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Fillmore Unified superintendent outlines $2 million gap, attendance goal and college-credit push
Summary
Superintendent Christine Shefferly told the board the district is "looking at $2,000,000 of cuts," emphasized an attendance target tied to funding and outlined plans to expand dual-enrollment and career pathways while highlighting staff recognitions and facilities work.
Superintendent Christine Shefferly told the Fillmore Unified Governing Board the district is preparing to close a budget gap and focus on student outcomes as it enters the second semester.
Shefferly told trustees the district is "looking at $2,000,000 of cuts" for the next school year and said officials plan to pursue roughly four full-time reductions in both classified and certificated areas "primarily through retirement and attrition," with additional administrative cuts and contract reviews to reach the savings target. "It's about fiscally being fiscally responsible," she said.
The superintendent said attendance remains a key lever for district funding. Shefferly described a prior goal of 97% attendance and said the district's five-month average is about 94%. "For each percentage that we increase, it's about 800,000," she said, underscoring the fiscal incentive to raise daily attendance.
Shefferly also reviewed the district's academic blueprint and six focus areas, including preschool, early literacy, targeted supports for English learners, inclusive practices for students with disabilities, and a renewed emphasis on mathematics. She highlighted growth in student participation in college courses and described ongoing talks with Ventura College about expanded dual-enrollment options and the possibility of an early-college pathway at Fillmore High School.
The superintendent praised district staff and recognized Child Nutrition Services after a Spectrum News segment spotlighting meal service in Fillmore and Piru. Shefferly also updated trustees on facilities work: construction of the Fillmore High School athletic complex is "going vertical," she said, crediting passage of Measure G and giving an expected completion date of February 2027.
Shefferly closed by noting student outcomes, saying the senior class had a roughly 67% Cal State University acceptance rate and urging a continued "focus on people" as the district addresses budget constraints.
Next steps: the board did not vote on budget reductions at this meeting; Shefferly said cuts would be considered as part of ongoing budget development and staffing conversations.
