FJUHSD Trustees honored the high school district’s 2024/25 Employees of the Year on May 13, 2025. Retiring Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, Dr. Ed Atkinson presented.

Classified Employees:

Buena Park High School

• Paulina Luga, Activities Office Senor Records Clerk

Fullerton Union High School

• David Bock, Aquatics Coach/Campus Supervisor

La Habra High School

• Aleksandre Litovchenko, Site Technician

La Sierra High School

• Francisco Melara, Adult Transition Program Paraprofessional

La Vista High School

• Isaias Ramirez, Campus Supervisor and ABC Program Support

Sunny Hills High School

• Randall Avalos, Campus Supervision Liaison

Troy High School

• Kati Flores, Special Education Instructional Aide

Administrative Offices:

• Marlene Godinez, Business Services Administrative Secretary

Facilities:

•  Manuel Olivares, Maintenance Yard Districtwide

Sonora High School

Teresa Zambrano, Principal’s Secretary

Certificated Employees:

Fullerton Union High School

• David McIntosh, Counselor

La Sierra High School

• Stephen Flores, ATP Coordinator

La Vista High School

• Kathryn Gibson, Geophysical Science Teacher

Sonora High School

• Nicholas Barron, Special Education Teacher

Sunny Hills High School

Alexander Hua, Chemistry Teacher and Science Department Chair

Troy High School

Glenn Madrid, Social Science Teacher

Districtwide:

Buena Park High School

• Maroun Nehme, Director of Advanced Robotics

La Habra High School

• Carolynn Cardenas, Special Education Coordinator

Administrator of the Year

Dr. Ed Atkinson, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources

Bond Measure L Update

Facilities and Construction Director, Vince Madsen, explained the familiar hard bid and the newer lease/leaseback construction delivery methods to the board. He listed the first $143 million dollars of facilities bond projects, which will all breaking ground by spring and summer of 2026.

Sonora High will modernize science classrooms with the last of the 2014 Bond Measure I money using the hard bid delivery method, where the district finds a contractor after state design approval.

For facilities projects over $10 million, the district utilizes a “lease/leaseback” method, hiring the main contractor and architect before design approval. After plans receive state permits, the district bids out union-based subcontractors and the main contractor assumes all security and liability inside the construction fence, basically leasing the project site from the district. After completion, the district makes final contractor payments over 12 months to iron out any issues. It generates fewer change orders and allows simultaneous work on large building projects districtwide. Trustee Joanne Fawley said, “(she) loves the acceleration of the bond projects” made possible by the system. Mr. Madsen answered Trustee Chester Jeng’s question concerning material cost spikes, stating signed facilities contracts include a locked 50% markup clause range for all contractors. Trustee Lauren Klatzker supports using licensed union labor to complete the jobs.

Large projects include a two-story, Spanish architecture style athletic building at Fullerton High. Trustee Fawley requested tennis court location clarification. Mr. Madsen admitted that the FJUHSD Master Facilities Plan includes a proposed FUHS parking structure with rooftop tennis courts, but that the $245 million dollar bond will “most likely” not cover the parking structure, so the tennis courts will be inserted elsewhere.

All Troy High classrooms, administrative offices, and library will receive seismic mitigation. This giant project requires over 35 portable classrooms and will take almost 3 years to complete.

Sonora, Sunny Hills, and Troy will receive field upgrades including artificial turf, track, restrooms, bleachers, and storage. There was no comment on project longevity. Although not legally binding, the FJUHSD board has historically promised that all bond facilities projects last more than 20 years (longer than it takes tax payers to pay back the bond), but that is not the case for Bond L.

Student Board Member Compensation Proposal

Outgoing Student Board Member (SBM), Noelle Lidyoff, presented trustees with a SBM handbook and compensation proposal. Utilizing their unique position, former Student Board Members advocated for one-to-one chrome book access and created a more student-focused dress code. This year, Ms. Lidyoff, a graduating FUHS senior attending Lipscomb University in Nashville this fall, created a handbook outlining SBM requirements and requested compensation for future SBMs.

Noelle stated it was a great honor to represent FJUHSD student voices, and she enjoyed attending a state conference with other district SBMs. She listed the various administrative meetings student board members attend, their duties, and events they coordinate with the student advisory committee totaling over 136 hours of time in a year filled with academics, applying to colleges, and senior activities. Noelle asked the board to compensate students for this worthwhile use of time in the future.

FJUHSD student compensation pays $16.50/hr., allowing SBMs to earn $2,244 a year. As Ms. Lidyoff said, “No one should work for free.” Board Policy and education code allows for student compensation and over 36% of California school districts compensate SBMs. Trustee Jeng and Trustee Marilyn Buchi asked clarifying questions, but all trustees seemed positive about the change.

Next FJUHSD board meeting is June 10 at 6pm.