Fresno Unified School District faced an uproar over the decision to cut the Designated Schools Program during Wednesday’s School Board meeting.

The Fresno Teachers Association organized the protest, which produced an overflow of teachers and parents spilling out of the meeting room.

The group harbored a central complaint: the elimination of designated schools.

Designated Schools Adds 30 Minutes for Small Group Focus

Fresno Unified and the Fresno Teachers Association launched a program in the 2013-2014 school year that added 30 minutes of small group instruction and 10 days of collaborative teacher training at designated schools. The initiative aimed to close achievement gaps at underperforming schools.

However, with the district facing its second consecutive year of budget cuts, the $30 million program is now at risk of being slashed due to disappointing academic outcomes.

“Some schools saw big bright spots, but overall, the data showed us that after 10 years, they’re performing similarly to non-designated schools,” said Nikki Henry, Fresno Unified’s Chief Communications Officer.

The proposal has drawn sharp criticism from the FTA and its allies, who argue that cutting the program will reduce teacher pay and instructional time.

“Those 30 minutes are absolutely essential,” said Marry-Ann Rojas, a sixth-grade teacher at Ewing Elementary. “I was in Sanger Unified previously to this and we didn’t have those extra 30 minutes. I can see how much more my students have progressed.”

Rojas noted that the extra time allows teachers to provide small-group instruction, giving students more one-on-one attention.

The FTA says that teachers affected by the cuts could face a 12% pay reduction.

Fresno Unified has pushed back, saying most teachers will not see pay cuts, thanks to previously negotiated raises and one-time payments.

Henry acknowledged that teachers may have expected these payments to be raises rather than a status quo adjustment. However, she countered that the district “isn’t taking money out of teachers’ pockets.”

Teachers at the top of the pay scale, one-third of those impacted, will experience a 2% phase-out but will have priority access to additional pay opportunities, Henry said.

Related Story: 250 Fresno Unified Bus Driver Jobs at Risk, Teachers Fear 12% Pay Cuts

Fresno Unified Responds to FTA’s Comments

Fresno Unified officials believe the FTA is manipulating teachers’ emotions by prioritizing money over students’ needs.

“If this were truly about protecting instructional time for students, why have they (the FTA) never once proposed keeping those 30 minutes? Every single proposal they’ve made calls for cutting time, cutting the program, and redirecting funds to salaries — not protecting student learning,” Henry said, “That’s not advocacy for kids — that’s misrepresentation.”

The FTA told GV Wire that their proposal addresses lost student time in a statement Thursday afternoon.

Fresno Unified also stated that the district has faced ongoing resistance from the FTA concerning designated schools.

The FTA rejected this claim, asserting that it has upheld the Collective Bargaining Agreement regarding designated schools since 2014. “What we oppose is Fresno Unified’s repeated reliance on so-called ‘silver bullet’ solutions to ‘fix’ education,” the FTA said in a statement.

In 2012, the FTA opposed the creation of designated schools, advocating instead for smaller class sizes. Former superintendent Micheal Hanson championed the program, and as a compromise, the district and FTA agreed to pilot the initiative at three schools. The program eventually expanded to 41 sites.

The dispute was recently taken to arbitration, where the arbitrator sided with the district’s decision to eliminate the program.

Teachers have expressed dissatisfaction with the ruling, feeling ignored and unsupported.

“How do you expect us to make any progress when you’re cutting the budget for materials, when you are cutting teacher salaries, you’re cutting 30 minutes of our school day?” said Rojas.

Related Story: Fresno Unified Superintendent Job Officially Posted, Search Underway

Parents Share Concerns Over Lost Time

Parents, concerned about the impact of lost instruction time on their children, were among those speaking at the Board meeting.

Nydia Hernandez, a parent of two Fresno Unified students, expressed that losing the extra instruction time would be harmful.

“If the school is not receiving the support from the board, they can’t do their job,” Hernandez said.

Fresno Unified has stated that it is committed to ensuring the lost instructional time will be made up through afterschool programs.

“If you’re a working parent and you’re worried about the schedule changing or your child having less time in the classroom, we’re going to make sure that they have that time,” Henry said.

Another issue raised by parents was the lack of communication from the district.

Hernandez said she found out about the cuts through social media and credited the FTA for spreading the news.

However, Henry said Fresno Unified has been sending communications about designated schools via Parent Square since January.

FTA Calls Choice ‘Priority Issue’

The FTA has accuses Fresno Unified of prioritizing its reserves and spending on consultants instead of listening to teachers.

The district projects a $241 million reserve by the end of this school year, a cushion that represents 6% of the budget, which the district said is necessary for financial stability.

Fresno Unified has been grappling with declining enrollment, which is expected to drop to 60,000 by 2030, and low average daily attendance, both of which directly affect the district’s revenue. Federal funding has also become less reliable due to cuts to the federal budget and proposals to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education.

In light of budget cuts for a second straight year, Fresno Unified had to reassess its programs and make difficult decisions to stay financially viable, Henry said.

The district’s budget also allocates $110 million to “Professional/Consulting Services and Operating Expenditures” — a figure that has drawn criticism from the FTA.

“This is not a budget problem; this is a priorities problem. And they are not prioritizing our students, and our teachers,” said FTA President Manuel Bonilla. “The school board could impact learning if they just listen to teachers. That is not what they’re doing. They need consultants to tell them how to lead.”

Fresno Unified provided a breakdown of the $110 million, detailing the top 20 contracted services. During open comment, Bonilla urged the crowd to rip up the paper.

“Instead of talking to us or acknowledging that we are putting money into the classroom, he wanted everyone to rip it up, so they stopped looking at the facts,” Henry said.