Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Fresno City Gets Extension in Herndon 4-Story Apartment Case

1 day ago

With Major Heat Risk Forecast, This Is a Good Weekend to Stay Indoors in Fresno

1 day ago

Trump Says Intel Has Agreed to Deal for US to Take 10% Equity Stake

1 day ago

Epstein Associate Maxwell Says She Never Saw Trump Behave Inappropriately

1 day ago

Pew: US Immigrant Population Declines for First Time in Nearly 60 Years

1 day ago

Powell, Citing Jobs Risk, Opens Door to Cuts but Doesn’t Commit

2 days ago

FBI Agents Search Ex-Trump Adviser Bolton’s Home, Source Says

2 days ago

Gaza City Officially in Famine, With Hunger Spreading, Says Global Hunger Monitor

2 days ago

Gavin Newsom’s Redistricting Plan Is on Its Way to Voters. What You Need to Know

2 days ago
Will Nelson Rid FUSD of the Incompetent and the Indifferent?
Portrait of GV Wire News Director Bill McEwen
By Bill McEwen, News Director
Published 6 years ago on
November 21, 2019

Share

Some of the photos accompanying this column make me wonder if Fresno Unified will ever get its act together.


Listen to this article:
 


Portrait of GV Wire News Director Bill McEwen
Bill McEwen
Opinion
As you can see, the conditions in this special education storage room and teachers’ office at Figarden Elementary School are appalling. Rat feces and urine are in the room. Weird stuff, possibly mold, is on the walls — likely the result of a leaking air-conditioning unit. And equipment, much of it outdated, is crammed and stacked in a manner that would give the fire marshal a heart attack.
Three traveling teachers — all orthopedic impairment specialists — work in this room. If you’re thinking, thank goodness the students aren’t in there, consider this: Rats have been having a picnic on some of the students’ special chairs.
The good news is, school custodians and teachers cleaned up the room Saturday and removed the old equipment. They did so only after donning respirator masks.
“But it still stinks in there,” a teacher told me Wednesday afternoon.
3 photos of disgusting conditions in a Fresno Unified special ed room that doubles as a teachers office and equipment storage space
Conditions in a special-ed room at Figarden Elementary School before Saturday. (GV Wire Composite/Alex DeSha)
There’s also good news from the other side of town. The district has cleaned up similar unsanitary conditions at a special-ed room at Sunnyside High School after being alerted by teachers at a board meeting.

Superintendent’s Response

Not knowing that the room at Figarden had been recently sanitized, I showed the “before” pictures, which were taken Nov. 4, to Superintendent Bob Nelson on Wednesday morning. I wanted his reaction.
I expected outrage, a vow to get to the bottom of the disgusting mess, and a promise to hold those in charge accountable.

On one occasion, the teacher said, a special-ed manager heard her concerns and responded, “Oh, yeah, that’s a nasty room.”
Instead, he responded in measured tones and with the frustration of a leader whose job is far less about education, but more about putting out multiple fires that seemingly ignite daily in California’s third-largest school district.
“I don’t know how any adult in our system can walk into that room and think that’s OK,” Nelson said. “At some point, this became normalized. That’s disappointing, and it’s unacceptable.”
3 photos of the conditions after the clean-up of the special-ed roome
The combination teachers’ office and storage room after the clean-up. (GV Wire Composite/Alexis DeShaw)

Besides the Mess, Privacy Is a Concern

A special-ed teacher who has worked in the room said that complaints repeatedly were made to the principal and to special-ed managers about the rat problem.
On one occasion, the teacher said, a special-ed manager heard the concerns and responded, “Oh, yeah, that’s a nasty room.”
In addition, special-ed managers have failed to provide an environment where teachers can talk with physicians confidentially over the phone about students’ medical histories and needs.
“This is not only our office space but is also supposed to be our department meeting space, and storage for the entire district’s (orthopedic impairment) equipment,” said the teacher. “There are (not enough) phone lines for each teacher to work privately and we deal in medical information all the time. I worked with a manager last year to get an order in, and special-ed denied it. The total cost for the three lines was about $500.”
(You can see the one portable phone with one shared voice-mail system in the “after” photo above. For the record, Fresno Unified’s 2019-20 budget is more than $1 billion.)
The “before” picture of the equipment in the room raises questions. Does Fresno Unified even have an inventory system? And how long does the district store outdated stuff?
Apparently, the rule of thumb is, keep it until we’re out of room — or the rats take over.

Who Owns This Mess?

I asked the district for clarity on who is responsible for the room: special-ed management or the school principal, Steve Zoller.

“(T)here are a number of departments responsible for that environment which is why several gathered last week to address concerns and develop an action plan for taking inventory, moving equipment to an alternative area and opening up space in order to properly clean. The responsibility doesn’t solely fall on the site.” — Amy Idsvoog, FUSD executive officer for communications
“Trying to create office space in the middle of a district storage area is far from ideal and clearly created challenges for itinerant staff trying to utilize the space,” said Amy Idsvoog, the district’s executive officer for communications.
“However, there are a number of departments responsible for that environment which is why several gathered last week to address concerns and develop an action plan for taking inventory, moving equipment to an alternative area, and opening up space in order to properly clean. The responsibility doesn’t solely fall on the site.”
Translation: A bunch of people own this mess.
But trustee Terry Slatic, who represents the Bullard High region, blames the principal.
“That room is a repulsive, unsafe environment that the school site principal has known about for a long time,” Slatic said. “This is almost certainly a violation of the Williams Act, which requires a safe school environment. I look forward to Superintendent Nelson holding the school principal accountable.”

Consequences Must Accompany This ‘Teachable Moment’

Certainly, this situation presents Nelson with a “teachable moment.”
Lesson One: This kind of indifference and incompetence ends today.
Lesson Two: There are new consequences for leaders who fail.
Lesson Three: Punishment no longer is a lateral transfer or, as often happens in Fresno Unified, a promotion.
Nelson, by nature, is an upbeat and forgiving leader. One who is willing to forgive managers who believe they are protected until hell freezes over — or they retire.
It’s past time for Nelson to show his teeth.
If he doesn’t, nothing changes. Meaning: students won’t get the first-rate education they deserve.
 

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

Fresno State Bulldogs Can’t Find Answer for Daniels in Loss at Kansas

DON'T MISS

Hegseth Authorizes Troops in DC to Carry Weapons

DON'T MISS

Texas, Florida Seek to Join Legal Challenge to Abortion Pill

DON'T MISS

Wrongly Deported Migrant Abrego Released, May Be Detained Again

DON'T MISS

Judge Blocks Trump From Withholding Funds From Los Angeles, Other Sanctuary Cities

DON'T MISS

Lyle Menendez Denied Parole After 35 Years in Prison for Parents’ Shotgun Murders

DON'T MISS

California Cities Lack Unified Response On Homeless Encampments

DON'T MISS

Trump Crime Crackdown Deploys Troops in Washington’s Safest Sites

DON'T MISS

California Voters Still Support High-Speed Rail, Even If It Never Gets Done

DON'T MISS

Turkish First Lady Urges Melania Trump to Speak out on Gaza

UP NEXT

My Friend Joseph Castro, Former Fresno State President and CSU Chancellor, Is Receiving Hospice Care

UP NEXT

California’s Finances Face a Perfect Storm. It Could Eventually Lead to Another Tax Hike

UP NEXT

What Trump Is Really Up to With the Military Occupation of DC

UP NEXT

Immigrant Students Shape California’s Future. Don’t Close the Door on Them

UP NEXT

Trump’s Domestic Deployments Are Dangerous. For the Military

UP NEXT

How Do We Bridge America’s New Segregation?

UP NEXT

California Legislature’s Final Weeks Could Decide Delta Water Tunnel’s Fate

UP NEXT

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

UP NEXT

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

UP NEXT

It’s Not Too Late for Islas and Levine to ‘Get in Good Trouble’

Bill McEwen,
News Director
Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email

Wrongly Deported Migrant Abrego Released, May Be Detained Again

13 hours ago

Judge Blocks Trump From Withholding Funds From Los Angeles, Other Sanctuary Cities

13 hours ago

Lyle Menendez Denied Parole After 35 Years in Prison for Parents’ Shotgun Murders

13 hours ago

California Cities Lack Unified Response On Homeless Encampments

13 hours ago

Trump Crime Crackdown Deploys Troops in Washington’s Safest Sites

13 hours ago

California Voters Still Support High-Speed Rail, Even If It Never Gets Done

13 hours ago

Turkish First Lady Urges Melania Trump to Speak out on Gaza

13 hours ago

Fresno Crash Sends Car Into Building After Running Red Light

1 day ago

Fresno City Gets Extension in Herndon 4-Story Apartment Case

1 day ago

Atwater Prison Inmate Charged for Threatening to Kill Prosecutor’s Family

1 day ago

Fresno State Bulldogs Can’t Find Answer for Daniels in Loss at Kansas

The Bulldogs could not stop Jalon Daniels. If the Kansas sixth-year quarterback wasn’t accurately completing passes, he was running out of t...

2 hours ago

2 hours ago

Fresno State Bulldogs Can’t Find Answer for Daniels in Loss at Kansas

Soldiers with the 30th Armored Combat Brigade from the South Carolina National Guard at Union Station in Washington, Aug. 20, 2025. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized National Guard troops deployed to Washington to bring their weapons with them on their mission. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times)
11 hours ago

Hegseth Authorizes Troops in DC to Carry Weapons

A patient prepares to take Mifepristone, the first pill in a medical abortion, at Alamo Women's Clinic in Carbondale, Illinois, U.S., April 9, 2024. (Reuters File)
13 hours ago

Texas, Florida Seek to Join Legal Challenge to Abortion Pill

Kilmar Abrego Garcia walks, after he has been released from the Putnam County Jail in Cookville, Tennessee, U.S., August 22, 2025. (Reuters/Seth Herald)
13 hours ago

Wrongly Deported Migrant Abrego Released, May Be Detained Again

U.S. flag and Judge gavel are seen in this illustration taken, August 6, 2024. (Reuters/Dado Ruvic/Illustration)
13 hours ago

Judge Blocks Trump From Withholding Funds From Los Angeles, Other Sanctuary Cities

Lyle Menendez attends his Board of Parole hearing online from the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, California, U.S., August 22, 2025, that could lead to freedom after decades in prison for the 1989 shotgun murders of his parents. The final decision will rest with the governor, who can either accept or reject the board's recommendation. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation/Handout via REUTERS
13 hours ago

Lyle Menendez Denied Parole After 35 Years in Prison for Parents’ Shotgun Murders

13 hours ago

California Cities Lack Unified Response On Homeless Encampments

Members of the Mississippi National Guard eat ice cream and boba tea on the National Mall after U.S. President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard and ordered an increased presence of federal law enforcement to assist in crime prevention, in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 21, 2025. (Reuters/Al Drago)
13 hours ago

Trump Crime Crackdown Deploys Troops in Washington’s Safest Sites

Search

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

Send this to a friend