FULLERTON : Gang-Intervention Program Is Dropped

Citing a lack of funds, Fullerton school board members have eliminated the job of a gang-intervention coordinator who provides students special counseling and after-school programs.

School board members said they cannot afford to pick up the tab when an $8,300-a-year state grant that helped pay for the position expires in June. The grant was given by the governor’s Office of Criminal Justice Planning.

The coordinator, Bob Taylor, works at Nicolas Junior High School, where he counsels an average of 15 students each day and oversees the CUFFS (Community United for Fullerton Safety) program--a gang-deterrent effort.

His duties include directing the school’s Life Coach program, which involves pairing at-risk students with adults who serve as role models, and the YES (Youths Experiencing Success) program, which involves about 80 students who volunteer to paint over graffiti throughout the city and donate time participating in various community services, Nicolas Principal Mary Daleffi said.

Taylor, who was a principal and counselor before becoming the CUFFS coordinator, may be offered a another job if one is available, district officials said.

“It’s very much too bad that the district couldn’t continue the funding,” Daleffi said. “We’re going to be without a number of things next year because of budget cuts, and (Taylor’s job) will be a major loss because he provides a positive support system for students at risk of joining gangs.”