The biggest culture collision in the history of Fresno Unified School District is underway. On one side is retired Marine Maj. Terry Slatic, who was elected to succeed trustee Brooke Ashjian in November. I've spent a good part of the past 45 years interviewing serious men and women —college and NFL...
Special Ed Teachers Put Finishing Touch on Renovated Rata High
Fresno Unified is getting ready to reopen a high school dedicated to special education students after the holiday break. To prepare for the students' return to Florence Rata High School on Jan. 7, teachers and other staff are spending a few days unpacking boxes and organizing their classrooms. During the...
Improving Special Ed Top Priority For New FUSD Trustees
Three new members will join the Fresno Unified School Board on Wednesday, and all say improving special education will be among their top priorities. "That is something that is very high on my list," said Terry Slatic, who will succeed Brooke Ashjian representing the Bullard High School area. Slatic believes the board...
'Sweet' Holiday Sounds Break Heart of Mom With Excluded Son
School holiday concerts and plays are a source of great pride for parents. The singing, acting, and costumes often provide joyful lifetime memories. But the holiday program Wednesday night at Figarden Elementary School triggered anguish in Chrissy and Michael Kelly. Special Needs Class Excluded That's because the school excluded Parker...
Ashjian vs. Nelson: A Hot, Loud Debate on Special Ed
Cool, calm and collected Fresno Unified Superintendent Bob Nelson has a temper after all — as you can see in the video accompanying this article. The trustee who spiked Nelson's blood pressure: Brooke Ashjian, with his comments on a $1 million supplementary spending proposal for special education. A million dollars...
Everyone Gets Their Kicks at School's Special Olympics Event
Whenever Julian Lorenzo is on the soccer field, he aims to achieve one of two goals. "Be a winner and to do my best," said Lorenzo, a 7th-grade special education student at Rio Vista Middle School. Lorenzo did both at the school's second annual Special Olympics Soccer event. Special Olympics...
Teamwork Replaces Chaos in Fresno Unified, Leaders and Union Say
One year ago, Fresno Unified teachers threatened to go out on strike over stalled contract negotiations with the district. Among the issues contributing to the impasse: a demand by teachers that the district make a commitment to reducing class sizes to help address deficiencies in student achievement. On Wednesday, the...
More Homework? More Taxes? Highlights from Sunnyside Area Debate.
Mark Ratchford kept a serious face all night. He doesn’t like the direction of Fresno Unified and wasn’t shy talking about it. Ratchford, educator Karl Diaz, and incumbent Valerie Davis met Monday (Sept. 24) night at the CMAC studios downtown in a debate among candidates for the Fresno Unified trustee...
Fresno Unified Must Make Special Ed a Priority. Not an Afterthought.
Even before Bob Nelson took over as Fresno Unified superintendent, he had to know that the district's efforts to educate students with disabilities were coming up short. The many lawsuits against the district filed by families of special education students and the voices expressing frustration at board meetings were ample...
Ashjian Can Be His Own Worst Enemy. And a Student's Best Friend
Brooke Ashjian is not the simple attention seeking politician that some of his critics assume him to be. Rather, he's a complicated man largely shaped by a hard-scrabble upbringing, his Mormon religion, Armenian heritage and strong embrace of the First Amendment. He has said a thousand things I wouldn't say....