The Central Unified Area 4 seat formerly held by Richard Atkins, who resigned this week in response to public outcry over his Facebook post that urged U.S. critics to "go back to your country," will remain vacant until the November election. The elected candidate will serve out the remainder of...
Friday Deadline to Add Picking Atkins’ Successor to November Ballot
Richard Atkins submitted his written resignation from his Area 4 seat on the Central Unified School District board of trustees on Wednesday morning, Superintendent Andy Alvarado said. Atkins dated his resignation June 23, but it won't be official until it reaches the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools, Alvarado said. "Jim...
‘Go Back to Your Country’ Central Trustee Abruptly Resigns
Central Unified School District trustee Richard Atkins abruptly resigned his Area 4 seat Tuesday night in the midst of a special public meeting in which members of the public called for him to resign or be removed or recalled because of a controversial Facebook post. The board had just voted...
Madera County Schools Official on Facebook: ‘I’m Proud to Be White’
The president of the Madera County Board of Education apparently posted an image of the Confederate flag overlaid with a message proclaiming "I'm proud to be white" on her Facebook page, prompting criticism Tuesday from the county's superintendent of schools. The message continued with "I bet no one passes this...
Central Unified Trustee Apologizes for ‘Go Back’ to Your Country Facebook Post
Central Unified trustee Richard Atkins is apologizing for a controversial Facebook post that has sparked a petition drive calling for his resignation. Atkins declined Monday to discuss with GV Wire what prompted his post, which said, "If you don't Love the Country you live in, then go back to the...
Terry Cox Named President of Central Unified School Board
The Central Unified School Board unanimously voted in Area 5 veteran incumbent Terry Cox as board president at its meeting Tuesday at Central East High School. "It is a big responsibility, but I am glad to take it on," said Cox, who has served on the board for 18 years....
Did Voters Oust Central Unified Trustees Over Sutton Firing?
Tuesday's election results in Central Unified School Board races were welcomed by community members who see the outcome as a rebuke over the firing of district Superintendent Mark Sutton last February. Board chair Cesar Granda and trustee Ruben Coronado both lost their bids for re-election. Incumbent Rama Dawar is barely holding...
Brooks Challenges Atkins for Area 4 Central Unified Seat
After unseating incumbent George Wilson Jr. in 2014, Richard Atkins will face off with Shawn Brooks for the Area 4 seat on the Central Unified School Board in the November election. Atkins ran as part of the "Four Horsemen" slate, which swept incumbents out of the Area 1, 2, 4, and...
What's Next for Central High West Campus? Candidates Offer Ideas.
To prevent the Central High School West Campus from becoming a "ghost town" when the district's new high school opens in 2021, a school board incumbent and several candidates discussed the possibility of turning it into a magnet school for Career Technical Education. "We envision that we turn it into...