Fillmore Unified highlights community schools expansion; parent proposes school garden at Piru Elementary

Fillmore Unified School District officials on March 17 told the governing board the district is continuing implementation of a five-year community schools grant and has begun shifting supports to respond to family needs districtwide.

At the meeting, Assistant Superintendent Roger Adams and Crystal Saravia Rocha, coordinator of community schools, outlined the program's four pillars — integrated student supports, expanded and enriched learning time, family and community engagement, and collaborative leadership — and described district partnerships and early results. Rocha said the district has purchased a mobile "Caring Closet" trailer to distribute clothing, hygiene items and school supplies at community events and that FoodShare distributions in Piru and Fillmore have expanded, with Piru now qualifying for diaper and wipes distribution.

“We are building a family within the school setting,” Rocha said, adding that the district was receiving positive feedback from state and county representatives who observed several sites. Rocha also noted that the district has begun using an online transcript service (Parchment) and that early ELPAC and English-language arts data showed encouraging gains at some sites.

Parents used the public-comment period to press for specific local projects tied to the community schools work. Juana Aguilar, a Piru parent, urged the board to support a school garden at Piru Elementary, proposing planter boxes at a northwest corner of the campus between third-grade classrooms and an existing school farm. Aguilar said the district is in year two of the five-year grant and offered volunteer support from local nurseries, parents and farmworkers; she listed expected expenses including a temporary project manager, gopher protection, garden beds, tools and a water supply.

“The benefits will help the kids with hands-on prep, family engagement and responsibility,” Aguilar said, asking the board to help launch the project and connect her with site staff willing to support it.

Why it matters: District leaders framed community schools as a strategy to remove barriers to learning by coordinating academic, social and health services around school sites. The Caring Closet and FoodShare partnerships are intended to address basic needs that can keep students in class, while the grant-funded work supports enrichment and family engagement activities.

What happens next: Rocha said the district will continue building partnerships and expanding services under the grant. Aguilar's garden proposal was presented during public comment; board members and staff did not vote on the project at this meeting but were invited to follow up with site administrators to assess feasibility and funding needs.

Provenance: Topic introduced in the staff presentation beginning SEG 1679 and continued through SEG 1956; Juana Aguilar's public comment occurred SEG 1230'SEG 1290.