School-Community Partnership

Every community wants world-class schools that prepare its sons and daughters to compete successfully in a global economy. It also wants local control so that its schools will instill in students the values defined by the community in which they live.

Achieving locally controlled, world-class schools will take a collective, world-class commitment by all sectors in the community.

Here is how one school district and its parents along with public and private agencies have joined forces to face this challenge.

The story begins several years ago in Fillmore and Piru, agricultural and somewhat isolated communities nestled in the beauty of the Santa Clara River Valley. A handful of ministers and school employees met to discuss the needs of youth in the community. Meetings followed, and before too long the Fillmore-Piru Youth Task Force was born. Membership grew to more than 100 people representing more than 35 public and private agencies. The task force formulated a mission focused on the wholesome development of youth and the improvement of the quality of life for all ages.

The people of Fillmore and Piru have always believed in community spirit, and so the Youth Task Force’s success in bringing groups together for the sake of youth and community was likely to expand.

A few years ago a new parent group, the United Parents for Education, formed and has worked closely with the schools, the Fillmore Rotary clubs and other organizations to improve technology in the schools, address teen pregnancy and provide incentives for students to meet high academic expectations. The group has adopted classrooms, purchased computers for the middle school and conducted meetings to help parents take a more active role in their children’s education.

Local governing bodies have also developed strong ties over the past few years. The Piru Neighborhood Council, the county Board of Supervisors and the Fillmore Unified School District jointly wrote a redevelopment plan for the Piru area. The city of Fillmore and the school district are implementing 14 goals they jointly developed and are drafting a joint vision for the improvement of education, cost-effective delivery of public services and the overall quality of life in the community.

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Outreach has been an important strategy. With the cooperation of two churches, two housing developments and the sheriff, the district established five after-school neighborhood learning centers to provide homework help, tutoring and parent education programs.

Finally, the school district has taken seriously its role in supporting meaningful parent involvement. In 1996, it called together a panel of students, parents, community members and staff to write a Local Improvement Plan. The plan was designated by the state as a model for other school districts to follow. The panel identified as the No. 1 priority the need for a comprehensive program to involve parents in the education of their children. It called for the hiring of a parent involvement coordinator and parent liaisons at each school.

The program includes parent education workshops covering many topics. Among these are positive parenting and dealing with the power struggles, preventing drug involvement, strategies for developing and celebrating the family and opportunities for families to purchase, learn and use computer technology.

What is happening in Fillmore is happening in varying degrees throughout Ventura County. These are only a few examples, but they demonstrate what local control really means and how valuable a collective effort can be in improving education and the quality of life in our communities.