More than 100 Fresno Teachers Association members crowded the Fresno Unified Board of Trustees boardroom Wednesday afternoon to tell trustees that the district's initial contract proposals won't solve the challenge of raising student performance. "Expanding the failing aspects of the status quo is not acceptable," union president Manuel Bonilla, the...
Ho-Hum Voter Turnout Marked Some Fresno Unified Trustee Races
Even though Fresno Unified School District spends over a billion dollars each year in taxpayer funds, voters appear to be downright disinterested in who is elected to oversee how the money is spent. Voter turnout ranged from 28% in the Edison Area 1 race, where incumbent Keshia Thomas handily defeated...
Latest Count Shows Challenger on Brink of Unseating Local College Trustee
A community college district trustee saw his race tighten after election officials in Fresno and Madera counties reported the latest updated totals on Friday, while a Fresno school board trustee gained a bit of breathing room in her race. As of Friday's vote update, State Center Community College District incumbent...
Islas’ Lead Widens in Fresno School Board Race. Measure E Still Losing.
Fresno Unified Trustee Veva Islas has gained more ground over her closest challenger in the race for the McLane Area 4 seat on the School Board, according to the latest vote total update Tuesday. Islas, seeking her second term on the School Board, saw her 25-vote lead on Election Night...
Here’s How Fresno Unified Kids Are Becoming Better Readers
Fresno Unified knows that one of the best ways to improve literacy among students is to get books into their hands. To that end, the district is again partnering with Scholastic this year to distribute more than 100,000 books to students in preschool through eighth grade. On Monday, five-book packs...
Wittrup Ousts Incumbent Slatic in Fresno Schools Race. Islas Clings to Razor-Thin Lead.
Retired school psychologist Susan Wittrup easily unseated Bullard area incumbent Terry Slatic in the most closely watched Fresno Unified School Board election on Tuesday night. Wittrup, who threw her hat in the ring early and built a huge campaign treasury, dominated Slatic — a one-term board member — and challengers...
Want to Know More About New Farber Campus?
Fresno Unified School District is hosting a community update meeting on the planned Francine and Murray Farber Educational Campus, 901 S. 10th St., on Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Officials will provide an update on construction progress, timeline, programs, and services. When it is completed the campus will...
Alleged Assaults on Wolters Students Spark Legal Claims Against FUSD
The Fresno Unified School District School Board will consider a recommendation to deny assault claims filed on behalf of two Wolters Elementary students. The recommendation from Superintendent Bob Nelson to deny the claims is the district's standard response and typically precedes the filing of civil lawsuits. The board will consider...
Wow! MacKenzie Scott Gifts $20M to Fresno Unified’s New Foundation
Fresno Unified's fledgling Foundation for Fresno Unified Schools got a huge boost with the unexpected — but highly welcome — donation of $20 million by billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. Superintendent Bob Nelson announced the unrestricted gift at a news conference Wednesday morning. The funding means that the district's new...
State Ed Delays Test Score Release. Fresno Reports Lower Scores.
EdSource is criticizing the California Department of Education's decision to delay releasing test score data from last spring until later this year — possibly after November's election — and says that educators, policymakers, parents, and the public need the information sooner, not later. The Oakland-based nonprofit, which reports on...