With the filing deadline three days away, 28 candidates (including 8 incumbents) have qualified for local school board races being decided in November's general election. Among the contests drawing interest is a rare open seat on the Clovis Unified School District board. Area 3 incumbent Jim Van Volkinburg, a dentist...
With Board's Blessing, Kepler Neighborhood School Stays Open
The educational mission of Kepler Neighborhood School continues. By a 4-1 vote Thursday, the Fresno County Board of Education granted the school’s appeal to continue operations for another three years. Last month, the Fresno Unified school board denied Kepler’s request for its charter renewal, based mainly on poor test scores....
Recreational Cannabis Shops? Mayor Brand Says No Way.
The top story out of Thursday’s (June 14) Fresno City Council meeting was the approval of a November ballot measure taxing cannabis sales. Regulations are still needed before there is anything to tax. And two-thirds of voters would have to approve the tax for it to become law. But based...
Cal Johnson Isn't Running. Olivier Might. A Look Ahead to FUSD Election.
Looking ahead to the November election, the Fresno Teachers Association is holding a school board candidates town hall Thursday night (May 31). Four Fresno Unified trustee areas are up for grabs. And at least six candidates — some who have filed paperwork and some who have not — will take...
FUSD Trustees Go Slow on Go Schools Advice
Go Public Schools Fresno has authored a report detailing new ways to think about education. On Wednesday (May 23), Fresno Unified trustees offered a Solomonesque solution in a tug-o-war between the group and the district's teachers union. The board voted 6-1 to receive the report, but hold off on implementing...
Teachers Deserve More Pay, Respect: Zakaria
Teachers in states across the country have walked out of classrooms in recent months to draw attention to low wages and a lack of support from lawmakers — and by extension, the voting public. In his May 18 commentary, Washington Post columnist Fareed Zakaria says the teaching profession has become...
GO Public Schools Group Wants a Seat at Fresno Unified's Table
Fresno Unified Superintendent Bob Nelson's leadership skills will be tested tonight by the last item on the board agenda. For nearly a year, the nonprofit GO Public Schools Fresno has met with parents and community leaders to hear their concerns about Fresno Unified. In addition, the organization has engaged in...
Poor Academic Performance Is Kepler Charter School's Undoing
The front page of a Fresno Unified fact-finding report bluntly lays out its recommendation: “Deny the Kepler Neighborhood School Charter Renewal Petition request. The charter school has not met the standards and criteria set forth in Education Code.” Fresno Unified trustees agreed with that finding Wednesday night, voting 5-2 not...
Is Dyer Opening the Door to a Political Future?
Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer is not ruling out a future in politics. “I’ve never shut a door on anything. But I do know at the present time, I’m very happy serving as the police chief," Dyer told GV Wire. "There is a lot of work left to do. I...
Fresno Unified Has Attendance Problem … On Bond Oversight Committee
Voters in Fresno Unified have entrusted the school board with more than a half-billion dollars in bond money. Measure Q passed in 2010 for $280 million. Measure X passed in 2016 for $225 million. Both bonds have an oversight board to make sure the construction funds are spent appropriately. The...