Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
I Have No Confidence in FUSD's Measure H Projects List: Trustee Candidate Villa
Opinion
By Opinion
Published 6 months ago on
October 14, 2024

Fresno High region School Board candidate Emma Villa urges a "no" vote on FUSD's $500 million Measure H bond "because of serious concerns about project list." (GV Wire Composite/Paul Marshall)

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Emma Villa

Opinion

As an advocate for education, I often encounter reports containing skewed, omitted, or misrepresented data to support specific outcomes.

This is why due diligence — examining protocols, correspondence, and raw data — is critical in evaluating decisions that impact our students. When data and recommendations don’t
align, an independent evaluation is often necessary.

This issue is now glaringly evident in Fresno Unified’s facilities assessment. FUSD claims that its school sites were assessed using an “equity tool” that considered both the conditions of the facilities and the area’s demographics.

On the surface, this sounds comprehensive. However, this contradicts the district’s 2024-25 Local Control and Accountability Plan, which states that 100% of FUSD schools have been
rated as “good or exemplary” since 2019. How can the current facilities assessment, equity tool, and project list — which identifies many schools as needing urgent repairs — also be accurate?

This inconsistency raises serious concerns about the accuracy and integrity of the data used to justify Measure H’s project list. If 100% of facilities are in “good or exemplary” condition, how do we reconcile that with the claim that Fresno’s southeast schools remain in unsafe, derelict conditions, violating ADA requirements? These contradictions signal deeper issues of oversight, accountability, and transparency within FUSD’s management.

Before Measure H can move forward, Fresno Unified needs a comprehensive Independent Educational Facilities Audit to provide accurate data and recommendations. FUSD students deserve clean, modern, and safe learning environments.

The community has already funded previous bonds, yet these critical issues remain unaddressed. Until an independent audit is conducted, I urge the community to vote NO on Measure
H — our students deserve better than conflicting data and questionable priorities.

Make Your Voice Heard

GV Wire encourages vigorous debate on local, state, and national issues. Submit your op-ed to bmcewen@gvwire.com for consideration.

Questions for Trustees

I also urge Fresno Unified’s administrative leaders to ask themselves — and address the community they are accountable to — these critical questions regarding the $500 million for Measure H and their Project List:

1. Why is there a significant discrepancy between the 2024-25 LCAP, which rates 100% of school facilities as “good or exemplary,” and the facilities identified as needing urgent repairs in the Measure H Project List?

(The 2024-25 LCAP (pages 51 and 161) shows that the Facilities Inspection Tool reports 100% of FUSD schools have been rated as “good or exemplary” from 2019-2023. This conflicts with the Measure H Project List, which identifies many facilities as being in poor condition.)

2. If Measure H is meant to address schools with the “most need,” but the 2024-25 LCAP data claims all facilities are in “good or exemplary” condition, what criteria are being used now to identify schools with urgent facility needs?

3. How does FUSD justify asking for a 40-year, $500 million bond when there is conflicting information regarding the true state of facilities and the prioritization of projects on the Measure H Project List?

You can read the 2024-25 LCAP Budget Overview for Parents at this link.

About the Author

Emma Villa, M.Ed, is a candidate for the Fresno Unified School Board Area 5 seat representing the Fresno High region.

 

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Newsom Wants to Bypass Trump Tariffs With Direct CA Trade Deals

DON'T MISS

Markets Plunge With S&P 500 Down 6% and Dow Down 2,200 After China Retaliates

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Searching for Missing 12-Year-Old Girl

DON'T MISS

Madera Community College Unveils New Multicultural and Veterans Center

DON'T MISS

Fusion Energy Race Is On. Two Local Lawmakers Want California to Lead the Way

DON'T MISS

Saturday’s Spring Fest to Showcase Free, Low-Cost Activities for Fresno Kids

DON'T MISS

LA County Reaches $4 Billion Agreement to Settle Sexual Abuse Claims at Juvenile Facilities

DON'T MISS

Fresno Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Deadly Marijuana DUI Crash

DON'T MISS

Judge Says US Must Return Maryland Man Who Was Mistakenly Deported to El Salvador Prison

DON'T MISS

These Fresno First-Graders Are Topping Their Peers in Reading

UP NEXT

Markets Plunge With S&P 500 Down 6% and Dow Down 2,200 After China Retaliates

UP NEXT

Fresno Police Searching for Missing 12-Year-Old Girl

UP NEXT

Madera Community College Unveils New Multicultural and Veterans Center

UP NEXT

Fusion Energy Race Is On. Two Local Lawmakers Want California to Lead the Way

UP NEXT

Saturday’s Spring Fest to Showcase Free, Low-Cost Activities for Fresno Kids

UP NEXT

LA County Reaches $4 Billion Agreement to Settle Sexual Abuse Claims at Juvenile Facilities

UP NEXT

Fresno Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Deadly Marijuana DUI Crash

UP NEXT

Judge Says US Must Return Maryland Man Who Was Mistakenly Deported to El Salvador Prison

UP NEXT

These Fresno First-Graders Are Topping Their Peers in Reading

UP NEXT

Fresno Burial Ceremony to Honor Five Abandoned Babies Set for Saturday

Madera Community College Unveils New Multicultural and Veterans Center

13 hours ago

Fusion Energy Race Is On. Two Local Lawmakers Want California to Lead the Way

13 hours ago

Saturday’s Spring Fest to Showcase Free, Low-Cost Activities for Fresno Kids

14 hours ago

LA County Reaches $4 Billion Agreement to Settle Sexual Abuse Claims at Juvenile Facilities

15 hours ago

Fresno Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Deadly Marijuana DUI Crash

15 hours ago

Judge Says US Must Return Maryland Man Who Was Mistakenly Deported to El Salvador Prison

15 hours ago

These Fresno First-Graders Are Topping Their Peers in Reading

16 hours ago

Fresno Burial Ceremony to Honor Five Abandoned Babies Set for Saturday

16 hours ago

Visalia Man Arrested for Soliciting Sex From Minor in Kingsburg

16 hours ago

Camalah Saleh Cruises to Win in Stormy Fresno State Student Elections

18 hours ago

Newsom Wants to Bypass Trump Tariffs With Direct CA Trade Deals

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday asked exporting countries worldwide to spare California their retaliatory tariffs, saying he plans to pursue dir...

13 hours ago

13 hours ago

Newsom Wants to Bypass Trump Tariffs With Direct CA Trade Deals

Specialist Anthony Matesic works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP/Richard Drew)
13 hours ago

Markets Plunge With S&P 500 Down 6% and Dow Down 2,200 After China Retaliates

Fresno police are searching for Unique Hernandez, 12, last seen on Friday, April 4, 2025, near Inyo Street and Maple Avenue, wearing all black clothing and carrying a black backpack. (Fresno PD)
13 hours ago

Fresno Police Searching for Missing 12-Year-Old Girl

13 hours ago

Madera Community College Unveils New Multicultural and Veterans Center

13 hours ago

Fusion Energy Race Is On. Two Local Lawmakers Want California to Lead the Way

14 hours ago

Saturday’s Spring Fest to Showcase Free, Low-Cost Activities for Fresno Kids

15 hours ago

LA County Reaches $4 Billion Agreement to Settle Sexual Abuse Claims at Juvenile Facilities

Antonio de Jesus Orozco Montes Deoca, 30, was sentenced on Friday, March 4, 2025, to 14 years and 8 months in prison for a deadly marijuana DUI crash in 2022 that killed one woman and injured four others. (GV Wire Composite)
15 hours ago

Fresno Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Deadly Marijuana DUI Crash

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

Search

Send this to a friend