A 16-year-old Bullard cheerleader who went to court in July to seek a restraining order against a Fresno Unified trustee could be on the hook for $12,000 in legal fees and court costs. Listen to this article: Trustee Terry Slatic, the target of the teen's legal effort, says she wouldn't...
FUSD Owes Flood Control District $750K. The Check Is Not in The Mail.
Fresno Unified School District and the Fresno Metropolitan Flood Control District have reached a tentative agreement that would require the school district to pay drainage fees for upcoming school improvement projects as well as some built as far back as 1987. Listen to this article: The Fresno Unified board...
Calling All Budding Astronauts: You'll Need Math Skills
Fresno State is hosting its first Math Aerospace Academy for students in grades one through six who are excited at the prospect of working on things like NASA engineering design challenges and robot coding. The program spans six Saturdays, starting Jan. 11 at 8:30 a.m. in the Education Building. The curriculum...
Sunnyside Teacher Surprised With Teaching 'Oscar,' $25,000 Prize
Sunnyside High School teacher Katie McQuone is used to being behind the camera as head of the school's Video Production Academy. So McQuone was startled Tuesday morning to find cameras suddenly pointing at her during an assembly in the packed school gymnasium, where she was named winner of a $25,000 Milken...
Ashjian Fined $23,500 for Failure to Disclose Conflicts
Former Fresno Unified trustee Brooke Ashjian has paid a $23,500 fine to the state's political watchdog agency for a variety of infractions, capping a three-year investigation. Listen to this article: "Although the Commission considers the violations serious in nature, the Enforcement Division found no evidence that Respondent intended to...
Central Unified Mulls Lowering Fees for New Home Construction
The cost of new homes built in Central Unified School District is likely to go down slightly. The Central Unified board on Tuesday will vote on lowering developer fees that are collected to help pay for new schools. If the board approves the change, Central's fees would be $5.16 per...
Will Nelson Rid FUSD of the Incompetent and the Indifferent?
Some of the photos accompanying this column make me wonder if Fresno Unified will ever get its act together. Listen to this article: As you can see, the conditions in this special education storage room and teachers' office at Figarden Elementary School are appalling. Rat feces and urine are...
Recall Group Gives Slatic Notice to Remove Him from Office
Supporters of the recall of Fresno Unified trustee Terry Slatic formally began the process Monday. During a court hearing on a restraining order filed by a student against the trustee, the Recall Slatic group served the school board member the official Notice of Intention. Slatic downplayed the event. Listen to...
Judge Presses Pause on Slatic Restraining Order Hearing
A Fresno Unified school board member will have to wait at least a month to learn the fate of a restraining order filed against him. In July, a Bullard High student/cheerleader filed a restraining order against Terry Slatic, saying she feared for her safety after Slatic held a meeting with...
Sunnyside High Changes Lives With Restorative Practices Done Right
Samantha "Sam" Bridgeforth could be the poster child for Sunnyside High School's restorative practices program. As a sophomore, her grade-point average was 1.0 — a D. She was often angry, rude to school staffers, quick to start swinging her fists in fights. After numerous suspensions, she was inches away from...