I urge you to vote NO on Measure H, the 40-year, $500 million Fresno Unified construction bond on the Nov. 5 ballot.

As a school board trustee, I don’t make the recommendation lightly because I recognize that our schools are aging and dilapidated, and we will need a bond measure passed in the near future. However, the process to put Measure H on the ballot you received this week was sloppy and deeply flawed.

Measure H simply is not ready! Your ballot states, “The School Board has identified detailed facilities needs of the District and has determined which projects to finance from a local bond.”  The most recent revision of the still unapproved construction project list came out on Friday. The board will vote to approve the project list with no public discussion on Wednesday — two days after residents began voting on Measure H — since the item is on the consent agenda. There was no community bond committee formed to provide input and oversight to the development of the project list.

Related Story: FUSD’s New Measure H Project List Rebuilds Calwa School, Upgrades ...

Hastily Thrown Together, Raises Taxes for 40 Years

Fresno Unified could take lessons from neighboring school districts. I’ve been talking with their trustees about how their districts prepared for bonds. Both Clovis Unified and Central Unified have bond measures on the ballot. In Clovis Unified, the project list was developed solely by district staff and a community bond committee based on priorities set by the board – well in advance – without any involvement from board members. That’s the way it’s supposed to be to safeguard the project list from becoming politicized. In Fresno Unified, board members met directly with facilities staff multiple times and dictated where bond funds should be allocated for projects. There have been at least three revisions to the project list since the item was pulled by staff from the agenda at the last board meeting. The only public discussion for the original project list occurred at a board meeting in August.

Where is the list of projects by schools that voters need to see before they vote? In Clovis Unified, every school in the district placed signs with a QR code before voters received ballots so that the public can easily access information about improvements planned for the schools in their neighborhoods.

For both Clovis Unified and Central Unified, timing for the bond was intentional so there will be no tax rate change. Their bonds pick up when previous bonds drop off so the cost is neutral to taxpayers. If it passes, Measure H will result in a sharp increase to the tax rate over the next 40 years. While Fresno families are still struggling to recover from their summer PG&E bills, their property taxes will increase to the highest tax rate Fresno taxpayers have ever seen.

Hire a Permanent Superintendent First

I met and spoke with several voters over the last few weeks to solicit input and submitted 24 unanswered questions to Interim Superintendent Misty Her about the district’s process for prioritizing projects and allocating bond funds. My questions and responses from district staff should be posted for the public at the FUSD website before Wednesday’s board meeting.

Related Story: Fresno Unified Board President Wants Answers to 24 Questions About Measure H

Moreover, in the big scheme of priorities for this school district, Measure H is out of order. Conducting a national search and hiring a permanent superintendent must come first. Until the Fresno Unified School Board can actively demonstrate a focus on student outcomes and hire a permanent superintendent, a bond measure should be out of the question.

Several months ago, I called out another flawed process when a narrow majority of the board sought to limit the superintendent search to internal candidates. The community weighed in and pressured the school board to conduct an external search for the best, most qualified leader. Your voice made a difference and changed the trajectory. Use your vote now to reinforce it.

A No Vote Today Benefits Students Tomorrow

In fact, a no vote on Measure H may help accelerate the school board governance training that’s in progress by communicating the expectations and values of the community. In other words, you can’t expect Fresno Unified trustees to make the changes that are obviously needed by continuing to reward poor decisions. As the ultimate stewards of taxpayer money, the board should be focused on the educational outcomes of our students, while creating policies and a culture that demands operational excellence at the district.

A plan I support, and voters should insist upon, is for the board to conduct a national search and hire a permanent superintendent. The district needs to show evidence that student outcomes are improving and that a basic level of operational competence has been restored. This way taxpayers know exactly how their hard-earned tax dollars will be spent over the next 40 years. All of this must be completed well before ballots arrive in homes.

Only then can the public feel confident that Fresno Unified can be trusted to deliver what is promised – both with their children and their tax dollars.

About the Author

Susan Wittrup is the President of the Fresno Unified School Board of Trustees. Before her election in 2022 to represent the 7th District, covering the Bullard High School area, she was a 37-year career educator and school psychologist with Fresno Unified School District.