Superintendent's Report October 2026

Fortuna Elementary School District

        Superintendent’s Community Update         

October  2026

NEWS YOU CAN USE:

Families:

• Student Achievement: Preliminary CAASPP results show improvements in English Language Arts, mathematics, and science across the District.

• Enrollment: This year's enrollment increase has remained steady, and enrollment is still open at all four schools.

• Student Wellness: Student Empathy Interviews are taking place October 12-23 to strengthen student connections and better understand their school experiences.

• Literacy Night: Join us November 4 at 5:00 p.m. at Fortuna Middle School for family literacy and art activities.

• Author Festival: All four schools will welcome visiting authors during October to engage students in writing and storytelling.

• Expanded Learning: ELOP during upcoming school breaks for TK-6 students is tentatively planned for winter break, February break, and spring break. Registration information will be shared soon.

• ParentSquare: We have reached 100% family connection through ParentSquare!

Staff:

• ELA Pilot: The TK-8 Amplify English Language Arts pilot continues, with ongoing training and instructional support.

• Professional Learning: Monthly grade-level literacy collaboration continues, providing opportunities for teachers to strengthen instructional practices.

• Student Assessment: Teachers are incorporating CAASPP Block Interim Assessments to monitor student progress and guide instruction.

• Student Supports: Character Strong lessons continue weekly, with additional Tier II and Tier III student support groups planned for November.

• Staffing: All certificated teaching positions remain filled. Recruitment continues for a limited number of classified positions.

• Financial Outlook: The District is preparing its First Interim Budget Report while continuing to monitor rising special education and employee benefit costs.

Board Actions from 10/8/2026 Meeting:

• Social Studies Pilot: Approved a new social studies curriculum pilot for grades K-4.

• School Facilities: Approved pricing for the Fortuna Middle School shade structure, canopies, and concrete work.

• Ambrosini Improvements: Approved moving forward with the Ambrosini administration building remodel and related site improvements.

• Music Education: Accepted $4,000 in McLean Foundation grants to support band instruments.

• District Budget: Accepted Humboldt County Office of Education's review of the District's 2026-27 LCAP and budget.

• District Policies: Approved updates to Board policies and administrative regulations.

• Adult Meal Prices: Approved updated meal prices for adults purchasing school meals.

• District Leadership: Approved the Superintendent's contract for 2026-2029.

• Congratulations to the October Superintendent Award recipients!

  • Ambrosini Elementary: (will be presented in November)

  • Walker Elementary: Sebastian Pozos-Dominguez

  • Toddy Thomas: Suzanne Campbell

  • Fortuna Middle School: Rose Williams 

Important Dates:

October 20 - EL Family Night, 6:00 p.m. @ Walker

November 4 - Literacy Night, 5:00 p.m. @ FMS

November 6 - End of 1st Trimester

November 11 - No School: Veterans’ Day

November 16-20 - Conference Week (Early Dismissal)

November 23-27 - No School: Thanksgiving Week

  Superintendent’s Board Report - October 2026

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

Academics: We are now halfway through the first trimester, and teachers continue to focus on strong instruction and monitoring student progress. Our Districtwide English Language Arts pilot with Amplify CKLA in grades TK-5 and Amplify ELA in grades 6-8 continues, with ongoing professional development and support for teachers. In addition, teachers meet monthly in grade-level teams for literacy-focused professional development, providing dedicated time to collaborate, strengthen instructional practices, and support consistent literacy instruction across the District.

Teachers are also continuing to incorporate CAASPP Block Interim Assessments into instruction. Some teachers have already begun using these assessments, while others are working to intentionally weave them into their instructional plans. These assessments give teachers additional information about students' understanding of grade-level standards and help identify areas where students may need additional instruction or support.

Student Achievement Data: The 2026 California School Dashboard is scheduled to be released on October 15th. This will provide more definitive information on student performance and other state indicators. Preliminary CAASPP results are encouraging, with the District showing increases in overall English Language Arts, mathematics, and science scores. Once the Dashboard is released, we will review the complete data to celebrate areas of growth and identify areas where continued improvement is needed.

Enrollment: This year’s increase in District enrollment has held steady since the beginning of the school year. This is particularly encouraging after several years of declining enrollment in our District, making this year’s unexpected increase a positive shift. Enrollment remains open at all four school sites.

STUDENT WELLNESS

Student Supports: Character Strong Tier I lessons continue weekly in all grade levels, supporting student connection, social-emotional development, and positive school environments. Tier II and Tier III groups will be established next month to provide more targeted support for students who need it.

Student Connections: Empathy Interviews are scheduled for October 12th-23rd. These individual conversations provide staff an opportunity to hear directly from students about their experiences at school, strengthen student-adult connections, and help identify students who may benefit from additional support.

Attendance: Regular attendance continues to be an important District priority. We will continue working with students and families to build strong attendance habits and reinforce the connection between consistent attendance, academic achievement, student connection, and overall success. This continues the attendance emphasis established at the beginning of the school year. 

Child Nutrition: We continue to encourage all students to take advantage of our school meal program. Breakfast and lunch are free for every student, and second-chance breakfast gives students another opportunity to eat if they may not be ready to eat first thing in the morning. Students also have a variety of lunch choices each day to appeal to different tastes. The strong increase in meal participation we saw at the beginning of the year has reinforced the importance of continuing these efforts.

FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Literacy Night: The District will host a Literacy Night on November 4th. All FESD families are encouraged to attend and participate together in a variety of literacy and art based activities. This event provides another opportunity to celebrate reading, creativity, and learning while strengthening connections between our schools and families.

Author Festival: We are excited to once again participate in the Author Festival during October. Each school will welcome a visiting author who will engage students in activities centered around writing, storytelling, and their craft. These visits give students the opportunity to interact directly with published authors and experience literacy in a fun, engaging way.

Expanded Learning Opportunities: Our intersession ELOP program is tentatively scheduled during three school breaks this year: December 29th-31st, February 17th-19th, and March 30th-April 2nd. The program will be held at Walker Elementary and will be available to current TK-6th grade students. The District will send sign-up information to families soon. This continues the District's use of school-break programming to provide additional learning and enrichment opportunities for students.

Family Communication: We reached an exciting milestone in September with 100% of our families connected through ParentSquare. Our focus now shifts from connection to engagement - making sure families are receiving, reading, and interacting with important District and school communications.

STAFFING

Staffing: All certificated teaching positions remain filled for the school year. We continue to recruit for a small number of classified vacancies, primarily after-school program aide and Special Circumstance Instructional Assistant (SCIA) positions. We will continue recruiting and monitoring staffing needs to ensure our students and programs have the support they need.

Professional Learning: Professional development continues throughout the year, with a significant focus on literacy. Teachers meet monthly in grade-level teams to collaborate on literacy instruction and student learning. Teachers implementing our Amplify ELA pilot also continue to receive training and support as they become more familiar with the new instructional materials. This builds on the initial ELA professional development provided at the beginning of the school year.

FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP

Budget: After the close of the 2025-26 fiscal year, staff are beginning work on the District’s 2026-27 First Interim Report, which will provide an updated look at current year revenues and expenditures, along with projections for the following two years. The District continues to monitor rising costs carefully, particularly in special education and employee health and welfare benefits, while maintaining a stable financial position. 

Revenue & Programs: This year’s increased enrollment has remained steady since the beginning of the year, which is encouraging both programmatically and financially. Increased participation in our Child Nutrition Program is also generating additional meal reimbursement revenue, helping to reduce the amount the District’s General Fund must contribute to support the program. We will continue monitoring both areas as part of our overall financial planning.

Important Dates

• October 20 - EL Family Night, 6:00 p.m. @ Walker

• November 4 - Literacy Night, 5:00 p.m. @ FMS

• November 6 - End of 1st Trimester

• November 11 - No School: Veterans’ Day

• November 16-20 - Conference Week (Early Dismissal)

• November 23-27 - No School: Thanksgiving Week