FUESD approves travel funding for board member, administrator to attend conference

Fallbrook elementary school board officials voted Monday, Feb. 3, to approve funding for an administrator and a board member to attend a conference for an organization that represents what are known as “federally impacted” schools.

The Fallbrook Union Elementary School District will pay about $3,500 each for Associate Superintendent Raymond Proctor and board President Siegrid Stillman to attend the National Association of Federally Impacted Schools’ spring 2020 conference in March.

That organization, also known as NAFIS, advocates for increased federal funding for districts that include large portions of federal land. School districts across the country get much of their funding from local property taxes – that’s not as big of a funding source in California due to diminished property tax revenue resulting from Proposition 13, but it is still part of the game. And districts can be negatively impacted by the presence of large swaths of federal land within their boundaries, especially ones like the Fallbrook Union Elementary School District, which serves students living on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.

“If you’re not in their face, as Mr. Proctor knows … you could easily get overlooked and underfunded,” Stillman said of attending the NAFIS conference.

According to Proctor, going to the conference can help the district secure additional federal funds – “generally about $6 million” per year, he said.

The district has an annual budget of about $65 million.

Board member Caron Lieber, who at the school board’s last meeting raised concerns over Superintendent Candace Singh’s salary compared to other superintendents in the region, said she approved of that justification.

“So, I think you’re paying for your travel,” she said.

The school board approved the travel funding unanimously.

Will Fritz can be reached by email at [email protected].