As of Friday, every Board of Education seat up for election in the Fresno region had at least one candidate qualified. The last to file was Fresno City College instructor Karla Kirk, who filed her candidacy for Central Unified School Board Area 6 on Friday.

But Kirk, who works in the Cultural and Women’s Studies Department, will have to wait until Wednesday afternoon to learn whether other candidates file for the Area 6 trustee seat. Because incumbent Jeremy Mehling is not running for reelection, the filing deadline for that and other races lacking an incumbent is extended five days.

In addition to Central’s Area 6 race, the filing period for three other local Board of Education races was extended because the incumbent isn’t running.

As of Friday afternoon, three candidates are vying for the Clovis Unified School District Area 2 seat vacated by David DeFrank: His wife, author Molly DeFrank, CASA of Fresno/Madera Counties executive director Wilma Tom Hashimoto, and retired teacher Janet Kardashian.

Itzi Robles, an Assemblymember district representative, was the only candidate for the Fresno County Board of Education Area 3 seat being vacated by James Martinez, who is running for Fresno Unified School District Fresno High Area trustee

Local businessman Austin Ewell was the only candidate seeking election to the State Center Community College District Area 7 seat being vacated by incumbent Richard Caglia.

No More Candidates

The candidate field is locked up in nine other races.

The Fresno Unified candidates are incumbent Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas and Fresno State student Joseph Aquino in the Roosevelt High Area; incumbent Andy Levine, Martinez, and advocate/mother Emma Villa in the Fresno High Area; and incumbent Claudia Cazares and retired teacher Dan Bordona in the Hoover High Area.

In Clovis Unified, incumbent Hugh Awtrey and behavior analyst Gina Vue are vying in Area 4. No candidates filed to challenge Dr. Steven Fogg in Area 5 or Yolanda Moore in Area 7.

In addition to Kirk, the other Central Unified candidates are incumbent Phillip Cervantes and Natalie Chavez, a longtime Fresno City College instructor who is now an education consultant, in Area 3; and incumbent Richard Solis and registered nurse Jaspreet Sidhu in Area 5.

Two State Center incumbents, Danielle Parra and Deborah Ikeda, face no opposition in Areas 3 and 6, respectively. Incumbent Nasreen Michelle Johnson and labor union president Pablo Villagrana will face off for the Area 2 seat.

On the Fresno County Board of Education, incumbents Bryan Burton and Dr. Allen Clyde face no opponents in their bids for reelection in Areas 2 and 5, respectively.