The meeting began with recognition of Patriot Day and National Day of Service; and Remembrance by Education Services Director Stefan Cvijanovich.

The September 1, 2015 Fillmore Unified School District (FUSD) Board Meeting began with two recognitions; the new teachers to the district by Assistant Superintendent Martha Hernandez and recognition of Patriot Day and National Day of Service; and Remembrance by Education Services Director Stefan Cvijanovich. During Information and Discussion, Fillmore Summer School Principal John Wilber gave a presentation on the success of this summer’s classes.

Wilber presented the Board the accomplishments of this year's summer school session. The 20 days (June 16-July 14) included a total of 575 students with classes available for students from preschool to high school. There were 75 Special Ed students, 45 math, 120 credit recovery, 58 Migrant Program, 85 English learner, 100 kindergarten and 92 STEM summer. The attendance was excellent with 143 high school students earning a combined 730 credits.

The nine Special Education classes included preschoolers to post-secondary students with ages ranging from 3 to 22 years. Wilber stated, "One of the neat things was the high school students helped out." Fillmore High School students served as peer tutors and received units of credits.

All four elementary schools participated in the two hour Summer Kinder Boot Camp. The goal, "To get them ready for the first day of school," Wilber told the Board. The two week program had eight teachers serving the 100 students.

The English Learner and Newcomer classes focused on oral language and vocabulary. The focus of the kindergarten through 2nd grade students was "to minimize the long term effects of not starting school knowing English" Wilber told the Board. These students, along with those in the Migrant Program, participated in a field trip to Sespe Creek and the Santa Barbara Zoo.

The Math Bridge classes prepared freshmen for success in high school Math 1. Students worked collaboratively in groups on activities receiving tutoring and support from 9 recent student graduates through a grant from United Way. There were few dropouts in this program, "We started with a little over 50 students," Wilber told the Board, and added the 45 freshman students completed the program, 33 of those with a "C" or better, and earning five math elective credits.

The Credit Recovery was also a huge success. The students worked with online courses called APEX for 3.5 hours in class each session. The 89 students completed 91 five credit courses; 39 English courses, 47 math and 5 other. One of the students, Shawn Cabacungan, addressed the Board. He spoke of how much the classes meant to him and gave him the opportunity to catch up and graduate on time. Cabacungan worked diligently at school, home earning and continued at night school to earn the 15 credits he needed.

The Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) program was for 3rd-5th graders and contained four teachers; Rory Maus-Engineering, Kristen Dewey-Technology (Computer Lab), Kelly Myers-Gardening (Math), Laurie Merrill-Science (Condor Unit). Each class of 25 students rotated through to a new teacher each week aided with 3 volunteer Fillmore Middle School mentors per class helping in this program.

The meeting began with recognition by Education Services Director Stefan Cvijanovich in honor of those that were killed in the 9/11 attacks. He spoke of the U.S. flags that are flown at half staff and for Americans to volunteer for community service and a moment of silence to begin at 5:46 a.m. (Pacific Time), the minute when the first airplane struck the World Trade Center. Cvijanovich went on to say, "Patriot Day is not only a day created for those who lost their lives to the terrorists’ attacks of September 11th, but it is also a day for those who were left behind in the wake of those attacks. Whether they are children who lost parents, spouses who lost a wife or husband, parents who lost a child, or an American who watched as planes crashed into symbols of freedom and democracy the world over, Patriot Day serves as a day to express the pride that Americans feel.”

The second recognition was an acknowledging the 25 new teachers to FUSD. Fillmore High School will have six new teachers; Benjamin Bradshaw, Telana Burns, Anthony Chavez, Michael Jennings, Kellsie McLain and Greg Simson. Fillmore Middle School will also have six: Kristina Blankenship, Christopher Clewett, Cristina Reyes Fernandez, Brett Hammans, Yanise Jenkins, Gloria Valdivia. Rio Vista Elementary also six: Fabiola De La Torre, Brittany Nuzam, Diane Wareham, Cara Yong-Smith, Erika Henderson. Piru Elementary will have three: Consuelo Fourqurean, Derek Murphy, Sara Gross. San Cayetano Elementary will have two: Lori Bennet and Chloe Fong. Mountain Vista Elementary will have one, Jayme Harter. Sierra High will also have one, Phyllisann Morten and there will be a new District Teacher on Special Assignment, Clara Guerrero.

Speaker of the House, Student Representative Hanna Wishart reported to the Board September 3rd is Future Farmers of America's Annual Buyers Appreciation Banquet at 6 p.m. at the school farm. She also stated homecoming and Santa Paula week are quickly approaching and the Associated Student Body is getting set for those events. They have chosen the Dr. Seuss theme for homecoming and are working on both events simultaneously.