Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
West Fresno Satellite Campus Gets Giant $1 Million Check
NANCY WEBSITE HEADSHOT 1
By Nancy Price, Multimedia Journalist
Published 6 years ago on
August 23, 2019

Share

Fresno City College’s West Fresno satellite campus is still a couple years away, but there should be plenty of training equipment for nursing and automotive students on opening day.
On Aug. 16 Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula presented an oversized check representing the $1 million in state funds he obtained this year for Fresno City College’s career and technical education program — the second time in as many years that Arambula has delivered $1 million to the college for its CTE programs.


Nancy Price
School Zone
The new allocation will be used for equipment for the West Fresno automotive technology and pre-nursing programs, Arambula said.
“Through these offerings, FCC is supporting vital efforts to develop and increase our region’s workforce by creating opportunities for young students and returning students, which helps strengthen the Central Valley’s economic growth and future,” he said.
The new funding will underwrite the instructional equipment needs of classrooms at the West Fresno center, City College President Carole Goldsmith said.
“We are truly grateful that Dr. Arambula continues to support our efforts to transform the lives of our community, especially for those in West Fresno,” she said.
The nearly 40-acre, $89 million campus in southwest Fresno is scheduled for completion in 2023.

What, No Sushi?

No more mystery meat for today’s Fresno Unified scholars, who can choose from some new, yummy-sounding menu items this year: Breakfast burrito with egg, potato, turkey sausage, and cheese; mini blueberry pancakes; mini maple waffles; cool ranch chicken wrap; whole grain baked cheese sticks and ravioli bites with marinara; vegan chick’n nuggets; and black bean veggie burger.
“We know that when students are eating healthy foods, they are better prepared to learn,” Superintendent Bob Nelson says.
If you’re wondering what’s on the menu for breakfast or lunch this year at Fresno Unified schools, there’s an app for that. Go to “School Menus by Nutrislice” on Google Play or the App store, or visit fresnounified.nutrislice.com.
Breakfast and lunch meals are free for all Fresno students regardless of income levels, a policy that’s been in effect since 2014. That’s thanks to the “Community Eligibility Provision,” which is provided through the national school breakfast and school lunch programs and which allows high-poverty schools to expand access to free school meals.

Pay Raise for Porterfield

Portrait of Central Unified administrator Kelly Porterfield
Kelly Porterfield
Central Unified’s beloved assistant superintendent/chief business officer Kelly Porterfield died in a motorcycle crash near Shaver Lake on July 16, a week before the school board voted on retroactive pay raises for Superintendent Andy Alvarado and other top administrators.
The board wanted to make sure Porterfield’s family also benefited from the raises, so on Aug. 13 the board voted 6-1 to pay Porterfield’s estate a 3% salary hike retroactive for the 2018-19 school year and a 2% pay raise for July 1 through July 16.
The board’s vice chairwoman, Yesenia Carrillo, cast the lone dissenting vote for the same reason that she voted on July 23 against the pay hikes for Alvarado and the assistant superintendents: “I cannot support increases to the salaries of the top administration when there is still significant work to be done in the district.”

McLane Debuts New Stadium Surface

McLane High School in east-central Fresno is holding a daylong celebration of the football stadium’s new synthetic turf — the first for a Fresno Unified school — and other improvements. It started with an early-morning breakfast for seniors who watched the sun rise over the upgraded field.


McLane’s first home football game at the renovated stadium, which now has additional portable restrooms and improved accessibility, will be preceded by a ribbon-cutting and a ceremonial coin toss by Fresno Unified board members and Superintendent Bob Nelson, who also will sing the national anthem. “Bring your earplugs,” trustee Veva Islas joked at Wednesday’s school board meeting.

Calling Two School Board Members …

Fresno Unified’s school board took a little longer than usual to emerge from a closed session preceding the public meeting Wednesday evening, requiring a district staffer to make no fewer than three announcements that the closed session was being extended by 15 minutes.
Board president Claudia Cazares and trustee Carol Mills were the first to appear on the dais at 6:20 p.m., facing a large audience that included a number of high schoolers who were on hand in support of campus culture officials who would lead the Pledge of Allegiance.
After a brief wait, Cazares used the public address system to ask for “two more” board members to join her and Mills so they would have a quorum and could start the meeting. After a few more minutes, the remaining five appeared and took their seats.

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

Yastrzemski and Chapman Homers Help Giants Rally Past the Brewers

DON'T MISS

Fresno City Council Finally Passes a Tough Smoke Shop Ordinance

DON'T MISS

Fresno Unified Trustee Wittrup Says District Had Stronger Candidates Than Misty Her

DON'T MISS

Trump Poised to Offer Saudi Arabia Over $100 Billion Arms Package, Sources Say

DON'T MISS

Lights, Camera, Board Vote: Fresno Unified’s Carefully Choreographed Production

DON'T MISS

US Farm Agency Withdraws Proposal Aimed at Lowering Salmonella Risks in Poultry

DON'T MISS

On Major Economic Decisions, Trump Blinks, and Then Blinks Again

DON'T MISS

Candi Is the Dandy to Add a Little Sweetness to Your Life

DON'T MISS

How Trump Tariffs Could Upend California Farms, Wine Businesses, and Ports

DON'T MISS

Tulare Man Sentenced to State Prison for DUI Crash That Injured Two Women

UP NEXT

On Major Economic Decisions, Trump Blinks, and Then Blinks Again

UP NEXT

Candi Is the Dandy to Add a Little Sweetness to Your Life

UP NEXT

Don’t Miss Out! Tower District’s Porchfest Festival Is Saturday

UP NEXT

Fresno Stabbing Leaves Son Dead, Father Charged With Murder

UP NEXT

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Jonathan Scott Riester

UP NEXT

Chicago Bears Great Steve McMichael Dies at 67 After Battle With ALS

UP NEXT

Long Wait Is Over for Cam Ward, Travis Hunter and Other Draft Prospects Joining the NFL

UP NEXT

Golden State’s Jimmy Butler Injured in Game 2 Loss, His Status for Game 3 Unknown

UP NEXT

Jalen Green Makes Eight 3s to Help Rockets Even Series With Warriors

UP NEXT

18-Year-Old Dies After Shooting Outside Clovis Restaurant

Nancy Price,
Multimedia Journalist
Nancy Price is a multimedia journalist for GV Wire. A longtime reporter and editor who has worked for newspapers in California, Florida, Alaska, Illinois and Kansas, Nancy joined GV Wire in July 2019. She previously worked as an assistant metro editor for 13 years at The Fresno Bee. Nancy earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Her hobbies include singing with the Fresno Master Chorale and volunteering with Fresno Filmworks. You can reach Nancy at 559-492-4087 or Send an Email

Trump Poised to Offer Saudi Arabia Over $100 Billion Arms Package, Sources Say

4 hours ago

Lights, Camera, Board Vote: Fresno Unified’s Carefully Choreographed Production

5 hours ago

US Farm Agency Withdraws Proposal Aimed at Lowering Salmonella Risks in Poultry

5 hours ago

On Major Economic Decisions, Trump Blinks, and Then Blinks Again

5 hours ago

Candi Is the Dandy to Add a Little Sweetness to Your Life

6 hours ago

How Trump Tariffs Could Upend California Farms, Wine Businesses, and Ports

6 hours ago

Tulare Man Sentenced to State Prison for DUI Crash That Injured Two Women

7 hours ago

Judge Partly Blocks Trump Order Seeking to Overhaul US Elections

7 hours ago

Two From Search Group That Uncovered Mexico’s ‘Ranch of Horror’ Killed

8 hours ago

US Warns States They Could Lose Transportation Funding Over Immigration, DEI Policies

8 hours ago

Yastrzemski and Chapman Homers Help Giants Rally Past the Brewers

SAN FRANCISCO — Mike Yastrzemski and Matt Chapman homered as the San Francisco Giants rallied to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-5 on Thursday ...

2 hours ago

2 hours ago

Yastrzemski and Chapman Homers Help Giants Rally Past the Brewers

2 hours ago

Fresno City Council Finally Passes a Tough Smoke Shop Ordinance

4 hours ago

Fresno Unified Trustee Wittrup Says District Had Stronger Candidates Than Misty Her

President Donald Trump delivers remarks during an 'Unleashing American Energy' event at the Department of Energy in Washington, U.S., June 29, 2017. (REUTERS File)
4 hours ago

Trump Poised to Offer Saudi Arabia Over $100 Billion Arms Package, Sources Say

5 hours ago

Lights, Camera, Board Vote: Fresno Unified’s Carefully Choreographed Production

Chickens sit at a poultry farm. March 12, 2025. (REUTERS/Diego Vara/File Photo)
5 hours ago

US Farm Agency Withdraws Proposal Aimed at Lowering Salmonella Risks in Poultry

5 hours ago

On Major Economic Decisions, Trump Blinks, and Then Blinks Again

Candi, GV Wire's Adoptable Cat of the Week
6 hours ago

Candi Is the Dandy to Add a Little Sweetness to Your Life

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

Search

Send this to a friend