Poor Performing Fresno Unified Has Some Nerve Asking Us to Take on $1 Billion in New Taxes

Opinion

By Opinion

Published 10 months ago on

October 15, 2024

GV Wire Publisher Darius Assemi, left, and Fresno City Councilmember Mike Karbassi opine that FUSD's $500 million Measure H bond on the Nov. 5 ballot is premature because the district has yet to name a superintendent and the project list fails the "equity" test. (GV Wire Composite/Paul Marshall).

Construction bond would cost taxpayers more than $1 billion because it is for 40 years, not the usual 25 or 30.
Supermajority of trustees say project list is based on need and equity, but regions with glaring need are largely ignored.
Bond is premature because the district has yet to hire a permanent superintendent.

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While six of the seven Fresno Unified School Board trustees try to put a happy face on the district’s new $500 million Measure H bond, voters deserve the ugly truth behind the facade.

Darius Assemi

Mike Karbassi portrait

Mike Karbassi

Opinion

For starters, what’s advertised as a $500 million bond will cost property owners more than $1 billion over the 40-year life of the bond. Forty years for a school bond is highly unusual. Finance experts tell us that school bonds normally are for 25 to 30 years.

In addition, the School Board is asking the public to pass this bond before it hires a permanent successor to retired Superintendent Bob Nelson. Yes, Fresno Unified has many old schools that need updating and renovation. But why should voters invest their hard-earned dollars without knowing who the next superintendent is and the plan for turning around one of the nation’s worst-performing districts for student achievement?

This is why we support past School Board President Brooke Ashjian’s and current Board President Susan Wittrup’s efforts to ensure the search for a new superintendent is fully transparent and nationwide. We also support their opposition to Measure H.

Bond Backers Fail Their Own ‘Equity’ Test

We note that some of the bond’s biggest backers are those groups that will reap the biggest financial benefits from the bond’s construction projects. It’s also clear to us that the media outlets cheerleading for the bond’s passage include those that stood silent over the decades while Fresno Unified’s academic performance plummeted.

While the bond’s backers talked up “equity” in determining the measure’s project list, the reality is that the Bullard High region is designated to receive just $34 million, or 6.8%, of the bond money while Bullard area residents are projected to contribute nearly $150 million, or 30% to the bond’s repayment — a number that will double over 40 years. This is the very definition of inequitable.

In addition, the district’s own assessment of regional facilities needs ranks the Bullard area squarely in the middle of the pack — Roosevelt, McLane, and Fresno High above; Hoover, Sunnyside, and Edison below. Clearly, this bond doesn’t meet the equity criteria trumpeted by a supermajority of School Board trustees.

Return in Two Years With a Permanent Superintendent and a Vetted, Right-Sized Bond

Fresno Unified has the worst math and English learning results of any school district in our county. We should not reward a district with these results with a $500 million bond that would cost $1 billion-plus and create the highest property tax rate in Fresno County. Especially when homeowners 30 years old today will still be paying for the bond when they’re 70. Renters wouldn’t be spared this burden either as landlords will raise their rents to absorb the higher tax rate.

We can’t let politics by a few board members shoot down the opportunity to hire the best superintendent. Once we have the new superintendent in place, then she or he should guide the process for a new facilities bond. One that is transparent, open to the public, right-sized to meet the district’s needs, and vetted by a community bond oversight committee before going to the ballot.

This is about the future of our kids and the future of our community. We should not pass a bond hastily concocted amid the obvious uncertainty and politics clouding the district’s future leadership team. The wisest course is to do this right way and bring a new bond back in two years.

About the Authors

Darius Assemi of Fresno is a builder, farmer, and philanthropist. He is the president/CEO of Granville Homes and publisher of the award-winning GV Wire.

Small businessman Mike Karbassi represents northwest Fresno on the Fresno City Council.