Martin Gene Culberson

The Board meeting included trustee reports on school learning walks, participation in Read Across America, and local athletic programs. The superintendent provided an update regarding the receipt of the inaugural Acorn Award, which recognizes districts with high academic achievement despite high poverty rates. Other key topics included attendance and reading recognition awards for students, and an announcement regarding an upcoming community celebration at the historic schoolhouse.

The board meeting included a student presentation from Mayos Elementary school highlighting their dual-language program and international dance festival. The Superintendent provided an update on impact aid funding and advocacy efforts in Washington D.C., and highlighted recent community events including the Don Dornan games, the 99th anniversary of the DOO Ecology Center, and the Fallbrook Alair literacy event. The board also received reports from individual trustees regarding school visits, STEM events, and musical performances.

The meeting began with public comments related to the close session agenda, followed by adjournment into close session to discuss personnel, potential litigation, and labor negotiations. Upon resuming, the board adopted the agenda as presented. Key topics included student presentations from William H. Frasier Elementary School regarding the Great Kindness Challenge and Black History Month activities. The board then approved the minutes of the January 22nd, 2026 regular board meeting. Board members provided reports highlighting visits to Falbrick STEM Academy and Potter Junior High School, noting progress in student achievement metrics, especially at Potter, where gains are outpacing the state and county. A major announcement was the district receiving the 2026 Voice of San Diego Acorn Award for outperforming expectations based on income versus test score metrics, with Sanopre Elementary School recognized as the highest-performing elementary school in the county on this metric. Awards were presented for strong attendance, with Fbrook STEM Academy recognized for the highest average daily attendance in January at 95.2%. Reading awards were also presented, noting that Fuesd students have read over 1.5 million minutes collectively as of January 2026, and the February Reading Winter Olympics challenge was announced.

The meeting began with a closed session to discuss personnel matters, reconvening into open session later. The board adopted the agenda as presented. The student presentation highlighted the La Paloma Elementary school garden program, which provides hands-on learning in science, responsibility, and cooperation, and also serves as a butterfly habitat. Student representatives thanked the board members for their support, noting the school's recognition as a California Distinguished School and Lighthouse Academic Honorall School. The Superintendent provided updates, focusing heavily on a pilot program called Ignite Reading at Fuesd STEM Academy, which uses high-dosage, 15-minute live, one-on-one virtual tutoring for foundational literacy strategies for second-grade students, showing significant progress. The district also received numerous awards, including being named a Lighthouse Leader in Me District, with six of its eight schools specifically recognized as Lighthouse Academic Honorall Schools for showing academic gains alongside leadership implementation. Board members provided updates emphasizing unity, commitment to academic priorities, and dedication to serving the students.

The open session of the meeting commenced following a closed session where no action was taken. The proceedings began with the flag salute and a student presentation from Live Oak Elementary School students, focusing on activities designed to ensure every student feels welcome, included, and important, with supporting data indicating high levels of student support. Following the student presentation, the board moved to organizational matters for the 2026 school year, including the nomination and election of the board president, vice president, and board clerk. A significant discussion occurred regarding the approval of previous minutes, specifically debating the inclusion of detailed factual points presented by a consultant concerning general obligation bonds, ultimately approving the minutes as originally written based on existing board policy against verbatim records.