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Superintendent Shefferly outlines roughly $3 million in cuts, seeks to limit layoffs through attrition
Summary
Fillmore Unified Superintendent Christine Shefferly told trustees the district faces about $3 million in budget reductions and proposed relying on retirement, attrition and selective administrative reductions to avoid mass layoffs; the board discussed related staffing, special-education trends and the district's enrollment and attendance impacts.
Superintendent Christine Shefferly told the Fillmore Unified School District board tonight that the district must find about $3,000,000 in reductions for the next school year and is prioritizing retirement and attrition to avoid large-scale layoffs. Shefferly said the district is not experiencing the enrollment declines seen in many nearby systems, but uncertainty in the state budget requires tightening spending.
"We do anticipate flat enrollment for at least the next three years," Shefferly said, adding that "for every percent we increase in attendance, it's about $530,000." Shefferly said the district is auditing every open position before filling it and is targeting reductions in contracts and services while preserving programs at school sites.
Shefferly outlined specific staffing proposals she described as "the hard slide": about 2.5 administrative full-time equivalents that translate to three administrative positions — a director, a technology manager and a half-time director of fiscal services — and reductions elsewhere. She said certificated reductions would total four teachers (some changes realized through open positions and categorical hiring), and special-education staffing projections could reduce one educational specialist in extensive needs and one in mild-to-moderate programs. Classified reductions were estimated at about 3.375 FTE. "If we don't make cuts, it's just going to compound and we're going to see larger cuts in outgoing years," she said.
Shefferly emphasized the district's attempts to protect classroom programs and staff: "We are analyzing every single open position before we fill it to avoid layoffs," she said, and described using one-time COVID and carry-forward funds strategically while reserving some funds in case the state cuts counseling and social-work positions.
The superintendent also reviewed special-education trends: she said IEP counts rose after COVID and have begun to level off, while identification of autism and need for speech services has increased. The board heard that roughly 85% of the district's budget goes to personnel; maintaining healthcare with no out-of-pocket costs for employees has been a priority amid rising insurance rates.
Union and staff concerns surfaced during public comment. Derek Olson, a district computer technician who also serves as CSEA president, urged the board to reconsider eliminating the IT manager position. "I am deeply concerned that cutting this particular position will have long term consequences for our district's technology infrastructure and overall efficiency," Olson said, warning that the department already operates with limited capacity and that losing leadership risks becoming more reactive and costly.
Shefferly and trustees framed the reductions as targeted and prefaced by a district study session; she said the administration will continue to monitor options to minimize direct layoffs and maintain instructional programs.
Next steps: staff will finalize budget recommendations informed by these priorities and present details to the board as planning continues.
