Kevin Carlin, the San Diego lawyer representing Fresno building contractor Stephen Davis in a 12-year-old lawsuit over the financing and construction of Rutherford P. Gaston Middle School, filed a notice of appeal this week with the Fresno County Superior Court.

Davis, who sued Fresno Unified and Harris Construction, lost the latest legal round when Fresno County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Hamilton ruled that the district and Harris did not violate state law when the district employed Harris to oversee construction of the southwest Fresno school in a lease-leaseback contract.

Hamilton’s decision noted that although Davis’ company, Davis Moreno Construction, was not selected as a contractor or subcontractor on the Gaston project, the company has been paid more than $224 million for district construction projects since 2016 — $200 million more than its closest competitor. The decision also noted that Davis did not object when his company won lease-leaseback contracts in other Valley districts.

Davis’ lawsuit sought to have Harris repay the entire cost of the Gaston construction contract — $36 million-plus — as well as interest, totaling more than $60 million.

When asked about the new appeal, Fresno Unified spokeswoman Nikki Henry provided this statement to School Zone: “We have always maintained that Fresno Unified’s lease-leaseback contracts were appropriate and followed California Law. This position was reaffirmed by Judge Hamilton’s recent decision in our favor at the trial court. We will continue to vigorously defend Fresno Unified in this action to preserve our ability to utilize all methods of public construction financing as allowed by statute.”

The other defendant, Harris Construction, provided this statement: “Unlike the two previous appeals, this time there was a full trial where all the facts were laid out. Mr. Davis had every chance to present his case, and he lost; plain and simple. Based on the thorough and well-reasoned decision from the trial court, Harris is confident we will ultimately prevail. Harris will be filing a motion to recover our legal fees from Mr. Davis, which now exceed one million dollars. After nearly 13 years, perhaps Mr. Davis will finally realize it is time to stop wasting our taxpayer money on this case — money that we can all agree, would be much better spent on our community’s children.”

Carlin did not respond to an email seeking comment.

The latest appeal will mark the third go-round in the Fifth District Court of Appeal, which overturned two prior decisions by the Superior Court in favor of the defendants, FUSD and Harris.

According to the Fifth DCA website, the case may be considered for mediation.

School Zone, who never misses an opportunity to provide a little extra education for her loyal readers, wondered how this lawsuit compares with other long-running lawsuits. According to an internet search, the record for the lengthiest civil lawsuit was 57 years, and the case had the kind of juicy details that TMZ and the tabloids would be salivating over, if they had existed in 1834.

Myra Clark Gaines was a 19th-century woman who discovered that she was adopted, her parents had been bigamists, and her real father had been a wealthy New Orleans businessman who had named her in a will that was later destroyed to deprive her of her inheritance. Her case wound its way through state and federal courts, all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Gaines never did see a penny of her inheritance — she died in 1885 and her heirs settled the case in 1891 — but she used her notoriety and prominence to speak out on issues such as women’s suffrage. Her first husband had to file her suit — at that time women were not allowed to initiate lawsuits.

How Much Is Central Paying Its Interim Superintendent?

The Central Unified School Board this week approved a contract for Dr. Eimear O’Brien, who started work on March 26 as interim superintendent.

O’Brien, who was superintendent of Clovis Unified until her retirement in 2023, will be paid $1,056.58 per day — that comes to $5,282.90 for five-day weeks — and no fringe benefits, board president Naindeep Singh Chann said at Tuesday’s meeting.

The contract is standard for a CalSTRS retiree, he said. CalSTRS is the pension system for California’s public-school educators.

O’Brien stepped in as interim superintendent after the board terminated the contract of Superintendent Ketti Davis. O’Brien’s got her eye on elected office — she’s planning to run for Fresno County Superintendent of Schools in 2026.

Vintage Days Returns to Fresno State

One of School Zone’s favorite annual outings is the three-day Vintage Days spring festival at Fresno State, especially when the weather will be as nice as it’s forecast for this weekend.

Vintage Days, which began in the 1970s, is a chance for the public to support student groups (many of which will be selling yummy foodstuffs), check out arts and crafts from vendors who travel from far and wide to sell their wares, and listen to live music.

Plus, there are lots of fun activities for kids, which this year includes the Dave and Buster’s Fun Zone, with inflatables, a Ferris wheel, and a zip line.

School Zone has been a Vintage Days regular, shopping for birthday presents in the arts and crafts area and snagging a county fair cinnamon roll because they are so yummmm. But School Zone liked Vintage Days better when it was spread out in the grassy area north of the Maple Avenue entrance off of Shaw Avenue. It got moved a few years ago to parking lots 30 and 31 between the library and Resnick Student Union, which is where it’s being held this year.

Vintage Days is 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission and parking are free. Service animals are allowed, but pets need to stay home.

Scholarships!

High school seniors who are heading to college or career training may be eligible for scholarship assistance through the CalKIDS program.

The ScholarShare Investment Board estimates that seven out of 10 Fresno County public school students are eligible for a CalKIDS Scholarship, which can be used at accredited colleges, universities, trades schools, and career programs nationwide. Once students are enrolled they can request a distribution directly to their school to help cover qualifying educational costs.

Since 2022, about $1 billion in CaslKIDS Scholarships have been provided to more than 2 million California students.

Every child born in California on or after July 1, 2022 is awarded a CalKIDS scholarship worth up to $175, and families also can open savings accounts to set aside more funds for their kids’ education.

Don’t leave money on the table: For more information on eligibility, scholarship amounts, and how to claim a CalKIDS Scholarship account, go to CalKIDS.org.

The post This FUSD Lawsuit Heads Back to Appellate Court for Third Time appeared first on GV Wire.

The board is scheduled at the April 23 meeting to get a presentation on the Waterford Research Institute’s Early Learning Program that has been in use at several southwest Fresno elementary schools for a couple of years, with some significant progress for kids in reading and phonics at those sites.

Twice as many first graders are reading at or above grade level after using Waterford compared to students who didn’t have access to Waterford, according to the district.

According to the district presentation, 77% of kindergarten students who used Waterford were on or above grade level in phonics by the end of the year compared to 61% who didn’t use the program. The difference was even more dramatic for first graders — 73% who used Waterford were on or above grade level in phonics by end of the school year, but of those who lacked access to Waterford only 40% were on or above grade level.

The district signed its contract with Waterford in the 2023-24 school year and thus far has paid the company $318,000, district spokeswoman Nikki Henry tells School Zone.

Waterford is not without its critics. There are concerns that more screen time for young kids — the programs are digital in nature — is not a good thing. The program is intended to augment regular classroom teaching that pre-kindergarten through second graders receive. There’s also a family component so parents can keep working with their kids at home.

The sample size is still somewhat small: The program began with after-school programs at King and Kirk Elementaries in August 2022, was expanded to a kindergarten class at King and a transitional kindergarten and pre-kindergarten class at Kirk in January 2023, family academies in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years with three sessions each year at King and Kirk,  and then 1,000 “licenses” at 28 schools starting in the 2023-24 school year and continuing this year. (The district has to purchase a license for each child using the program.)

District officials are proposing to expand the number of licenses to 1,500, focus on the Edison region, expand to TK classes districtwide, increase family engagement sessions, and continue supporting teachers through coaching.

Interim Superintendent Misty Her last year set a goal of double-digit improvement in standardized testing scores, and from these early results Waterford just might be one of the ways to help the district get there.

Related Story: Fight Over Phonics: Will CA Require the ‘Science of Reading’ in K-12 ...

Longtime Clovis Ag Teacher Is Honored

Ken Dias was called to Wednesday night’s Clovis Unified board meeting under false pretenses, but with good reason. Dias, who worked for the district’s Agriculture Department and had a 37-year career with the district, was surprised when district officials announced that the livestock barn at the McFarlane-Coffman Agriculture Center at Clovis East High will now bear his name. The honor is in recognition of his long service to the district and its ag program.

Dias is credited with salvaging the ag vocational program when it was threatened in the 1990s along with other vocational programs, drawing together community support that led to the creation of the Ag Center in 2000. He was inducted in 2023 into the California Agriculture Teachers Hall of Fame after leading the district’s FFA program to 11 national championships, nine reserve national championships, 23 state championships, and the election of numerous Clovis students to the state and national FFA presidency.

Jennifer Knight, department chair at the Reagan Educational Center and an ag teacher, told the board that when she was a Clovis Unified student Dias was the teacher who inspired her to follow in his footsteps and become a teacher herself.

Dias expressed his gratitude that the district continues to support the ag vocational program, particularly because it exposes students to jobs but they also learn important lessons such as responsibility, work ethic, and building character. He gave a particular shout-out to the district’s founding superintendent, Dr. Floyd “Doc” Buchanan.

Buchanan’s traditions included personally interviewing and hiring new teachers, and Dias said during his interview he was immediately inspired by Buchanan’s passion for students and their education. “That man right there, Dr. Buchanan, got me so fired up. It was amazing,” he told the trustees Wednesday.

Day of Giving Brings Big Bucks to Fresno State

Maybe it’s a good thing that Fresno State moved its annual Day of Giving from the fall to the spring, or maybe the one-year hiatus left supporters itching to dig deep.

Because they did dig deep — Fresno State announced that the March 26 Day of Giving (also known as DOG) hit an all-time high, with a preliminary total of $615,879. That’s nearly 31% higher than the last DOG in November 2023 and exceeds the previous record of $550,366 set in 2019.

The annual event takes place over 24 hours, starting at midnight, and includes a live leaderboard tracking the number of gifts with minute-by-minute updates. Donations came from 42 states, including Vermont and Rhode Island for the first time ever (more New England love for the Bulldogs), and 12 countries.

Fresno State moved DOG to the spring to align with “I Heart Fresno State Week,” a week of events and activities celebrating the university.

“We are thrilled to announce that this year’s Day of Giving has set a new record, thanks to the incredible generosity of our alumni, faculty, staff, students, and friends,” Brady Crook, vice president for University Advancement, said in a news release. “Your support fuels the programs and initiatives that educate and empower our students, equipping them for success in their careers and the impact they will have on their communities. This milestone is a testament to the strength and commitment of our university that starts here in the Valley and spreads far and wide across the globe. We are deeply grateful for every gift that makes a lasting impact on the lives of our students. Thank you!”

Batter Up!

Fresno Pacific’s Sunbirds will unveil the new Dan Martin Stadium at 4:30 p.m. next Wednesday, and the public is welcome to check out the modernized clubhouse and locker room “fit for the Big Leagues,” a new concession stand and restroom, press box, and covered stadium seating for 700.

It’s funded by a $3 million gift from the Daniel R. Martin Family Foundation and lead gifts from Valley Iron, Inc. and the Briscoe family.

The dedication and ribbon-cutting will include remarks from university and athletics officials and a special presentation.

“This is an incredible milestone for Fresno Pacific University and Sunbird Athletics,” Kyle Ferguson, director of athletics, said in a news release. “We are deeply grateful for the generosity of our donors whose vision and support made Dan Martin Stadium a reality. This facility is more than just a place to play baseball—it’s a space where lives will be transformed through the platform of sport, in alignment with our Christian mission. It will serve not only our student-athletes but also our campus and the greater Fresno community for years to come.”

Sunbird fans won’t have to wait long to see the new stadium put to use: Fresno Pacific is hosting a four-game series against conference rival Azusa Pacific University that begins Thursday and includes a double-header on April 12.

But Wait, There’s More

• The Central Valley Health Youth Corps will show off their final projects on Monday from 10 to 11 a.m. in room 251 at the Old Administration Building at Fresno City College. (Yes, you will need to buy a $1 parking permit, but it’s well worth it!) The research projects include Food Insecurity (Riverdale High and Sanger West), Healthy vs. Negative Relationships (McLane High), Naxalone on Fresno Campuses (Edison High), Marketing the Clovis Support and Intervention Program (Buchanan High), and Rekindling Past Memories of Alzheimer Patients Using Music (Roosevelt High). The Central Valley Health Youth Corps is a program offered through the Fresno County Office of the Superintendent of Schools that unites high school student teams to “explore social determinants of health, health equity and health advocacy.”
• Fourteen Valley elementary schools were among the 336 named as 2025 California Distinguished Schools by the State Department of Education. Such schools are recognized in two categories: closing the achievement gap and exceptional student performance. The award, created in 1985, celebrates schools and districts for their innovation and success in supporting students. The 14 Valley elementary schools are: in Fresno County, Madison (Central Unified), Copper Hills and Harold L. Woods (Clovis Unified), Mayfair (Fresno Unified), Goldenrod (Kerman Unified), Lincoln (Kings Canyon Joint Unified); in Kings County, Martin Luther King Jr. (Hanford Elementary) and Kings River-Hardwick (Kings River-Hardwick Union Elementary); and in Tulare County, Golden Valley (Cutler-Orosi Joint Unified), Roosevelt (Dinuba Unified), Rocky Hill (Exeter Unified), Vieja Valley (Hope Elementary), Three Rivers (Three Rivers Union Elementary), and Mountain View (Visalia Unified). Kings River-Hardwick is the only charter school among the Valley’s 14 distinguished elementary schools.
• Jeanette Hardman of Springville in Tulare County is one of four people nationwide getting up to $10,000 from Study.com to help pay their student debt. Hardman used Study.com to take her graduate education degree exams as well as to pass her teacher certification exam. According to her LinkedIn profile she is a sixth-grade science teacher at Wonderful College Prep Academy. Study.com, based in Silicon Valley, helps students with K-12 curriculum, college courses and test preparation.

The post These Fresno First-Graders Are Topping Their Peers in Reading appeared first on GV Wire.

Mesa Energy Systems, Inc., also known as EMCOR Services Mesa Energy, submitted the sole proposal for the project and was one of only two companies responding initially to the district’s request for qualifications, district spokeswoman Nikki Henry told School Zone on Tuesday.

EMCOR’s bid matches the total of grant money the district received — $13,128,780 — through the California Schools Healthy Air, Plumbing and Efficiency (CalSHAPE) Ventilation Program.

Under the design-build contract, EMCOR — which is headquartered in Irvine and has an office in Fresno — will “provide all necessary engineering, management, labor, and related services for HVAC assessments, implementation, documentation, reporting services, repair and maintenance, carbon dioxide monitor installation, filter installation, and control programming.”

And what’s the funding source for CalSHAPE? You are, through your utility bills. The law passed by the Legislature in 2020 gives the California Energy Commission oversight of the program, which is funded through a separate rate collected by utility companies.

According to a recent California State Auditor report, nearly $1 billion was budgeted for CalSHAPE — $742 million for HVAC and $241 million for plumbing. Thus far $659 million has been awarded for HVAC projects and $131 million for plumbing, with about $192 million potentially being returned to the utilities to be returned to ratepayers once the CalSHAPE program ends in 2026.

(School Zone hopes the California Energy Commission’s oversight includes making sure that the utilities hand over the unspent funds to customers who will be glad of a bit of relief on their ever-rising utility bills.)

Design-build is one of the district’s construction contract options. Less popular these days is the lease-leaseback contract, which the district is still in litigation over in connection with the construction of Rutherford P. Gaston Middle School in 2012. Then there’s the project-labor agreement for construction contracts that are designed to be union-friendly.

What will $13 million-plus buy? HVAC assessment and maintenance at 98 schools, plus Edison-Bethune Charter Academy and Morris E. Dailey Charter Elementary.

The design-build contract is on the consent portion of the board’s agenda for Wednesday evening’s meeting in the downtown Education Center.

Related Story: Will Fresno Unified Rent Apartments for Homeless Students?

U.S. Ed Department’s Ties to Fox News?

A recent news release from the U.S. Department of Education caught School Zone’s eye. The March 21 news release contained the logos of both the Department of Education and Fox News, for which Secretary Linda McMahon had penned “My Vision for Eliminating the Department of Education.”

Is McMahon not allowed to spell out her department-ending mandate on regular Dept of Ed stationery, School Zone wondered?

In a nutshell, McMahon says “government-run” schools have failed to educate the nation’s students while burning through a trillion dollars in federal spending, and that control must be returned to states and to parents.

“Parents should be able to decide what school their children attend, ensure the curriculum is free from political agendas, and choose a school that protects their children’s safety and well-being,” McMahon wrote.

” … As we execute President Trump’s directive, we will systematically unwind unnecessary regulations and prepare to reassign the department’s other functions to the states or other agencies — including funding programs for states to support low-income students and learners with special needs, the distribution of student financial aid, civil rights enforcement and data collection. We will end this system that has over-promised and under-delivered — and empower local education leaders to build something much better in its place.”

School Zone confesses to being a bit confused as to how this new funding structure will work. Will our federal tax bills go down because Washington has no need to collect revenues to fund the U.S. Department of Education once it’s eliminated? Will the funding for education that California taxpayers have been sending to Washington be collected instead by the state, through our state income taxes? And what kind of protections will remain for districts with lots of low-income students, like Fresno Unified?

School Zone hopes McMahon will provide more details in her next Fox News op-ed.

Kudos, More Kudos, and a Congressional Art Contest

• Every year Clovis Unified celebrates the accomplishments of a dozen or so juniors who have faced challenges such as the loss of a loved one or being homeless, but who have maintained their focus on their education. The 2025 Students of Promise will be recognized Wednesday evening at a red-carpet gala hosted by the Foundation for Clovis Schools and held at the Clovis Veterans Memorial Building. The 16 students selected this year will receive a Student of Promise scholarship when they graduate next year and start their post-baccalaureate education. They are: Ashton Linthicum, Alina Rodas, and Alina Zhaman, Buchanan High; Jackie Figueroa and Annahbellah Thao, Clovis East; Helena Andrade, Serenity Martinez, Ashley Muñoz Nuñez, and Baylee Wright, Clovis High; Ramzee Hamm, Clovis North; Briana Chavez, Lilliann Day, Aaliyah Kenyon, and Ben Sayalath, Clovis West and Alyssa Rivera and Caitlyn Rouse, Gateway High.
• Fresno Unified has won the 2024-25 Lynne Aoki Multiple Pathways to Biliteracy District Recognition Award for its development of dual language and multicultural programs and pathways that help students be proficient in two or more languages. FUSD met multiple criteria for the award, including hiring qualified staff, expanding biliteracy programs across the district, and recognizing students’ progress and achievement. The award is named for Lynne Aoki, a founding member of Californians Together who was focused on improving programs for English learners, and is presented by Californians Together, a statewide advocacy coalition.
• Aspiring high school artists who live in California’s 21st Congressional District (represented by Jim Costa, D-Fresno) will have a chance to have their work seen on the national stage. The 2025 Congressional Art Competition is open for submissions until April 16, and the winner will have his or her artwork displayed at the Capitol (in the Cannon Tunnel) and get a free trip to the nation’s capital. All kinds of artworks are eligible, including paintings, drawings, photography, mixed media, and computer-generated art. Need more info? Click on this link.

The post Will This $13 Million Contract Make Fresno Schools Cooler? appeared first on GV Wire.

Clovis is one of the state’s largest school districts in which teachers are not represented by unions, although many other district employees are.

CSEA Chapter 250, which represents the district’s campus catering, maintenance, warehouse, custodial, grounds, and transportation workers, was on the winning side of the March 3 decision by the California Public Employment Relations Board.

CSEA had complained to PERB that when it attempted to negotiate upgrades in the salary schedule for transportation workers along with campus catering pay upgrades, the district fobbed it off over a series of months.

Part of the problem, according to the district, was a union email that a lead district negotiator said never arrived in his mailbox. (School Zone is reminded of the benefits of registered snail mail in such instances.)

The district tried to argue that the union had failed to push harder to negotiate and was itself guilty of bad faith bargaining, but the PERB decision rejected that contention.

“The District is essentially faulting CSEA for not pursuing negotiations further after the District had already demonstrated its per se unwillingness to bargain. … Continued demands to bargain after the District had refused would have been an act of futility, and failure to undertake a futile at does not constitute a waiver,” the PERB decision says.

PERB found that the district had violated the Educational Employment Relation Act by failing to meet and negotiate in good faith and ordered that the district post a cease-and-desist order.

Clovis Unified has been on the losing end of several recent labor complaints by the Assocation of Clovis Educators, which has been trying to unionize the district’s 1,877 teachers for several years but has so far has signed up smaller groups — school psychologists, the American Sign Language interpreters, and the Sierra Outdoor School naturalists.

PERB found that the district had actively interfered in ACE’s organizing efforts by providing financial support to the former Faculty Senate, which the district had created as the teachers’ labor representative. PERB ordered the district to disband the Faculty Senate in June 2024.

Related Story: State Board Says Clovis Unified Violated Labor Laws, Must Disband Faculty

Speaking of Unions …

The State Center Federation of Teachers, which represents faculty across the district’s campuses in Fresno and Madera counties, has joined its voice to the Madera Community College Academic Senate in taking no-confidence votes against Madera President Angel Reyna and Marie Harris, the college’s vice president of learning and student success.

The college has been part of a consortium of seven California community colleges testing a new type of instruction called competency-based education. Students pass courses when they demonstrate they have learned a competency, which is intended to streamline some classes and allow for more online education.

But since the program was first announced in 2021, Madera faculty have been raising concerns over how competency-based education would increase faculty workloads, potentially cause problems for older workers without access to technology needed for online instruction, and whether it could be coordinated with traditional classes.

State legislators have set aside millions of dollars for CBE to be piloted by the participating community colleges, and the courses were originally scheduled to start in 2025 but have encountered delays, according to a December CalMatters report.

Madera’s Academic Senate took a vote of no-confidence in the college leadership last fall, and the 28-member SCFT Executive Council followed suit this year, leading to its decision to present resolutions to the Board of Trustees earlier this month.

The union contends that Reyna has shown “blatant disregard … for the curricular processes” that are supposed to involve faculty and also that Reyna and Harris have engaged in retaliation.

“We are a very deliberative group and we don’t make these kinds of moves lightly or commonly,” SCFT President Keith Ford said in a news release about the no-confidence resolutions. “We have twenty- and thirty-year faculty members who say that this is the worst working environment they have seen in this District. This is why we chose to act.”

Ford told School Zone on Thursday that the union hasn’t taken such an action “in at least 20 years, if ever.”

FUSD Foundation Scholarship Deadline Is at Hand

Fresno Unified seniors who are college-bound could get a chunk of change to help cover their post-secondary costs — but the clock is ticking.

The deadline to submit an application for a share in $400,000 worth of scholarships that will be doled out by the Foundation for Fresno Unified Students is 4 p.m. Sunday.

Students planning to attend a two-year, four-year, or trade or technical school could get assistance ranging from $1,000 to $4,500. There is no GPA requirement, and the application is focused on student essays outlining their financial need and also explaining how their life experiences have shaped their career goals.

To apply, use this link.

The post State Labor Board Hands Another Defeat to Clovis Unified appeared first on GV Wire.

The lawsuit was brought in August 2023 by FIRE, formerly known as the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education and now called the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, on behalf of six State Center Community College District professors: James Druley, David Richardson, Linda de Morales, and Loren Palsgaard of Madera Community College, Bill Blanken of Reedley College, and Michael Stannard of Clovis Community College. Stannard and Druley withdrew from the case last year when they retired from teaching.

The professors had contended that their free speech rights were violated when the California Community Colleges system amended its tenure and employee review guidelines to include diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility standards, and require faculty members to “employ teaching, learning, and professional practices that reflect DEIA and anti-racist principles.”

Related Story: State Center Professors File Federal Suit Over ‘Diversity, Equity’ ...

DEI policies and regulations in the federal government are one of the early targets of President Donald Trump’s administration, which is terminating DEI in the federal government and threatening funding to other agencies maintaining DEI policies.

FIRE said in a news release that U.S. District Judge Kirk Sherriff dismissed the case on Jan. 28 after attorneys for State Center and the California Community Colleges system promised that faculty members would not be punished for what they teach, or don’t teach, in the classroom.

But the judge’s decision did not alter DEI language that remains in the state recommendations and State Center’s faculty contract.

FIRE attorney David Ortner said in the news release: “FIRE filed suit to prevent California’s community colleges from evaluating our faculty clients on the basis of their classroom commitment to a political ideology, and that’s exactly the result we’ve achieved. As a result of our suit, the state and the district promised a federal judge they won’t interfere with our clients’ academic freedom and free speech rights. The classroom is for discussion and exploration, not a top-down mandate about what ideas must take priority. We’ll make sure it stays that way.”

School Zone took a look at Sherriff’s ruling and found a couple other factors were at play:

— The plaintiff’s request for a preliminary injunction was kind of a cart before the horse, since no one had yet suffered injury.

— In addition, the state guidelines were only “recommendations” for local districts and not mandates.

— Thus, if the professors were holding back from using certain materials in the classroom such as assigning Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” or Victor Davis Hanson’s “Mexifornia,” or showing the film “Hidden Figures” out of fear of repercussions, “to the extent that Plaintiffs have self-censored, such ‘injury’ is self-inflicted and does not constitute an injury in fact that can support standing,” the judge ruled.

No standing means no basis for a preliminary injunction.

The faculty lawsuit is not FIRE’s first free speech case involving State Center. The nonprofit filed a freedom of speech lawsuit several years ago on behalf of a handful of conservative Clovis Community College students who said their constitutional rights were violated when the college took down their political posters from bulletin boards inside campus buildings.

Related Story: Fed Judge Says Clovis Community College Violated Students’ Free Speech, ...

They Earned High School Credit — Fast

Between Christmas and New Year’s when most of us (School Zone included) were busy opening presents, stuffing ourselves with tamales, gingerbread, and other holiday goodies, or just sleeping in, thousands of Fresno Unified students were catching up on their classwork.

Fresno Unified reported last month that over the winter break 3,385 students earned 11,119 high school credits toward graduation and college eligibility requirements (i.e, the A-G courses required to enter a state university like UC Merced or Fresno State).

The Winter Credit Recovery program was offered at Fresno, Hoover, McLane, Sunnyside, and DeWolf high schools, Farber Educational Campus, and Phoenix Secondary.

It’s unclear from the district’s report whether the students were passing those classes as a result of actual  classroom instruction with a real live teacher or by using the computer-based Edgenuity program that has allowed some students to pass Edgenuity quizzes and tests and complete a semester’s course in just a few days, thereby calling into question: Just what did they actually learn, and how much will they retain?

Related Story: What’s the Value of a Fresno Unified Diploma When These ...

Another Milestone for UC Merced

California’s newest and smallest UC recently announced that it had earned R1 status from Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. It’s a pretty big deal — less than 10% of the nation’s eligible public and private colleges and universities have the designation.

What does it mean? It’s a sign of UC Merced’s maturity into a solid research institution with very high research spending and doctorate production, and the designation means UC Merced will have access to expanded funding opportunities.

UC Merced joins the other nine UCs with the R1 designation: Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz.

UC President Dr. Michael V. Drake expressed his kudos in a news release: ““I’m extremely proud of all that UC Merced has achieved in just 20 years. Attaining R1 classification is a tremendous accomplishment and a resounding affirmation of the dedication and excellence of the campus’ leadership and esteemed faculty. Scientific discoveries and cures powered by University of California researchers have global impact, from mitigating wildfire risk and developing solutions for a climate-resilient California to saving lives through vital cancer research and treatment.”

The university noted in the news release that it’s the only R1 university in the Central Valley.

Fresno State, which is part of the California State University system, also is claiming some research cred. Fresno State announced that its R2 research designation, first bestowed by Carnegie in 2022, was renewed.

Institutions are eligible for R2 if they awarded at least 20 research doctorates and had at least $5 million in total research spending. Fresno State’s totals? It awarded 25 research doctoral degrees and spent $11.4 million on research in the 2022-23 academic year.

Only eight of the 23 CSUs are R2 institutions, so Fresno State can claim elite status.

Clovis Principals on the Move

On Wednesday night Clovis Unified School Board named four new principals for Lincoln, Garfield, Fugman, and Garfield elementary schools. Mid-year appointments seemed a bit unusual to School Zone, but district spokeswoman Kelly Avants explained in an email:

“We are actually right on time for appointing elementary principals because of the lengthy process to backfill jobs that are created as people are promoted (we start about January with the highest administrative role that we know is open — usually through retirements, and then work through the backfills and it usually takes until about March to get down to the classroom teacher level). These four are all effective for next school year (July 1, 2025) because of two retirements (Lincoln and Garfield) and promotions (Fugman’s principal is going to TBEC as their Deputy Principal and Dry Creek’s principal is moving to become our Administrator of Program Evaluation which is a districtwide position). All four of the departing principals are working through the end of the year.”

School Zone wishes Lincoln Principal Matt Verhalen and Garfield Principal Jennifer Bump well in their upcoming retirements and congratulates Dry Creek Principal Aaron Cook and Fugman Principal Jeremy Pierro on their promotions (TBEC is the new Terry Bradley Education Center under construction in southeast Fresno, a bit of a hike from Fugman in north Fresno.)

Their replacements are four high school learning directors: Simi Gill and Methinee Bozeman are leaving Buchanan High for Dry Creek and Garfield, Katie Aiello will head from Clovis North to Fugman, and Anisha Mayberry will depart Clovis West for Lincoln.

These Valley Schools Are State Models

The state Department of Education has put a spotlight on 10 Valley schools as models in the categories of community day and continuation high schools.

The schools serve at-risk youth or those who have been expelled or have attendance or behavior problems.

State Superintendent Tony Thurmond said the schools selected are doing a better than average job in providing educational options for their students and can serve as resources for other districts.

Of the nine community day schools named to the 2025 list, five are from the Valley: Clovis Community Day School (Elementary), Clovis Community Day School (Secondary), both in Clovis Unified; Phoenix Elementary Academy Community Day School, Fresno Unified; Creekside Community Day School, Visalia Unified; and Woodlake Community Day School, Woodlake Unified.

The state Education Department also named 74 schools as Model Continuation High Schools, including five from the Valley: Fowler Academy, Fowler Unified; San Joaquin Valley High School, Parlier Unified; Kings River High School, Sanger Unified; Sequoia High School, Visalia Unified; and Bravo Lake High School, Woodlake Unified.

The post Fed Judge Dismisses State Center Profs’ DEI Lawsuit appeared first on GV Wire.

The university announced this week it got a $3 million gift from a family that wants to remain anonymous, which is a shame because School Zone suspects that a lot of students at the private Christian university in southeast Fresno would want to send them a thank-you note.

The gift will be used establish a laptop lending program, giving all students reliable devices that they might not be able to afford on their own; renovate four classrooms with cutting-edge technology and updated furniture; and provide more space for the revitalized College Hour chapel program being moved to the Special Events Center.

The gift will help fund new seating and a video screen in the Special Events Center, which will benefit worship services, student life activities, and athletics.

A portion of the gift will pay for solar panels atop the Warkentine Culture and Arts Center, which the university estimates will cut at least $70,000 from annual energy costs.

The gift moves Fresno Pacific closer to its goal of $3.5 million in unrestricted gifts and provides support for operations.

Student body President Sariya Flores said in a news release that students will greatly benefit from the laptop lending library and improvements in the Special Events Center: “This will create a space where students can connect not only with their faith but also with each other.”

Fresno State Prof Gets CSU Excellence Award

Dr. Kimberly Stillmaker, an associate professor of civil engineering at Fresno State, is one of five recipients of the California State University Wang Family Excellence Award.

It seems somewhat appropriate that Stillmaker, whose award is for Outstanding Faculty Innovator in Student Success, should receive a family-related award. According to the university’s news release, her greatest inspiration to teach engineering is her father, a Vietnam veteran and Fresno State grad who persevered despite financial challenges and was encouraged by an English professor not to give up.

“Through my father’s story, I saw how impactful a teacher’s actions can be, and how transformational a college degree can be for the trajectory of a family, and it really inspires me to be able to hopefully have that kind of impact on other people’s families and the story that they’re going to tell,” Stillmaker said in a news release.

She’s director of the Lyles College of Engineering’s Foundation for Success Program, which focuses on improving academic outcomes for first- and second-year students pursuing engineering degrees. Thus far more than 1,000 students have gone through the program, and the result has been a significant increase in the number of those students continuing in their engineering studies.

Stillmaker also coordinates the Central California Engineering Design Competition for first-year engineering students at Fresno State and students from area community colleges. And she’s co-principal investigator on a National Science Foundation-funded grant to establish a CSU networking and mentoring program to foster diversity and equity among engineering faculty.

The Wang Family Excellence Award annually recognizes four faculty members and one staff member from the 23 CSU campuses for outstanding commitment to student achievement and contributions in their fields. Each winner receives a $20,000 award.

Central Unified Elementary Celebrates Wellness Center

How to be healthier? Wellness centers might be the answer, especially in communities where access to healthcare and social services can be limited.

On Tuesday there was a ribbon-cutting and grand opening of the new All4Youth Wellness Center at Biola-Pershing Elementary School west of Fresno. It’s the first such wellness center for a Central Unified school, and the sixth school-connected wellness center in Fresno County.

The wellness centers provide services such as helping families find resources for food, shelter, and clothing; apply for college or a driver’s license; apply for Medi-Cal insurance; find a doctor; and coordinate with mental health professionals.

All4Youth is a partnership program between the Fresno County Department of Behavioral Health and Fresno County Superintendent of Schools for children and youth ages 0-22 years old who are experiencing difficulties that affect them at school and home.

In addition to wellness centers, the program sends mobile vans out into rural communities to provide services.

All4Youth received state funding to develop 13 wellness centers on campuses across the county. In addition to Biola-Pershing, there are wellness centers at Tarpey and San Joaquin elementary schools, Fowler and Riverdale high schools, and Violet Heintz Education Academy, according to the Fresno County Office of the Superintendent of Schools’ website.

Scoring the Academic Decathlon

The Fresno County Office of Education updated the final medal winners and standings of Saturday’s Academic Decathlon, which caused Design Science High School to climb from fifth to fourth place in the overall standings.

Related Story: Hallmark Academy Wins Fresno County Academic Decathlon Championship

For School Zone, it was a little bit of deja vu. Way back in School Zone’s early days as a cub education reporter, she was assigned to travel with Florida’s team to the national Academic Decathlon at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. (Those were the days when newspapers could afford to fly a reporter from one coast to the other to cover an academic competition. Those were also the days when the same high school from Jacksonville seemingly had a lock on the state championship, hence the Jacksonville paper felt obliged to spring for airfare, hotel, and per diem.)

School Zone remembers being a bit stumped about finding an angle for her first day’s story since the participants were taking all their tests on a variety of subjects such as math, history, music, and science behind closed doors — only the Super Quiz is a public event. When the first-day scores were posted, the Florida team was dumbstruck and heartbroken at how low their team score was. They investigated and discovered that because another team had fielded only eight students, it had put a crimp in the database. One of the Florida team member’s scores had mistakenly been moved to the other state’s tally.

The Florida team went to bed that night not knowing where they stood among the other teams, so there was still some anxiety at breakfast and when they boarded their van to head back to Loyola Marymount. By the time of the awards ceremony, Florida’s team score had been revised to include the entire team. But alas — they didn’t have the horsepower to come out on top. That honor, as School Zone recalls, went to the California state champion.

The post $3 Million Gift Will Mean Laptops, Solar Panels, Larger Chapel for This Fresno University appeared first on GV Wire.

The school, which is projected to open this fall with more than 600 students, is being named after Jaswant Singh Khalra, a Sikh human rights activist who was assassinated in 1995. He’s also the namesake of a Fresno city park a few blocks south of the school site at the corner of Shields and Brawley avenues.

Given recent controversies over school names that embroiled the community, the board decided to bypass the sturm und drang and not seek widespread public input this time.

“During my tenure on this board, we have had an opportunity to name at least two schools,” Board president Naindeep Singh Chann said at Tuesday’s board meeting. “And oftentimes when people talk about the divisiveness, it’s actually less around the naming of the school. It’s actually sometimes been about the process. …

“In terms of our previous conversation, we’re really moving away from only a popularity contest to really centering on those marginalized voices in our community and making sure that all communities are seen and heard.”

Chann, noting that the new school is in his trustee area, said he spoke with students who will attend there as well as community members and neighbors about naming the school after Khalra.

“For me and for many of our South Asian community members and specific Punjabi neighbors, he’s absolutely a person of admiration because it’s a story of loyalty and friendship, integrity, courage and principle,” Chann said. “His daughter attended Fresno State. His family resides in our district. And probably thousands of our families here in the Fresno area were able to seek refugee asylum in this region because of his actual direct work.”

Chann is one of two Sikhs-Americans on the Central board. The other is Jaspreet Sidhu, who was elected last November to his first term. Chann and Sidhu were joined by trustees Yesenia Carrillo, Natalie Chavez, and Karla Kirk, and board clerk Nabil Kherfan in approving the school name. Trustee Joshua Sellers, who abstained, questioned why the board didn’t consider using a geographical name, as it had for another elementary school and its middle schools.

“Having been around during the time of the renaming process and having had to experience that and hear from multiple different community groups, I was always of the mindset that naming any campus after an individual is probably not the best idea,” he said at Tuesday’s board meeting. “As much as we want to honor people — and I have nothing against your suggestion — just for myself, I think trying to find something geographically here in the area that represents everybody, that would be the direction I would recommend going.”

Dissension Over Earlier Decisions

Tuesday’s 6-0 vote with Sellers’ abstention was in stark contrast to the split board votes on previous school-naming decisions.

When it came to naming the district’s new comprehensive high in 2021, more than 200 names were proposed by the public, including former President Barack Obama, then-Fresno Mayor Lee Brand, and social media celebrity Lovely Peaches. Friends of the late Justin Garza, the beloved head football coach at Central High who had lost his battle with cancer, mounted a concerted effort to convince the board to name the school for him instead of calling it Central North. And trustees did — on a 4-3 vote.

Related Story: Central Unified Names New High School After Justin Garza on Split Vote

After Polk Elementary fourth grader Malachi Suarez mounted his own campaign to have the school’s name changed because President James K. Polk was a slave owner, the board conducted surveys and held town hall meetings in a process that stretched over a year before agreeing in July 2022 on a 4-2 vote to rename the school Central Elementary.

Related Story: Strong Divisions Remain After Central Trustees Make Choice for School’s ...

The board policy for naming or renaming schools specifies that the trustees can recognize individuals, living or dead, who have made outstanding contributions to the county or community or contributions of state, national or worldwide significance, or recognize the geographical area. In addition, “other names may be submitted by consideration by the Board,” the policy says.

It does not require the board to seek districtwide or communitywide input, however.

The $41.6 million school is being funded by Measure D, district spokesman Johnathon Burrows said.

Clovis North Seniors Blind Me with Science

Out of the 300 students worldwide who were selected for the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2025, two are from Clovis North, and one has a family history with the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors.

The two students are Shiv Mehrotra-Varma and Pauline Victoria Allasas Estrada, whose older brother John Benedict won a major award in the contest as a sophomore in 2021.

Related Story: Clovis North Student Wins $55K in World Science Prizes for Drought Remedy

Pauline’s project was “Rapid Detection of Acetolactate Synthetase Inhibitor Resistant Weeds Utilizing Novel Full-Spectrum Imaging and a Bayesian-Optimized Hyperparameter-Tuned Convolutional Neural Network (CNN): A Two-Year Trial.” Shiv’s project was “Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Are at Elevated Risk of Developing New Hypertension and Chronic Kidney Disease Following COVID-19 Infections.”

Their award-winning projects netted $2,000 apiece for them and their northeast Fresno high school.

Goals and Guardrails Disconnect?

Fresno Unified trustees have been engaged in a lengthy process to establish goals for student performance as well as guardrail protections.

At last week’s board meeting, the first goal up for consideration was to increase the reading proficiency of first graders from 48% in June 2024 to 80% by June 2030. Which raised a question in School Zone’s mind: Didn’t then-Superintendent Bob Nelson, when announcing in April 2023 that the district was embarking on a huge literacy campaign, say that the goal was to have ALL students reading at grade level by the end of the first grade? (Although to be fair, Nelson, who is now on the faculty of Fresno State’s Kremen School of Education, didn’t set a deadline for the first graders’ literacy.)

The proposed guardrails include preventing the superintendent from meeting goals by excluding certain student groups and from promoting staff who fail to meet standards.

The academic goals are pretty specific and promise some significant improvements of student performance. And it seems self-evident that teachers will be on the front lines of making sure those goals are met.

So, what do Fresno teachers think of the district goals and guardrails?

“While setting goals is great, it’s clear they’re missing the bigger picture: nothing will change unless they’re willing to shift the district’s culture. That means truly listening to educators, valuing all staff members, addressing the culture of fear/retribution, providing real support, and making decisions that reflect what’s actually happening in our classrooms and school sites,” teachers union president Manuel Bonilla said in a text to School Zone.

Students, Need Dress Clothes? New Clovis West ‘Store’ Has You Covered

Students in the Clovis West area whose clothing budgets are stretched thin can shop at a new, no-cost “boutique-style shopping experience.” Golden Eagle Outfitters is scheduled for its grand opening at 3 p.m. this afternoon.

Students, staff, community members and the Clovis Rotary Club combined forces to get the store up and running.

The Rotary Club donated $3,000 for materials and racks, which are filled with donations from high school staff and the community.

Clovis West Area SOAR Transition director Sarah Quesada developed the project along with Clovis West teacher Erin Garcia. The genesis was when school officials had to make a last-minute scramble to outfit a student who didn’t have dress clothes for his graduation ceremony last year.

Quesada said there’s been huge support from students, including members of Clovis West’s Interact Club, SOAR, Fashion Club, Life Skills, and automative programs in designing marketing materials, building store fixtures, and preparing the inventory.

Golden West Outfitters is available by request or referral for students and their families in the Clovis West Area.

Want to help? Donations of new or VERY gently used items appropriate for students in grades TK-12 can be dropped off at the Clovis West front office, the school’s SOAR office, and the feeder schools (Kastner Intermediate and Fort Washington, Liberty, Lincoln, Maple Creek, Nelson, Pinedale, and Valley Oak elementaries).

The post What’s In a School Name? Central Trustees Opt Not to Seek Communitywide Input This Time appeared first on GV Wire.

The board took less than a half-hour Wednesday evening to cover its agenda, which admittedly was a bit slim for the calendar year’s first meeting. But Board President Valerie Davis says it’s an example of the board’s move to efficiency and focus on the district’s primary goals: improving student performance and customer service.

And it did not go unnoticed. Davis told School Zone on Friday that she was “stoked” to get a note from Sue Deigaard, one of the board’s coaches, about the meeting. FUSD trustees have been working with coaches from the Council of the Great City Schools to improve their governance skills, which include starting meetings on time and limiting unnecessary chatter.

“So she writes, ‘Dear board members. Wow, what a way to kick off 2025. This was one of the most efficient and focused board business meetings I have ever seen. I am truly impressed with the progress you have all made in just a few months,’ Davis said.”

But there are other changes at hand. In addition to moving Interim Superintendent Misty Her next to her on the dais, Davis now has the power as board president to control microphones of trustees as well as speakers at the podium. Which, she noted, would have come in handy during then-Trustee Terry Slatic’s self-proclaimed “filibustering” that forced the board to adjourn its meeting in August 2021.

Related Story: Why Was FUSD Interim Superintendent’s Seat Moved at Board Meetings?

The Education Center’s $4.8 million remodel includes other parts of the building and took a little longer than expected — the board had been meeting in a conference room at the Nutrition Center on Brawley Avenue since August — and also cost a little more. But the new board room is brighter, with white walls above darker wood paneling, new chairs and carpeting in coordinated shades of bamboo, new lighting, a new sound system, and large video screens behind the board and along the side walls. The old sloping ceiling has been removed, providing a good look at the third-floor ceiling that’s above the wood accented-panels holding lighting and speakers overhead,

Davis wants to make at least one more change, and soon: She wants to re-establish a table designated for the district’s labor partners. In the past there was such a table, and Davis wants to see it restored. Side tables are typically reserved for district staffers, administrators, and translators. And yes, there is a media table, although now it’s tucked at the back on the left side of the room, in front of the audio-visual team and equipment.

Is Central Unified Getting Student Trustees?

Having students sit at the dais alongside elected officials has been a common practice for a long time at Fresno and Clovis School Board meetings. The goal is for students to give input and, in the case of Fresno Unified, cast votes (although their votes are unofficial).

Fresno’s student trustees are typically in the job for an entire school year. By contrast, Clovis Unified’s student representatives rotate so that each comprehensive high school gets a turn sitting at the dais, spokeswoman Kelly Avants tells School Zone.

“They are members of our InterSchool Leadership Council and are selected by members of that group,” she said in an email. “We used to use a student board member model, but as the district got larger, the Board and Administration felt it was more equitable to use the representative model so they could rotate throughout the year.”

And now Central Unified students want to get in on the board meeting action. A student-sponsored petition seeking the addition of student trustees is being presented as an informational item on Tuesday’s board agenda, district spokesman Johnathon Burrows said Friday.

Student Diljot Singh Rai told the Central trustees at their Dec. 17 meeting that a petition circulated by Central students had already collected more than 600 signatures, crossing the threshold set by California education code of at least 500 signatures.

“We trust that you will act swiftly and to ensure legal compliance and to honor your commitment to student voice,” he told the trustees.

Need a Scholarship? Fresno Schools Foundation Has ‘Em

Fresno Unified seniors who want to continue their education after graduation but need financial help can apply to the Fresno Unified Scholarship Fund, which in partnership with the Foundation for Fresno Unified Students hopes to have $400,000 to hand out later this year.

Students who plan to enroll in a community college, four-year college or university, or a trade or technical program are eligible to apply for scholarships that will start at $1,000. There is no GPA requirement, and students will be evaluated based on their essays outlining their financial need, their life experiences, and their future goals.

The deadline to apply is Sunday, March 16. To apply, go to this link.

Fresno Pacific Celebrates Anabaptism Anniversary

Five hundred years ago a small group of Christians in Zurich, Switzerland began a movement that rejected infant baptisms and opted instead for adult baptism, even though they could wind up in prison or be killed for their religious beliefs. Anabaptists also rejected military service and the official connection of church and state.

Anabaptism was founded on Jan. 21, 1525, and the denominations that came from this tradition include the Mennonite Brethren, who founded and operate Fresno Pacific University, a private Christian university in southeast Fresno.

Later this month the university will celebrate the 500th anniversary of Anabaptism with two events focusing on its history and relevance.

Both events will be on Jan. 22 on the main campus at 1717 S. Chestnut Ave.

Brian Schulz, Ph.D., a professor of biblical and theological studies at Fresno Pacific, will lead a chapel at 10 a.m. in the Lyles Theater in the Warkentine Culture & Arts Center. The event is free and no ticket is required.

Valerie Rempel, director of accreditation for the Association of Theological Schools, will head up an Anabaptist Community Luncheon for local church and community members from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.in the BC Lounge. The event is free, but seating is limited and registration is required. To register, click here. The deadline to RSVP is Jan. 17.

School Zone Has Reached That Age

School Zone the column is only five years old, but School Zone’s producer has decided that after nearly 47 years in the news biz, it’s time to “semi-retire.” While you’re still be hearing from School Zone, it might not be as often and on occasion there might be a lag in responding to emails or phone calls. (School Zone has acquired a little RV and plans to do some traveling with her faithful pup Quinn by her side). We thank you for your patience!

The post After Remodeling Board Room, Fresno Trustees Streamline Meetings appeared first on GV Wire.

Fresno Unified trustees passed such a pledge for the first time in March 2017, shortly after President Donald Trump started his first term with promises to tighten borders and with ICE conducting workplace immigration raids. For his second term, Trump has promised mass deportations and could be targeting sites that were previously off-limits to immigration raids: schools, hospitals, and places of worship.

FUSD trustees aren’t waiting for Trump to be sworn into his second term on  Jan. 20 (which somewhat ironically falls on the federal holiday honoring civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.) to consider a new resolution reaffirming their “Recognition of a Safe Place School District.” The resolution they passed in 2017 prohibits district personnel from voluntarily cooperating in immigrant enforcement, including sharing information about the immigration status of students and their families.

The resolution is on the consent portion of Wednesday’s meeting that will see trustees return to the district’s downtown headquarters after a lengthy and expensive renovation project that includes a major overhaul of the board’s second floor meeting room.

The resolution also would require Interim Superintendent Misty Her to develop a comprehensive plan to communicate to both staff and families the district’s commitment to make Fresno Unified schools safe places.

Central Unified trustees are scheduled later this month to take up a similar resolution, reaffirming the commitment they made in 2017 not to collaborate voluntarily with immigration officials. That resolution emphasized that U.S. Supreme Court precedent guarantees a public education to all children regardless of the immigration status of themselves or their families.

The Supreme Court’s 1982 case, Plyler v. Doe, passed on a 5-4 majority and found that schools could neither deny education to undocumented students nor force their families to pay tuition.

Meanwhile, the potential for immigration raids could stymie the advances that school districts, including Fresno Unified, have been making in reducing chronic absenteeism, which skyrocketed after the pandemic. In addition to learning losses for children who aren’t in school, absenteeism puts a squeeze on district finances, since the state provides funding based on student attendance.

The slight uptick of 0.4% in attendance reported at the Dec. 18 board meeting represents about $4 million in additional state funding, chief financial officer Patrick Jensen told the board.

District Wants to Lift Bonding Ceiling

Central Unified voters have given the district the OK to sell general obligation bonds for school improvements that include the $109 million in bonds that voters authorized when they passed Measure X in November.

The property tax rate for each bond measure — Measure X was preceded by Measures B, C, and D — is capped at $60 per $100,000 of assessed valuation.

But the size of the bond measure can impact the actual tax rate. Central Unified trustees opted not to seek a $126 million bond measure in November to maintain the current rate of taxation, which is $215.60 per $100,000 assessed valuation.

The district faces another limitation: State law caps the assessed valuation bonding capacity at 2.5% unless there is a waiver from the State Board of Education.

Central is competing against school districts with higher property tax valuations that reap more tax dollars and enable them to claim a bigger piece of the state’s facilities funding pie.

The board is holding a public hearing next week to receive public comment about making such a waiver request. The public hearing will start at 6 p.m. Jan. 14 and be held at 5652 W. Gettysburg Ave., Fresno.

The post Will Fresno School Boards Renew Pledges to Keep Kids Safe from Immigration Raids? appeared first on GV Wire.

The third-floor corner meeting room in the downtown Fresno headquarters is a little hard to find unless you know where you’re going. Once you’re in the room you’d better sit up front if you want to hear anything, as the audio system in the room either doesn’t exist — despite the existence of microphones on the dais and at the podium where the public can speak — or it wasn’t turned on last Thursday.

Although meetings of the five-member board, each of whom represents a different slice of Fresno County, are livestreamed, they are not archived so there’s no way for the public to check them out later.

School Zone was not alone in noticing this. Hector Romero, president of Fresno County Chapter 573 of the California School Employees Association, urged the School Board during the public comment portion of the meeting to make arrangements for their meetings to be more available.

“The reason why I’m here today is just to ask about accessibility, accountability, and transparency. And my question is, I know that we now livestream our sessions, the board sessions. But as I have learned, we do not archive them or offer them after,” he said. “And I think since the majority of these meetings are during the workday, which our employees can’t come to, or they can’t watch it really at their desk, why are we not providing this ongoing for the public also to see the work that our superintendent and board does?”

Fixes Are Underway

Deputy Superintendent Diane Lira said in an email Monday that the livestreaming began in September at the request of a board member. “While archiving the livestreams was not part of the original request, we are actively exploring the possibility of adding this feature in the future,” she said.

As for the audio system, Lira said, “The microphones used during the meetings are designed for recording purposes rather than amplification. As a result, audio clarity can be affected if a speaker is not positioned close enough to the microphone. To address this, we will take steps to ensure that all speakers are reminded to speak directly into the microphone to provide clearer audio for viewers.”

The Fresno County Office of Education, headed by Fresno County Superintendent of Schools Michele Cantwell-Copher, oversees educational programs like CTEC Charter High School in central Fresno, approves the Local Control Accountability Plan for juvenile court schools, and provides as-needed assistance for many of the county’s smaller school districts.

Setting Goals and Guardrails

The Fresno Unified School Board took its next baby step toward selecting the district’s new superintendent last week, but it was an important baby step.

The board is following the framework for a superintendent search established by a consultant for the Council of the Great City Schools that includes setting “goals and guardrails” for superintendents to adhere to. Goals are, well, goals, and guardrails are protections for “non-negotiable values” that are important to the community.

Last Thursday’s workshop resulted in the following goals:

• Early literacy proficiency, as evidenced by increasing the proficiency of first graders in reading tests from 48% in June 2024 to a whopping 70% by June 2030.
• Literacy intervention: The percentage of students in grades 3 through 8 who are more than one grade level behind and who show more than one year’s growth will increase from 10% in June 2024 to 50% by June 2030.
• College and career readiness: Increasing the percentage of high school graduates who are college and career ready from 43% to 86% by 2030.

The fourth goal was to improve the percentage of students in grades 4 through 8 to be better equipped at conflict resolution, problem solving, and self-regulation. No specific goals were set at the workshop.

And then there were the guardrails:

• No new major decisions proposed by the superintendent without a community engagement plan.
• The superintendent leave out vulnerable population groups or schools as a way of meeting goals.
• No hiring, promotion, or lateral movement of staff who are consistently performing at “does not meet standard” for two years.
• The superintendent may not jeopardize the health and wellness of students and staff in his or her zeal to meet goals.

The board still needs to vote to make the goals and guardrails official, and that needs to come before trustees can hire the search firm that will be responsible for rounding up suitable candidates to be the district’s new superintendent. The estimated date for that hire is now May 1.

Related Story: Fresno Trustees Inch Closer to Hiring a New Superintendent

Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto

Carden School of Fresno will be competing in the world robotics championships in Houston against other schools from the U.S. and around the world. Carden’s team, The Tech Monkeys, recently won the regional Robotics championship at Alta Sierra Intermediate School in Clovis.

What makes their win extra amazing? Carden, one of the smaller schools in both Fresno and the Central Valley, has only been competing for two years. They bagged their victory with a first-round score of 345, which no one was able to match or exceed in the next two rounds.

The Orcabotics team from Cedarwood Elementary in Clovis took second place, and L.E.G.O. Wolves from the Wonderful College Prep Academy in Delano rounded out the top 3.

Kids First Report Out

GO Public Schools Fresno has released its “2024 Kids First Report” for public consumption. The student outcomes report analyzes how Fresno Unified and charter school students did on standardized testing, chronic absenteeism, and being ready for college and career. The guide also contains useful tips for parents on how to understand data and what they can do to help their child be successful in his or her K-12 career.

GO Public Schools Fresno is an education advocacy organization that for years has focused attention on the state’s third-largest school district and the performance of its students.

The report is free and is available here.

GO Public Schools Fresno will provide printed copies in 2025 and also will host in-person events on Jan. 15 and 16. Click here to RSVP.

Goya Sponsors Scholarships

The New Jersey-based company, America’s largest Hispanic-owned food company, will award $20,000 scholarships to students nationwide who are entering their freshmen year of college and planning to major in culinary arts and/or food science. The scholarships will be awarded in $5,000 increments.

Applicants will be evaluated based on academic achievement, leadership, community service, financial need, and an essay on how Goya has enriched their family traditions.

Applications are due by March 3. For more information and to apply, go to https://learnmore.scholarsapply.org/goyaculinary/.

Shout-Out to Kings Canyon Unified

The Reedley school district has earned the title of 2024 California Honor Roll District, with eight of its schools being named to the annual Educational Results Partnership Honor Roll.

The honor roll recognizes the top-performing public schools, charters, and districts in California, and only 20% statewide earned the honor.

Kings Canyon was acknowledged for closing achievement gaps among higher-poverty and historically underserved student populations.

The post What Goes on at Fresno County School Board Meetings? It’s Hard to Tell appeared first on GV Wire.