Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Federal Judge Orders Trump Admin to Restore Hundreds of UCLA Research Grants

4 hours ago

Trump Names Rosner as Chair of Energy Regulator

4 hours ago

Wall Street Slips as Hot Producer Inflation Data Dampens Rate-Cut Bets

4 hours ago

Trump Says He Thinks Putin Will Make a Deal

4 hours ago

Fresno Unified Wants Parents to Know About New Resources as School Begins

19 hours ago

Trump Revokes Biden-Era Order on Competition, White House Says

21 hours ago

US Judge Blocks Trump Religious Exemption to Birth Control Coverage

22 hours ago

Trump Says He Will Name New Fed Chair ‘a Little Bit Earlier’

1 day ago

US Alcohol Consumption at Record Low as Health Concerns Rise, Survey Finds

1 day ago

Hidden in Trump’s Spending Package Is a Boost to CA’s Affordable Housing

2 days ago
Can Fresno Unified Trustees Get Along? They Meet to Find Out.
David Taub Website photo 2024
By David Taub, Senior Reporter
Published 6 years ago on
May 23, 2019

Share

Officially, the purpose of Wednesday’s (May 22) special Fresno Unified school board meeting was a “governance check-in.”

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.” Trustee Keshia Thomas

“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

“There is a big difference between a grudge and an unresolved grievance.” — Trustee Veva Islas

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.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Outside Lands 2025: Where Music, Love, and Community Collide

DON'T MISS

Man Charged With Throwing Sandwich at US Agent Was Justice Dept Staffer

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Fire Burns 31 Acres at Lost Lake Recreation Area

DON'T MISS

Costco to Stop Selling Abortion Pill Mifepristone at Its US Pharmacy Stores

DON'T MISS

Mossad Chief Meets Qatari PM in Renewed Push for Gaza Ceasefire, Hostage Deal

DON'T MISS

Why Young Americans Dread Turning 26: Health Insurance Chaos

DON'T MISS

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: David Raymond Garcia

DON'T MISS

Trump’s Debanking Order Could Create Headaches for Banks, Sources Say

DON'T MISS

California Was a Model for Transparency. Now the Capitol Operates in the Dark

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police to Hold DUI Checkpoint Saturday Night

UP NEXT

Will Downtown Fresno Lot Finally Become Housing?

UP NEXT

CA Taxpayers Gave PG&E a Huge Loan. Losses Are Already Mounting

UP NEXT

Terrible Thirst Hits Gaza With Polluted Aquifers and Broken Pipelines

UP NEXT

Fresno Teachers Demand Board Members Hear Nikki Henry Settlement

UP NEXT

Fresno County Democrats Condemn Israeli Military Action in Gaza as Genocide

UP NEXT

Now That Harris Is Out, California’s Governor Candidates Hit the Money Trail

UP NEXT

Americans Divided More Than Ever on Supreme Court and Congress: Gallup Poll

UP NEXT

Clovis Girls Soccer Team Wins National Title After Years of Grit, Heart, and Sacrifice

UP NEXT

California Wine Industry Is Torn on Trump Tariffs

UP NEXT

Fresno State Professor Combines Tech and Medicine in Cutting Edge Research and Care

David Taub,
Senior Reporter
Curiosity drives David Taub. The award-winning journalist might be shy, but feels mighty with a recorder in his hand. He doesn't see it his job to "hold public officials accountable," but does see it to provide readers (and voters) the information needed to make intelligent choices. Taub has been honored with several writing awards from the California News Publishers Association. He's just happy to have his stories read. Joining GV Wire in 2016, Taub covers politics, government and elections, mainly in the Fresno/Clovis area. He also writes columns about local eateries (Appetite for Fresno), pro wrestling (Off the Bottom Rope), and media (Media Man). Prior to joining the online news source, Taub worked as a radio producer for KMJ and PowerTalk 96.7 in Fresno. He also worked as an assignment editor for KCOY-TV in Santa Maria, California, and KSEE-TV in Fresno. He has also worked behind the scenes for several sports broadcasts, including the NCAA basketball tournament, and the Super Bowl. When not spending time with his family, Taub loves to officially score Fresno Grizzlies games. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Taub is a die-hard Giants and 49ers fan. He graduated from the University of Michigan with dual degrees in communications and political science. Go Blue! You can contact David at 559-492-4037 or at Send an Email

Costco to Stop Selling Abortion Pill Mifepristone at Its US Pharmacy Stores

1 hour ago

Mossad Chief Meets Qatari PM in Renewed Push for Gaza Ceasefire, Hostage Deal

1 hour ago

Why Young Americans Dread Turning 26: Health Insurance Chaos

2 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: David Raymond Garcia

2 hours ago

Trump’s Debanking Order Could Create Headaches for Banks, Sources Say

2 hours ago

California Was a Model for Transparency. Now the Capitol Operates in the Dark

3 hours ago

Fresno Police to Hold DUI Checkpoint Saturday Night

3 hours ago

Federal Judge Orders Trump Admin to Restore Hundreds of UCLA Research Grants

4 hours ago

‘World’s Strongest Man’ Mark Henry to Headline Fresno Grizzlies’ Wrestling Night

4 hours ago

Trump Names Rosner as Chair of Energy Regulator

4 hours ago

Outside Lands 2025: Where Music, Love, and Community Collide

By the time I hit the festival gates, the fog had already swallowed Golden Gate Park, bass thumping through the mist like a heartbeat. The a...

18 minutes ago

18 minutes ago

Outside Lands 2025: Where Music, Love, and Community Collide

U.S. military members walk near the Washington Monument, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced the federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department under the Home Rule Act and the deployment of the National Guard to assist in crime prevention in the nation's capital, in Washington, D.C., August 14, 2025. (Reuters File)
48 minutes ago

Man Charged With Throwing Sandwich at US Agent Was Justice Dept Staffer

A vehicle fire spread to grass at Lost Lake Recreation Area on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, burning 31 acres before firefighters contained it. (CalFire)
1 hour ago

Fresno County Fire Burns 31 Acres at Lost Lake Recreation Area

Costco logo is seen in this illustration taken, February 11, 2025. (Reuters File)
1 hour ago

Costco to Stop Selling Abortion Pill Mifepristone at Its US Pharmacy Stores

Israel’s spy chief met Qatar’s prime minister Thursday in the most senior talks since Gaza ceasefire negotiations collapsed, aiming to secure a comprehensive deal to end the war and free all hostages. (Shutterstock)
1 hour ago

Mossad Chief Meets Qatari PM in Renewed Push for Gaza Ceasefire, Hostage Deal

Heart and stethoscope,Heartbeat Line,Healthcare concept.
2 hours ago

Why Young Americans Dread Turning 26: Health Insurance Chaos

David Raymond Garcia is Valley Crime Stoppers' Most Wanted Person of the Day for August 14, 2025. (Valley Crimes Stoppers)
2 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: David Raymond Garcia

President Donald Trump signs an energy-related executive order, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 8, 2025. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

Trump’s Debanking Order Could Create Headaches for Banks, Sources Say

Search

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Send this to a friend