Development is looking for farm workers in need of affordable housing; there are units still open, and they are taking applications.

Fillmore Chamber of Commerce President David Crockett announced a public outreach meeting to be held Thursday, June 3, at 6:30 pm at the Senior Center. The event is meant to shed light on the project and allow citizens to hear both sides of the issue. Refreshments will be served and all Fillmore residents are invited to attend.
Citizen Norma Amaro presented her project of a large easel to be set up in front of Vintage Pleasures on Central Avenue to honor local members of the armed forces. She invites the community to bring in 2x3” photographs mounted on index cards with the branch, rank, and name of the individual listed beneath the photo.

Amaro also noted the disappointment registered by tourists who have noticed the dwindling number of vintage shops in Fillmore. She offered her experience and expertise to help individuals get such a business started. For those unsure of opening a shop of their own but still interested in a smaller venture, Amaro offers to make space in her own store.

Bruce Stenslie, president of the Economic CONTINUED »

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On Monday morning, 5/24/10, at approximately 11:35 a.m., the body of Roberto Barrios was recovered from the bottom of Lake Piru. Barrios was reported missing on Saturday after he disappeared below the surface of the water while swimming with friends during an outing after the group had graduated from nursing school.

A party of nine people rented a pontoon boat from the Lake Piru Marina and motored to Pump House Point where three members of the party decided to go for a swim. Two of the group donned life preservers, but Barrios elected not to. As the trio jumped into the water the wind became extremely strong and blew the pontoon boat away from the swimmers. Barrios was seen struggling in the choppy waves of the lake and soon disappeared below the surface. A passing boat recovered the two other swimmers.

Emergency personnel were summoned and the Ventura County Aviation Unit responded with a SCUBA equipped diver and a rescue swimmer onboard who were deployed into the lake. They were able to immediately start searching the bottom of the lake while the Sheriff’s Department Search and Rescue Dive Team was activated.

Upon arrival of the dive team, they CONTINUED »

On Tuesday, May 25th, at 6:00pm the Piru School Site Council met for the first time since February. School Site Council is an elected group of teachers, parents and school staff which is responsible for the creating and approving a school plan and allocating categorical funds on programs for the students, as well as ongoing assessment of student progress at the school. The meetings are open to the public and should occur throughout the school year.

Piru Resident and parent, Mr. Freddie Galan who is the current chair of the School Site Council, indicated before the meeting began that in the last “10 years” there has been little parent involvement, it has been “mostly teachers” making decisions at the school. Mr. Galan indicated that “(we) have learned from our mistakes”, and he is glad to see more parents involved and attending meetings, especially the Spanish speaking parents. Mr. Galan began the meeting by providing an official welcome to Principal, Mrs. Leticia Ramos for her first year at Piru Elementary School. This gesture was supported by enthusiastic and standing applause by many of those in attendance.

More than 30 community members attended the meeting, many for the first time.

Ms. Stephanie Acosta, a resident of Piru for CONTINUED »

Memorial Day program will be held Monday, May 31st at Bardsdale Cemetery, 11am. Opening remarks will be made by Monty Winkler, President, Board of Trustees; Presentation of Colors, Veterans of Foreign Ward, Fillmore Post 9637; Pledge of Allegiance, Boy Scout Troop #406 and Cub Scout Troop #3400; Special Music by Bill Bartels. The Memorial Day message will be delivered by Dick Diaz, former U.S. Marine and Law Enforcement Officer. he served in the Marine Corps form 1966-1969 and was in Viet Nam in 1967/68. His father served in the U.S. Navy for 28 years and his son and daughter-in-;aw currently are serving in the U.s. Navy. He also served 36 1/2 years in law enforcement finishing his career with the Ventura County Sheriff's Department.
The Placing of the Wreath will be performed by William Brunet; Placing of the Bouquet by Marie Schilling, Gold Star Wives; memorial Service led by Rev. Bob Hammond, Dayspring Anglican Church; Special Music by Bill Bartels; Reading of Names of those Who died in the Service of our Country, VFW Commander Jim Rogers; Volly, Honor Guard VFW; and Taps by Bob Thompson.