Ten Central Unified School District teacher jobs are being targeted for possible elimination by Superintendent Andy Alvarado, who says the district needs to make cuts now to counter a project budget deficit down the road. Such "course corrections" ideally would occur each year, based on a review of the district's...
School Board Lowers Fees Charged for New Homes in NW Fresno
The Central Unified School Board voted unanimously Tuesday evening to lower homebuilder developer fees from $5.16 to $4.60 per square foot. That could result in a decrease for home prices in the district. The developer fee for a 2,000-square-foot home would drop by about $1,120, for example. The district is...
School Board Candidates Report Fundraising Totals in Home Stretch
In Fresno, with the absence of city or countywide races, most of the attention in the local election is on school boards. Candidates reported their final pre-election fundraising totals, through Oct. 17. State Center Area 2 Is the Most Costly Race For the State Center school board — which governs...
Parents Plans ‘Zoom Out’ Strike Over School Closures. Will Local Families Join?
Reopen California Schools, a statewide Facebook group that organized rallies earlier this month to protest the continued closures of schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic, says parents need to go on strike next week — and keep their kids from logging online for their classes. The group, created in June...
School Closed, but Kids Still Need Vaccinations for Distance Learning
Students and their families have had their lives turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, with distance learning set to resume or even underway, here comes another curveball. California law says students still need to prove they've been vaccinated before they can start online school. No immunization, no enrollment...
Terry Cox Won’t Seek Another Term on Central Unified Board
The biggest development in Fresno-area school board races perhaps is who won't be on the November ballot. Longtime Central Unified trustee Terry Cox tells GV Wire℠that she won't run for a sixth term. Cox says that after 20 years on the board she wants to focus on her job as...
‘Go Back to Your Country’ Post by School Trustee Denounced by Board
Over the objections of two trustees, the Central Unified School Board voted Tuesday for a resolution denouncing the "insensitive" comment former trustee Richard Atkins had posted on Facebook that led to public condemnation and ultimately, his resignation. Atkins, the Area 4 trustee, had prompted widespread criticism and petition drives seeking...
As COVID Shutdowns Expand, Will Area Schools Open Next Month?
Local school officials were huddling Monday to talk about how the latest COVID-19 closures ordered Monday by Gov. Gavin Newsom might impact back-to-school plans. Central Unified spokeswoman Sonja Dosti said Central Unified superintendent Andy Alvarado and other superintendents were conferring with Fresno County Superintendent of Schools Jim Yovino about preparing...
School Board President Who Posted Confederate Flag, ‘Proud to be White,’ Resigns
Sara Wilkins, the Madera County Board of Education president whose Facebook post of the Confederate flag and the phrase "I'm proud to be white" prompted community outrage, has resigned, Madera County Superintendent of Schools Cecilia Massetti announced Thursday morning. Wilkins' resignation came in a single sentence: “After 47 years of...
These Central Unified Kids Will Return to Classroom for Summer School
Central Unified School District isn't waiting for the new school year to welcome students back to the classroom. About 130 students in kindergarten through fifth grade will start summer school classes at Tilley Elementary School on July 6, superintendent Andy Alvarado said Friday. Districts across California are mulling how to...