Fresno Unified School District received one of the biggest mandates I’ve seen in my nearly 50 years of covering local news.

It’s a mandate that Donald Trump would envy.

Three trustees won reelection — two against challengers backed with endorsements and major funding from the teacher’s union.

Voters also overwhelmingly approved a $500 million construction bond measure that raises property taxes.

Even more impressive: This backing of trustees and the bond came in a year in which many voters — struggling with inflation and tired of the status quo — went to the polls looking to shake things up.

For those keeping score, district voters have approved $1.7 billion in bonds since 1995.

So whatever the reasons for Fresno Unified’s well-chronicled shortcomings, there should be no fingers pointed at the voters. They’ve done their part, time and again.

Use This Mandate to Better Educate Fresno’s Children

Elected officials love mandates because they’re accompanied by a honeymoon and a license to take new approaches to longstanding problems.

However, something else comes with a mandate. It’s public sentiment that the people in charge must get things done. Mandates are not broad steel beams; they’re as fickle as a wire connected to two high-rises in gusting winds.

In other words, no more excuses from the School Board.

Hiring the Right Superintendent Is a Must

Hire the right superintendent. One who has a plan to accelerate student achievement from Day One — not five years from now. Interim Superintendent Misty Her has set a goal of double-digit annual improvement in student achievement. Whomever is hired should be held to the same standard.

Find the sweet spot for student discipline, a system that maintains safety and order in the classroom without kicking youngsters to the curb.

Match the best teachers with the students who need to catch up. If the Fresno Teachers Association doesn’t want to play ball, make it clear there’ll be hell to pay in the next contract negotiations.

Speaking of teachers, they should be in a happy place, too, despite taking their lumps in the November election. Last year’s strike threat produced a contract with big raises and restored lifetime health benefits to boot. Factoring in the Valley’s low-for-California cost of living, they are among the best compensated educators in the state.

The outstanding pay also applies to the district’s top administrators, who pull down the highest salaries among Fresno area local governments. Compared to Fresno Unified’s top ranks, the department heads at City Hall and Fresno County make peanuts.

Three Key Questions for the Candidates

This brings us to the three most important questions each of the seven trustees must ask the superintendent candidates.

Do you have the backbone to hold administrators accountable and fire those who don’t deliver?

If you uncover wrongdoing, will you sweep it under the rug, as superintendents have done for decades, or will you be transparent and answer to the taxpayers?

For years, school leaders have successfully fought off attempts to break up Fresno Unified into two or three smaller, more manageable districts. Always the rationale for keeping Fresno Unified whole has been that its massive size comes with resources and opportunities not available to others.

So, Mr. or Ms. Superintendent, how will you leverage this heft to help many more students learn what they need to succeed in the workplace or college?

Fresno Unified Is a Board of Veterans

In November, the School Board was dealt a winning hand. It’s a board of veterans. None can say they need more training. Or time to get up to speed.

I’m rooting for the School Board to make the most of what, to my mind, is one last chance to get things right.

A final opportunity to retire the words “one of the worst-performing large urban school districts in the state and the nation.”