Central Unified School District residents soon will be asked whether they would vote in favor of a new hundred-million-dollar bond measure for school construction and improvements that could cause a double-digit hike in the district's property tax rate over the next decade. The district has yet to set the size...
Central Unified Superintendent Gets 5% Pay Hike
Central Unified Superintendent Andrew Alvarado's annual salary is climbing to $210,120 after the school board voted 6-1 Tuesday to approve employment agreements for Alvarado and the district's assistant superintendents. Alvarado and the assistant superintendents will receive the same raises approved earlier this year for district teachers and other staff —...
Central Unified Pays Tribute to Porterfield Ahead of Monday Funeral
Central Unified staff and board members were visibly saddened Tuesday evening when remembering Kelly Porterfield. The assistant superintendent was killed July 16 while riding a motorcycle struck by a mini-van on Highway 168 near Shaver Lake. Following the Pledge of Allegiance, board president Terry Cox asked the public to remain...
Porterfield Funeral Is Set for Monday in Clovis
The funeral service for Kelly Porterfield, who left his imprint on Central Unified and Madera Unified school districts, is scheduled for Monday, July 29. The public funeral is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Peachwood Ward, 220 N. Peach Ave., in...
Central Unified Administrator Dies in Shaver Lake Crash
A Central Unified administrator died in a motorcycle collision Tuesday night near Shaver Lake, the California Highway Patrol said. Kelly Porterfield served as the district’s assistant superintendent and chief business officer. He was the district's interim superintendent in 2018. Collision with Vehicle Attempting U-Turn According to CHP Sgt. Matt Zulim,...
With New High School, Central Unified Reaches for the Stars
Pick a word. Stunning. Exciting. Expensive. All apply to Central Unified's newest high school, which breaks ground Saturday morning at Ashlan and Grantland avenues and is expected to be ready for students in August 2021. The cost of the school's first phase is about $121 million. There will be three...
State Watchdog Drops Hammer on Fresno-Area Politicians
The state agency in charge of campaign finance enforcement has detailed its case to justify $66,000 in fines against community college board trustee Eric Payne. Payne, a two-term trustee of the State Center Community College District, faces 21 counts ranging from failing to report campaign finance paperwork to misusing funds,...
Tilley Elementary Students Give Thumbs-up to Shoes That Fit
All 478 students at Hanh Phan Tilley Elementary School got a new pair of tennis shoes Thursday morning, putting smiles on the faces of the young learners. Group Helps 131,000 Children a Year The shoes were distributed at the Central Unified school in collaboration with Shoes That Fit, a national...
Black Teachers Provide Big Boost to African American Students
There has long been an academic achievement gap between white and black students. Historically, black students have graduated from colleges and universities at lower rates than their white peers. California, which is home to the fifth-largest black population in the country, is no exception. However, new research shows that having just one black teacher can...
Divisions of Labor? Reports of Heated Debate on Parks Sales Tax.
Is there a split among city labor organizations over Measure P, the 3/8 of a cent sales tax initiative for parks that Fresno voters will decide next month? A mini-debate broke out at a recent city labor function, that multiple sources told GV Wire became heated. The Coalition of Organized...