FIRST FRIDAY FOCUS November 2025 Edition

💵 Collaboration and School Budgets

District staff is embarking on a project to advocate for additional funding from the state under the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF). Over the past ten years, FUSD has made approximately $50 million in cuts to programs, staff, and services, and we continue to see declines in our per-pupil funding under LCFF.

Last week, two Board of Education trustees, the Superintendent, and district staff met at Irvington High School with California State Senator Dr. Aisha Wahab. This week, the same group met with California Assemblymember Alex Lee. These visits were designed to highlight the funding disparities we face and explore solutions to address the ongoing decline.

Senator Wahab and Assemblymember Lee were very engaged and supportive, and we will continue to work closely with them as this effort moves forward.

Additionally, Fremont is joining a regional coalition of similarly funded unified districts including Alameda, Castro Valley, Dublin, Livermore, Newark, Pleasanton, and San Ramon Valley, to advocate at the state level for LCFF reform and additional funding. All of these districts are primarily state-funded and have experienced similar declines in funding.

We extend our gratitude to the hosting schools for welcoming the group into their classrooms and meeting spaces.  Find an informative video on school funding (YouTube), which illustrates the differences between state-funded districts like Fremont and community-funded districts like Palo Alto,  along with the handouts and slides reviewed during the visits.

🔍🍎🍽️ Food Resources During Shutdown

📅  District-wide in November

• MSJHS Car Meet Saturday Nov. 8 Noon-3:30

• No School Tuesday Veterans Day Nov. 11

• Online Parent Workshop on Attendance  Nov. 13 @ 5:30PM

• IHS Play Romeo & Juliet  Nov. 14-22

• Board Meeting on Nov. 19

• Non-school Days for Students Nov. 21, 24 & 25

• Fall Break: Schools and Offices Closed  Nov. 26-28

• Observances: American Indian/Alaskan Native Heritage Month, Sikh Awareness Month and Week prior to Thanksgiving is American Education Week

🚧🏗️ Facilities Program Update We’re excited to  share progress as the team continues to improve our spaces  to better serve our community. A heartfelt thank you to the voters who made this possible by passing the (facilities only)  Measure M Bond.

At its October 22 meeting , the Board held a Study Session on Semester-Long Courses, discussing Ethnic Studies, Personal Finance, and Health. Each plays a unique role in supporting student readiness for graduation and post-secondary success. 

The Board also reviewed a feasibility report from Godbe Research and authorized the District’s consultants, Godbe Research and the Lew Edwards Group, to continue community outreach and engagement related to local school funding priorities.

In addition, the Board adopted April as ”Arts, Culture, and Creativity Month” aligning with Alameda County and California Statewide Programming.

🎥 Thanks to Our Creative Community Fremont Unified  Film Festival for all students  has started and fine tune your production skills with this 30 second H20 video  WaterClips Student Video Contest  for middle and high students. 💛Heartfelt Gratitude Continuing the theme, thank you to the Fremont Education Foundation (amazing grant support for our teachers), the City of Fremont and its first responders, and other partners, like Urban Forest Friends, for their continued support and collaboration. Thanks to ALL of our community’s commitment, from PTAs, PTOs and the many volunteers that help our schools, students, and families reach their potential. Sincerely,  Zack Larsen, Superintendent