FUESD gets financial windfall for expanded learning

Rick Monroe

Special to the Village News

Imagine being given $1.9 million for this school year – and potentially another $5.7 million next year – for afterschool, summer school and between session enrichment programs. With the state of California having billions of excess dollars to budget, that’s the windfall trustees of the Fallbrook Union Elementary School District learned about at the March 14 board meeting.

“It’s a game changer,” remarked Suzanne Lundin, board president, following the presentation by Julie Norby, associate superintendent of educational services. Norby explained the new program, Expanded Learning Opportunities, which provides funding for kindergarten (including transitional kindergarten) through sixth grade.

The money is available for this school year as a grant and the $5.7 million for next year would be the district’s portion, based on its pupil count, in next year’s proposed state budget, Norby said. The funds would come as a grant, approved in SB-130, which would be ongoing through 2025-26. This is not a traditional grant because expenses were not being audited the first year.

Dr. Candace Singh, superintendent, said the grant is something being prioritized by the governor’s office and is intended for before and after school and between sessions.

“It would expand what we’re already doing,” she said.

Norby explained there were “endless possibilities” of how the money could be used, as long as the new programs would complement but not replicate learning activities in the regular school day and school year.

“It is being recognized everywhere that our kids need support. They need academic support, they need interventions,” Norby said. “We’ve been given lots of money for that, but equally important is that we need to bring kids together in social situations with capable adults to provide other types of intervention.”

She suggested things that are more social-emotional or interest-driven, hands on and engaging.

“If they see school as a fun place and they want to come to school, they will engage on their school campus. Having a supportive environment where they are allowed to engage with their peers is something different than just a reading circle or a math lab. This money is specifically dedicated for that reason.”

“These are programs that we all dream about having for our kids and wish we could have all the time, but we just haven’t had the funding necessary to do it,” she added, “but now we do. It’s a lot more fun when you have money.”

Trustees were ecstatic about having funds to support a variety of opportunities from unexpected state funding. The board approved the first reading to post a job for director of expanded learning to oversee the operation and of the program.

“That’s a job I want,” one board member commented during the presentation, as others also expressed excitement.

Norby said the position would be advertised on the district web page, giving district principals an opportunity to be considered.

“We hope to have a candidate to present at the next board meeting,” Singh said. That meeting is on April 18. The district would then work to backfill the principal position if that is the action the board approves.

The new director would coordinate and assume responsibilities for current after-school and summer bridge programs, Norby said, and gather input to determine interest and need for additional programs. That would include educational partners: parents, students, teachers, administrators and the school board. The director would then develop partnerships and programs to meet the needs of the students and the community for before and after school, intersession and summer. All would be free for students.

Norby said the ELO program could include three potential areas:

• Academic: STEM enrichment, coding/robotics, math Olympiad, speech and debate, book clubs and reading tutors.

• The arts: Band and choral music, dance, theater, drawing and painting, animation and photography.

• Social emotional: Social skills, character development, stress management, mindfulness, leadership and interest based.

She also mentioned possibilities such as lunchtime clubs, field trips, Saturday school, and more.

The California Department of Education explanation of the program states it is not approving or denying individual district requests for allowable expenditures.

In other business at the meeting, Cindi Martin, associate superintendent, business services, presented a report about the second interim financial report, approved unanimously by the board.

Norby also shared about a partnership with the University of La Verne in developing student intern teachers, describing it as a win-win program. She said it would be for 10 mature students to teach under supervision in the district. FUESD would pay for the year of teaching and the student would make a 3-year commitment to stay in the district.

Norby said there is a “national crisis” in finding teachers. She said the district currently has only 29 applications from teachers when in prior years at this time of the year there were hundreds. She added that nationally, 50% of teachers leave the profession within five years.

Trustee Susan Liebes was the first to respond after Norby’s presentation. “I must say, Mrs. Norby, you have converted me from being a skeptic to being a cheerleader.”

The agreement with La Verne was unanimously approved in the consent agenda.