Clovis Unified is experiencing an “exodus” of American Sign Language interpreters, leaving deaf and hard of hearing students in the lurch, according to district interpreters.

The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Service Center raised concerns about student access to interpretation services and encouraged Clovis Unified to take immediate steps to bolster the workforce in a letter to district leadership.

“Access to qualified interpreters is not optional; it is essential for ensuring equitable education and full participation in the classroom,” the letter states.

In the past two years, 16 ASL interpreters have left the district, according to the Association of Clovis Educators. And new interpreters aren’t filling these positions.

“This isn’t about turnover – that would require new people coming in. We’re talking about an exodus. We tried to warn them, but they chose not to believe us,” said ASL interpreter Peter Moreno.

However, only three educational interpreters and six deaf and hard of hearing instructional assistants left Clovis Unified in 2024-25 and 2025-26, district spokesperson Kelly Avants told GV Wire.

In that same time period, the district hired two educational interpreters and seven deaf and hard of hearing instructional assistants, she said.

Meanwhile, the district is rapidly growing, adding 382 students in the 2025–26 school year. The 0.9% increase has caused the district to reach a record high of 43,254 pupils. It is now the 11th largest school district in California.

Now, it’s a question of how many — not if — students will go without an interpreter, ACE says.

But Clovis Unified is actively recruiting folks for these roles amidst what Avants labeled a “shortage of interpreter candidates” in the “region and the nation.”

In the meantime, the district has plans in place to ensure students have continued support, including substitutes and schedule adjustments, Avants said.

Clovis Unified ASL Interpreters Demand Better Pay

The ACE ASL bargaining team, unionizing in August 2024, have been negotiating their first contract with Clovis Unified for about 18 months.

District administration and trustees have refused to address the growing staffing crisis, which primarily stems from the lack of competitive pay, ACE says.

“The prestige of working in Clovis doesn’t pay the bills, and the bills have gone up. This is about supply and demand, pure and simple,” said Buchanan High School ASL interpreter Shonda Harrar. “The supply of interpreters is limited, and the demand remains high, so the price goes up. Neighboring districts understand this, which is why our colleagues have moved.”

Clovis Unified offers ASL interpreters an hourly wage ranging from $34.11 to $41.41.

Comparatively, larger neighboring school district, Fresno Unified, provides an hourly wage ranging from $40.59 to $51.86. And Central Unified, which serves less than half the number of students as Clovis, offers a pay scale ranging from $23.76 to $28.95.

In the past five years, Clovis Unified  has undergone two third-party analyses of its compensation structure and salary schedules, Avants said. One ensured competitiveness and the other reviewed job descriptions to appropriately place them.

DHHSC extended a helping hand in its letter, welcoming the opportunity to collaborate with the district to help recruit and retain staff.

“This may include reviewing compensation structures, strengthening recruitment efforts, providing professional development opportunities, and offering interpreters and signing aides a fair contract that supports long-term retention,” the letter states.

District Contracted Outside Interpreters

Last year, ACE discovered at the bargaining table that Clovis Unified contracted an outside agency, Soliant Health, to provide video remote interpreting services to pupils.

The union filed charges against the district, claiming it violated interpreters’ bargaining rights by not notifying them of its use of contractors.

Clovis Unified trustees unanimously approved a semester-long contract with Soliant Health for up to $332,000 in early February 2025.

“We strongly encourage Clovis Unified to avoid revisiting (video remote interpreting) as a cost-saving measure in the future,” DHHSC stated in its letter. “In classroom settings, particularly when multiple students are involved, VRI often limits access to communication and does not provide the same level of support as in-person interpreters.”

The district does not currently use any digital translation devices, Avants said.