Assemi breaks down the importance of this role and the huge impact it has on the community.

The interim superintendent, Misty Her, is favored to take on the full-time position. However, others are pushing back and saying that the candidate should come externally.

FUSD is expected to make an announcement Wednesday night.

Related Story: Will Fresno Unified Sacrifice Another Generation of Students? The Choice Is

The post Wired Wednesday: What’s the Future of Fresno Unified and the Superintendent Position? appeared first on GV Wire.

GV Wire’s Jahz Tello produced this video in collaboration with reporter Nancy Price.

The post Fresno Trustee Susan Wittrup Discusses Keys to Improving Student Literacy appeared first on GV Wire.

GV Wire’s Jahz Tello produced this video in collaboration with reporter Nancy Price.

The post Fresno Trustee Susan Wittrup Discusses Keys to Improving Student Literacy appeared first on GV Wire.

The Censure Resolution

The proposed resolution finds that Slatic has “engaged in abusive and unprofessional conduct with staff, students, fellow trustees, and members of the public, and exceeded his role as a board member.” It also finds that his behavior, language, and conduct toward district employees, students, and the public violate district policies and board bylaws.
He is accused of raising his voice to district staff and other trustees, and of making “inappropriate demands that exceed his authority as an individual board member.” The incidents have hurt staff morale and are a distraction from the primary mission of educating children, the resolution says.
The resolution outlines a series of incidents involving Slatic and a Bullard High School student, a Bullard wrestling coach, an Army recruiter at the campus, and Bullard cheerleaders, all of which have been or are being investigated by the district.

TRO Hearing Delayed

Meanwhile, on Monday, a Fresno County Superior Court temporary judge continued a hearing into a request by a 16-year-old Bullard cheerleader for a restraining order against Slatic, who she said caused her anxiety and stress after he met with the squad in July.
At the meeting, Slatic warned the girls against continuing to talk about a social media posting showing a video of a Bullard cheerleader in blackface using the n-word, which became national news.
Judge Noelle Pebet on July 17 denied the temporary restraining order but scheduled a show-cause hearing for Monday. The hearing was continued until Aug. 26 after Pebet found that Slatic had not been properly served with legal papers on the matter.
After a Fresno Unified special meeting July 18 that was called to talk about Slatic’s meeting with the cheerleaders, the board voted to bar Slatic from the Bullard campus for two weeks and to require a district administrator to escort him when visiting any district site. The board also voted to create an ad hoc committee to review the evidence and present a censure resolution to the full board.

No Recall Papers Filed

The county clerk’s office said Monday morning that no documents to start a recall of Slatic have been filed. People have called for Slatic’s recall at board meetings and in small protests near Bullard High School.

The post Proposed Censure Includes Anger Management for Trustee Slatic appeared first on GV Wire.

‘Hostile, Aggressive, Intimidating’

The assistant wrestling coach’s name was redacted in the 164-page investigative report by Adams Silva & McNally LLP released by Fresno Unified. But he is Nara Sihavong, a longtime coach of the sport at Fresno and Clovis schools.
Sihavong alleged Slatic confronted him Feb. 11 in a “hostile, aggressive and intimidating manner” while ordering wrestling coaches to cancel a Feb. 12 joint practice with Clovis East High School wrestlers, even after coaches had informed Slatic the trustee’s son would not be practicing with a Clovis East wrestler he was likely to compete against in upcoming matches.
The assistant coach alleged that Slatic had told him, “Just remember when you are looking for a position, I will look for your application across my desk.”
The report noted Slatic would not speak with the report’s investigator despite numerous requests.

Slatic Disputes Coach’s Accusations

Slatic, reached by phone Thursday in Boston, where he is attending an education retreat with other trustees, said he disputes a number of the details of the allegations made by the assistant wrestling coach.
Slatic said he never told Bullard coaches he was speaking as a trustee and did not threaten to prevent the assistant coach from obtaining a job with the district. He confirms he told the coach that the joint practice was organized “to please his (the coach’s) own ego.”
As to the allegation that he used “degrading, forceful and intimidating language” when speaking with the coach, Slatic said the coach initiated the showdown using similar language, “and that’s how I responded.”
“What I said was, ‘I’m watching you put my son at risk,’ ” Slatic said.

Says Goal Was to Protect His Son

Slatic said his goal was to protect his son from a practice session with a Clovis East wrestler who had posted on social media his fervent intention to “beat a Slatic.” Whether or not they were on the same wrestling mat, just having them in the same room could have posed hazards, he said.
Slatic confirmed he chose not to respond to queries from the investigator, in part because of his conclusion that the district’s investigations are “weaponized” and would not be impartial.
He said his attorney also advised him that because the dispute did not happen on Fresno Unified school grounds and he was acting as a parent, not a trustee, he did not have to participate.
Though the coaches had initially told Slatic the practice at Clovis East would continue, a decision was made later to cancel it to avoid “ruffling any feathers.”

Assistant Coach: Slatic ‘Went Too Far’

A  business owner, Sihavong wrestled at George Mason University and has coached wrestling for 28 years.

Previous Investigation Into Confrontation with Recruiter

Adams Silva & McNally also investigated a complaint by Army recruiter Staff Sgt. Jeremy Cooper that alleged Slatic harassed and belittled him during a confrontation at Bullard High, and that Cooper believed Slatic’s behavior was racially motivated. Cooper is black.
The investigation report, released July 19, found Slatic violated board policies for management oversight, governance standards and limits of authority for trustees, but concluded Slatic did not racially discriminate against Cooper. The investigation called Slatic’s interaction with Cooper “confrontational and aggressive.”
Slatic disputed the conclusions of that investigation, saying the school district allows its hired investigators to follow their own procedures.

Investigation Coming on Cheerleader Incident

At a special board meeting July 18 called after complaints that Slatic had been hostile to Bullard cheerleaders, trustees approved a motion to investigate the allegations but specified that it would employ an investigator it hasn’t previously used, “so we can have a report that is completely impartial,” trustee Carol Mills said.
District spokeswoman Veronica Ramirez said a new investigator has yet to be identified and hired.
The complaint by a Bullard cheerleader alleges Slatic came to a cheer practice “to bully and threaten the program and individuals for the actions of two members.” On July 10, he addressed the team about lingering tensions from national news stories that were sparked after social media posts surfaced showing videos of a Bullard cheerleader in blackface and using the n-word.

Board Places Restrictions on Slatic

The board on July 18 also voted to ask Superintendent Bob Nelson to issue a civility letter that states Slatic is not allowed on Bullard’s campus for 14 days. Ramirez said Slatic received that letter earlier this week.  In addition, the board took action requiring Slatic to have a district administrator escort him on any visits to Fresno Unified campuses.

“I stand by what the investigator found. As trustees, we are entrusted not only with the safety of children but also staff. Their safety is important to us as well.” — Board president Claudia Cazares

DA Cleared Slatic in Confrontation With Student

Slatic also was investigated in January – barely two months after his election to the school board — after a Bullard student alleged the trustee grabbed his backpack and got into a physical confrontation. The District Attorney’s Office investigated the incident and decided not to file charges against Slatic or the 15-year-old student, who Slatic alleged made threats to kill him and his aide.

GV Wire’s Bill McEwen contributed to this report.

The post Bullard Coach Says Trustee Terry Slatic 'Went Too Far' appeared first on GV Wire.

Policies Violated, Report Says

A 173-page report by the law firm Adams Silva & McNally LLP found Slatic violated board policies for management oversight, governance standards, and limits of authority for trustees. It called Slatic’s interaction with Cooper “confrontational and aggressive.”
However, the report concluded Slatic did not racially discriminate against Cooper. The report pointed out that Cooper also said, “Slatic’s conduct may have been motivated by the fact that SSG [redacted] is a member of the Army, whereas Trustee Slatic was a Marine.”

Slatic: Investigative Procedures Are Flawed

Slatic, contacted late Friday afternoon, disputed the investigation’s conclusions, saying the school district allows its hired investigators to follow their own procedures.

New Investigator for Next Slatic Probe

At Thursday’s special board meeting called to investigate Slatic’s controversial meeting with Bullard cheerleaders, trustees approved an investigation into what happened there.
As part of her motion, trustee Carol Mills requested that the district hire an investigator it hasn’t previously used.
“This is so that we can have a report that is completely impartial,” Mills said.
Mills also pointed out that, in addition to its approved list of investigation firms, the district often hires attorneys to conduct investigations.

The Incident

Slatic and Cooper had a chance meeting Jan. 7 at the Bullard High administration office. Slatic asked Cooper what “his purpose” was for being on campus, and repeated the question after not getting a satisfactory answer, the report said.
Tensions escalated between the two, with Slatic allegedly threatening to ban the recruiter from campus. Slatic also berated the recruiter to Cooper’s superior officers.
Cooper, who was interviewed five times by investigators, said he made his formal complaint “because he was concerned that trustee Slatic may treat students in a similar manner.”
During the incident, Slatic asked Cooper repeatedly why he was on campus. Slatic became agitated and started yelling, using the term “shut your mouth” multiple times, Cooper told investigators. Slatic also threatened to have Cooper “banned” from Bullard High, Cooper said.
When Cooper called his supervisor on a phone, Slatic demanded to talk to the supervisor, and said Cooper was “really showing his ass,” the report says.

The Investigation

The report says Cooper “presented as a credible witness,” while Slatic was “not credible throughout” during his interview with the investigative firm.

Investigator: Slatic Was ‘Confrontational and Abrupt’

When the investigator met with Slatic, the trustee insisted the meeting be recorded. Slatic was described as “was confrontational and abrupt” during the interview.
While Slatic answered questions with “ a very high degree of detail,” it “appeared to be designed to prove … he was calm during the incident and had the right to ask (Cooper) the questions,” the report says.
Slatic said he asked Cooper to provide details about what he does on campus. When Cooper asked Slatic wanted to know, Slatic said he was a board member and it was his responsibility to know.
Slatic said he cut off Cooper numerous times during the conversation, but that Cooper also cut him off. Slatic also said “that if he did not understand what SSG (redacted) did on campus, he would ask the principal not to allow him on campus until he obtained such an understanding,” according to the report.
Slatic said he may have told the recruiter he would be banned from campus.
The trustee said he did not use profanity in his phone conversation with Raidt. According to Slatic, the captain told him Cooper had a history of being defensive.

The post District Probe Faults Slatic in Clash With Army Recruiter appeared first on GV Wire.

Civility and Discourse

At the beginning the board meeting, as she does at every meeting, board clerk Carol Mills read a civility warning to one and all.
The warning basically asks people not to disrupt speakers or board members. As a consequence, a disrupter could be removed from the meeting without further warning.
There were instances of yelling from the audience throughout the meeting. At times, Cazares tried to calm outbursts and keep things focused on Slatic’s cheerleader meeting.
 

Outburst and Insults

Cazares noted it was hard to keep order.
“It was very difficult. But, as a parent and a mom of kids, I feel for them. If I were in their place, I would act the same way. I would say the same things. I would be just as mad,” Cazares said. “The purpose of the meeting was to hear them, and they were mad. And they needed to let us know.”
As far as the insults and harsh tone, Cazares said it wasn’t adhered to July 10, the day Slatic met with the cheerleaders. She also referred to Slatic’s physical altercation last January with a Bullard student.
“Even though I tried my best to tell people to calm down, I think calling somebody a bully isn’t an attack. It is what your actions are that call for somebody to call you a bully,” she said.

The post Slatic's Behavior Is 'Not Acceptable,' Says Board President appeared first on GV Wire.

In reality, it was nearly two and a half hours of trustees airing grievances over things like confidentiality, board behavior and agenda-setting.

And while no trustee would say as such, the meeting also felt like a therapy session — held in public.

Trustee Keshia Thomas called it a “clarity session.”

The meeting had no formal agenda items or issues to vote on. Rather, a facilitator led the conversation — Mary Egan of MRG, a Danville-based agency that counsels private- and public-sector agencies on issues such as governance and leadership.

No trustee named names or pointed out specific incidents. While the atmosphere sometimes got tense, with trustees airing complaints about the difficulties of running a $1 billion government sector, in the end they seemed satisfied with the meeting.

Focusing on Working Together

Board President Claudia Cazares said the workshop was designed to improve running the school board.

Her goals were “to come together as a board and discuss individually what we see as our roles and responsibilities as trustees, but also what brings us together and where we can move forward as a whole and not individually as trustees.”

Egan asked others about their concerns. Trust seemed to be a common response.

“What happens when we violate that trust?” Trustee Valerie Davis said. “Maybe we need a social contract among each other so we behave a certain way.”

Cazares agreed. “Hopefully we trust each other more after listening to what we all have to say today and we come together more as a holistic group,” she said.

Later in the conversation, Trustee Terry Slatic acknowledged he doesn’t pick up cues from his colleagues all the time.

“I am absolutely one of those people who didn’t get those nuances, everyone’s coping mechanisms, up front. I historically dealt with people like me. … My coping mechanism last week on a very troubling litigation discussion that we had to have. And I literally have to sit here like this (with his head down),” Slatic said.

Slatic, a retired Marine major, said he is trying to improve how he copes.

Punctuality and Professionalism

Trustee Carol Mills wanted the board to act more professionally. She complained about trustees showing up late to events, or not appearing at all.

“That basically is just rude,” Mills said.

Cazares added: “My biggest pet peeve is being on time.”

Ironically, two trustees (Thomas and Veva Islas) arrived a few minutes late for the meeting. Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas did not attend.

Davis said that if the board agreed to support a bond measure, that no trustee would campaign against it.

Agenda Setting

Islas also had problems with how items are placed on the agenda. Currently, that responsibility resides with the board president (Cazares) and clerk (Mills), along with Fresno Unified Superintendent Bob Nelson.

“There is real power in suppressing or advancing, based on where you stand,” Islas said. She also felt the agenda sometimes can become so overloaded that it’s hard to have meaningful discussions at board meetings.

Mills called agenda-setting “an art, not a science.”

All parties agreed to be more open when it comes to placing items on the agenda.

“I’m open to any procedure or policy or routine that depoliticizes that environment,” Nelson said.

Subcommittee Jurisdiction

Another long conversation revolved around the jurisdiction and powers of board subcommittees in relation to the full board. No specific subcommittee or dispute was brought up during the discussion.

Davis, Islas and Mills serve on the board’s legislative committee, which meets once a month. According to committee’s bylaws, it is “responsible for monitoring legislation of interest to or affecting school districts and reporting back to the Board of Education.”

Thomas explained after the meeting that the subcommittee could not decide who to send to represent the board at a special education meeting in Sacramento. Thomas wanted to go, but it wound up being Mills. Thomas called it a misunderstanding. The conversation centered on how board bylaws cover such conflicts.

Islas seemed to be the trustee most bothered by this. When asked, Thomas said she noticed some tension in the room.

“Any time there is a misunderstanding about how things work, emotions are high. Especially when you’re as passionate as we are at what we do,” Thomas said.

While things didn’t get necessarily heated, it did get bogged down in minutia. Nelson chimed in, harking back to the point of long agendas and board meetings.

“This is why we struggle to regulate time,” he said with a smile.

Brown Act Review

Part of Egan’s presentation was to remind the board about the Brown Act, the state law governing how public meetings are conducted.

Part of the issue was confidential information shared during closed sessions. These items usually involve staff, litigation, student discipline or real estate matters.

While no one described a specific instance of a trustee revealing privileged conversations to the public or the media, the existence of such actions was heavily implied.

Trustees said it was hard for them to speak candidly in closed session if they’re concerned their conversations could go beyond closed doors.

Slatic said the Brown Act requirement to discuss business in open session can be troublesome.

“The biggest speed bump to us understanding each other are these legal requirements not to understand each other,” Slatic said.

Stop Carrying a Grudge

As Egan concluded the workshop, the trustees shared final thoughts.

“I think everybody has to stop carrying a grudge. Decisions were made. You may not like them, you may not agree with them. … You got to stop the grudges and drop the history, because if you keep breaking it up, we’re not going to move forward,” Mills said.

Islas responded: “There is a big difference between a grudge and an unresolved grievance.” After the meeting, Islas declined to elaborate.

Islas said the meeting was constructive.

“We pretty much made progress to what I think will be a satisfactory resolution,” she said.

The post Can Fresno Unified Trustees Get Along? They Meet to Find Out. appeared first on GV Wire.

Board Discussion

Four days after the Slatic incident, the school board held an emergency meeting, where an item listed as “potential ligation” was held in closed session. The board made no announcement of what was discussed after.
While only listed on the agenda as “conference with legal counsel-anticipated litigation,” the Slatic incident was not specifically mentioned. Slatic confirmed to GV Wire that the board discussed the case that night.
A similarly listed “Conference with Legal Counsel Anticipated/Pending /Threatened Litigation” is listed for Wednesday’s (Jan. 30) board meeting. Again, Slatic confirmed that one of the two potential cases under that heading relate to the Jan. 11 incident.

Nelson Letter to Slatic

Bonakdar, writing on behalf of an “interested citizen,” said that the description on that Jan. 15 board meeting agenda is more vague than the law permits.
The attorney also referenced a letter sent the day of the meeting by Nelson to Slatic, first reported by the Fresno Bee.
In that letter, Nelson wrote that the purpose of the special board meeting that evening “is to give the Board an opportunity to evaluate the facts and circumstances surrounding your interaction with a student… As you must know, that incident raises a serious risk of liability for the District.”
Nelson also said he would share his “deep concern relating your conduct as a Board member.” The superintendent cited incidents including “directing (staff) to provide you with “failure analysis” reports of perceived shortcomings,” and “inserting yourself into meeting at which your attendance has not been requested and where it is not appropriate” among other complaints.
The letter also scolded Slatic for his tactics, including raising his voice and using profanity around staff.
Nelson also described a Jan. 10 email from Slatic “very disturbing to me.”
In recapping the email, Nelson said Slatic called himself a “‘sheepdog,’ a person who you say ‘has a capacity for violence.” Nelson said the email also contained a photo of Slatic in camouflage fatigues, holding an automatic weapon.

Brown Act Violations?

Bonakdar, in his letter Monday to Nelson, said that because he described the specific details of which case would be discussed at the Jan. 15 meeting, they should have been described that way on the agenda.
[Note: in the Jan. 28 letter, Bonakdar says the date of Nelson’s letter to Slatic and the meeting later that night was Jan. 16. Both are dated Jan. 15. Bonakdar did not respond to GV Wire questions to clarify.] “The public is entitled to notice on a published agenda describing what the board will discuss in closed session, subject to narrow exceptions not applicable here. The incident of January 11, which we know from  Superintendent Nelson’s letter was discussed by the board in closed session, should have been limited to a conference with the district’s legal counsel (nowhere mentioned in Superintendent Nelson’s letter to Mr. Slatic regarding the planned discussion in closed session), and appropriately identified on the agenda,” Bonakdar wrote.
Bonakdar noted that other points brought up in Nelson’s Jan. 15 letter were not on that evening’s agenda.
The attorney’s letter to Nelson made demands to fix the problem. They included revealing if the topic on the Jan. 15 meeting was in fact about Slatic, whether other points in Nelson’s Jan. 15 letter were discussed, and if the board plans to discuss the Slatic incident again at the Jan. 30 meeting.
“The public is entitled to advance notice and the ability to witness in open session the discussion of the critically important board governance issues identified by Superintendent Nelson in his letter to Mr. Slatic of January 16,” Bonakdar wrote.
Bonakdar said that if the district does not fix these problems, he would proceed with litigation to enforce the Brown Act.
A school district spokeswoman confirmed that Nelson received the letter, but had no comment because they have not had time to review.
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The post FUSD Broke Open Meeting Rules in Slatic Incident, Says Bullard Student's Lawyer appeared first on GV Wire.

Slatic Says Safety Will Prevail

“When everything comes out from this, Fresno Unified will be a safer place.”— FUSD Trustee Terry Slatic

Superintendent Says Video Speaks for Itself

Fresno Unified Superintendent Bob Nelson, speaking to GV Wire education reporter Myles Barker on Wednesday evening, said the district released the video as a matter of public interest.
“I am not going to comment on Trustee Slatic’s actions. I think, honestly, I think the video speaks for itself. … I think people are going to formulate whatever opinion they are going to form based on that,” Nelson said. “If it were my child, that wouldn’t be something I would condone necessarily, but I think we need to let the investigation run its course before we presume any additional information regarding what’s going on with that circumstance.”
The district said the student remains in school, as nothing he did has merited discipline. The district is not revealing his identity, citing privacy concerns.

Johnson Criticizes Slatic

“When we have adults, from what I could see in the video yanking on backpacks and creating a verbal altercation into a physical altercation, that is concerning for me.”—Nasreen Johnson

Watch: Johnson Talks About Incident

The post Police Finish Probe of Bullard Confrontation. What Others Say. appeared first on GV Wire.