The revised project list for Fresno Unified School District’s Measure H contains major renovations at Calwa, Norseman, and Pyle elementary schools and Fresno High School, adds ADA compliance bathroom renovations at 14 elementary schools, and adds funding for major renovation projects at several schools.

But to cover the cost of adding library and cafeteria renovations at Centennial Elementary, unspecified renovations at Kirk Elementary, and the bathroom renovations, district staffers trimmed $31 million for turf, track, and lights projects at Edison and Hoover high schools and $15 million for the Aviation Academy at Chandler Airport. But the district is shifting funds from other areas to the Aviation Academy project.

However, the list retains $9 million for another new career technical education program, an agricultural farm facility in the Sunnyside region.

Project funding would increase by $2.1 million in six of the seven regions but would drop by $12.6 million in the Edison region. The totals by region would be: McLane, $100 million; Roosevelt, $97.4 million; Fresno High, $76.3 million; Hoover, $67.5 million; Edison, $61.8 million; Bullard, $32.7 million; and Sunnyside, $14.3 million. The remaining $50 million would go toward deferred maintenance districtwide.

The biggest project would be $44.8 million to rebuild Calwa Elementary School in southeast Fresno, with a new classroom building, a new English language classroom building, a new cafeteria, relocating administrative offices, and building a library. That’s nearly $4 million more than the district spent on the brand-new Juan Felipe Herrera Elementary School that opened in 2022.

Other ‘Big Ticket’ Projects

The revised project list targets substantial funding for specific schools. They include:

• $38.4 million for a two-story cafeteria and plant coordinator facility and ROTC relocation, pool improvements, and new turf, track, and lights at Fresno High School.
• $35.9 million to reconstruct the cafeteria, replace portable classrooms, upgrade bathrooms, and make other improvements at Pyle Elementary;
• $35 million for a new classroom building, new English language classroom building, library, and other improvements at Norseman Elementary.

Measure H is a $500 million bond measure on November’s ballot. Bond measures put on ballots by school boards need to win 55% approval to pass. Measure H will increase the district’s property tax rate to $238.86 per $100,000 of a property’s assessed valuation, which would make it the highest among Fresno County school districts if it passes. Taxpayers will repay the bond over 40 years.

The Board of Trustees will take up the proposed project list at Wednesday’s board meeting, which will begin at 6 p.m. and be held in the conference room of the Nutritional Services Building at 4480 N. Brawley Ave. The board has been meeting in the Nutritional Service building this fall while its board room in downtown Fresno undergoes renovations.

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Not The Usual Bond Measure

Measure H is different than previous bond measures for two reasons. The board had previously decided to look at projects through an “equity” lens, providing funds to schools with the greatest needs no matter which region they are in. And, as part of the contract negotiated last fall with the Fresno Teachers Association, the union is collaborating with district staffers on how to allocate spending for one-third of the Measure H revenues, or $167 million.

On Monday several trustees expressed their support for the revised list.

“I firmly believe that Measure H funds should be allocated based on the needs identified in the equity tool,” Trustee Claudia Cázares, who represents the Hoover region, said in a text message. “The current list of projects will ensure the most derelict facilities are prioritized for repairs, and ensures this board meets its obligations to our students and this community. In addition, the new facilities as envisioned will take this district boldly into a new era of educational opportunities and growth.”

“I appreciate how much time and care our Facilities team put into incorporating prior feedback into this updated list,” Trustee Andy Levine, who represents the Fresno High region, said by text message. “Specifically, I do think the proposed list reflects the schools and facilities that were objectively-scored lowest as ‘unsatisfactory’ and ‘poor’ across the district (regardless of which region they are in), while also allowing for room for us to invest in some of the most urgently needed projects within each region, so that voters can see investments in their region while also knowing that we are committed to improving conditions for students in our most substandard facilities.

“I believe this list reflects our commitment to working with our teachers to reduce class sizes, improving school safety and security, and to improving student outcomes in Fresno Unified. The reality is that, with $2.5 billion in facilities needs, we can only cover so much with this proposed $500 million bond. But I’m committed to doing my part to help us identify and access additional revenue sources such as Prop. 2 (if it passes) to address as many of the additional facilities rated as ‘poor’ and the remaining $2 billion in need.”

Delayed Approval

The project list for Measure H, the largest bond measure in Fresno Unified’s history, has still not been finalized even though ballots were mailed out to voters on Monday, two days before the board is scheduled to meet and vote on the projects.

Board president Susan Wittrup, who represents the Bullard region, said Monday she didn’t know why staff pulled the project list from the Sept. 28 board meeting agenda but was told by Interim Superintendent Misty Her that the bond consultant would quit if there was any opposition from board members.

Wittrup said that she has “many questions” about the revisions that were posted late Friday and has asked the staff to post her questions and their answers on the district website for board meeting Q&A’s. Nothing had been posted by 2 p.m Monday.

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Board Clerk Valerie Davis, representing the Sunnyside region, and Trustees Veva Islas, the McLane region representative, Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas, the Roosevelt region representative, and Keshia Thomas, who represents the Edison region, did not provide comments by 2 p.m. Monday.

Later Monday, Islas provide the following comment by text: “Sadly, many of our elementary schools have had little investments over the years, and they are in need of a lot of improvements. In preparation for this bond, we deployed an equity analysis as well as a facility condition assessment. These tools looked at several factors to help assess which schools rose to the top in terms of needs for investment. The factors included in the analysis were items such as the number of children living in poverty with attention to those with learning disabilities, English language learners, homeless and foster students as well as other special needs. Other factors included in the analysis were the last dates of previous investments, the number of portables on campus and the heating as well as air conditioning efficiency.

“In addition, the number of children in classes, was also a factor — this was an important element as one of our commitments to our teachers was decreasing classroom size. We simply can’t achieve that without increasing classroom spaces on our campuses.

“This bond will not allow us to meet all the needs in our district, but it will and should allow us to address schools with the most needs — this is why an equity analysis was so important. Our decisions cannot be driven by the affluence or political interests of certain regions in our district but instead by the goal of creating greater student achievements for all our students — especially those with the greatest disadvantages.”

Monday evening, Jonasson Rosas texted the following: “Forty-two percent of the growth in the city of Fresno is in southeast. Simultaneously we have some of the oldest schools in the area and highest rates of school bond approval. The nascent use of the equity tool is a step in the right direction, however for the many schools that have long been and will continue to be overlooked, this list still falls short of fulfilling the promise of putting kids first. The true test will be our ongoing commitment, as a district, to making sure that where you live doesn’t determine whether you have to learn (or teach) in 60-year-old portables, or in moldy classrooms, or whether your wheelchair can get on the stage in the cafeteria. I remain hopeful that the professed values of this board materialize, and that they don’t become broken promises to thousands of families that vote for these funds and depend on us to make the right decisions on their behalf.”

Revised Measure H Project List