Starr Elementary School said "thank you for your service" in a big way Friday to active duty military and veterans, police, fire, and other first-responders before the start of the school's annual "Heroes Jog-a-thon" fundraiser. The field behind the school was bedecked with American flags, balloons, and brightly colored handmade...
When Will ‘All Means All’ Happen at Starr Elementary?
"All means all" is a slogan Fresno Unified Superintendent Bob Nelson often uses to describe inclusion efforts at California's fourth-largest school district. However, past and present trustees and parents argue that the district is not living up to the motto. Their dissatisfaction primarily stems from the situation at Dorothy Starr...
Job One for Fresno Unified Bureaucracy? Self-Preservation.
The notion that Fresno Unified School District's mission is to educate and equip children to succeed as adults was shredded Thursday at Starr Elementary School. Rather than let Trustee Terry Slatic observe a meeting about how the district intends to improve classrooms for special education students, the district staff told...
Special-Ed Meeting Canceled After Trustee Terry Slatic Arrives
A meeting to discuss changes at Starr Elementary School involving special-education students was canceled Thursday afternoon shortly after Trustee Terry Slatic arrived. "I made it crystal clear that it is not my meeting, and that I am there to learn, to gain information so I can advise my constituents," said...
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...