April 25, 2018

The April 25, 2018 meeting of the Board of Education began with the following announcements out of Closed Session:

  • Settled a workers compensation case
  • Promoted Armen Torigian, Vice Principal III, Bullard High School to Principal III, Tenaya Middle School
  • Promoted Denise Romero, Vice Principal I, Kirk Elementary School to Principal II, Kirk Elementary School
  • Selected Jennifer Carr, Administrator, Instructional Services to Principal III, Ahwahnee Middle School
  • Reassigned an employee

Next, Amelia Aguilar, a parent who has had a positive impact at Lane Elementary School, led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Students Derek Brown and Keerat Riar from Patiño School of Entrepreneurship provided a report to the board.  They shared exciting new from Patiño including that sophomores will begin their sophomore defense and conclude their internships with Shift3 Technologies.  Juniors are pitching their Minimum Valuable Product in front of a panel of judges at BitWise Industries for a chance at funding for their student businesses, and seniors are excited to be the school’s first graduating class at the historic Tower Theater.  Patiño has hosted several guest speakers including EECU and Common Space.  Seniors also will be participating in a college and career fair.  The school is also excited to welcome, for the first time, 9th grade students starting in August.  Also, students from Cooper Middle School shared with the board what extracurricular activities they enjoy as well as their career goals.

The Board of Education adopted a resolution proclaiming May 2018 Better Hearing and Speech Month.

The Board of Education adopted a resolution proclaiming May 7-11, 2018 as Teacher/Substitute Teacher Appreciation Week.

Next, Superintendent Nelson provided a brief report to the Board of Education including:

  • Thanking everyone who coordinated and attended this year’s Southeast Asian Family Education Conference organized by Parent University.  The event was held at Fresno City College.  It focused on building student’s academic success, both from the sense of the student and their parents.  The conference focused on students and parents in our Hmong, Lao and Cambodian communities by providing engaging workshops, leadership for middle school students and civic engagement for high school students.  Nearly 400 people attended the event.  Thank you, Parent University, for organizing this successful experience for many of our parents.
  • Acknowledging Sunnyside High School digital photography and marking students and staff who are currently holding a launch party to unveil new technology and state-of-the-art equipment in their classroom.  Attendees will experience a career technical education classroom in action and receive a personal, professional portrait from students.  Nelson thanked industry partners who not only take the time to mentor students but also provide training and support to ensure they come the professionals they aspire to be.
  • Thanking the district’s 90 professional bus drivers.  Tuesday was National School Bus Drivers Day and we appreciate our 90 drivers who are up before dawn every morning to inspect their buses and prepare to safely transport our city’s most precious cargo.  Nelson also thanked the California Highway Patrol who honored two district drivers: Richard Olivares and Michelle Thomas.  Both were recognized with the prestigious Blackwell Memorial Award for 20 consecutive years of safe driving.  This is absolutely no small feat!  Thank you, Fresno Unified bus drivers, for your continued support of our students!
  • Congratulating Board Clerk Valerie Davis for being elected to a seat on the Executive Committee of the Council of Great City Schools.  This is a huge honor and deserves great recognition!  Trustee Davis will begin her three-year term this summer.
  • Recognizing Bullard High School boys’ volleyball coach Roy Verduzco who, last week, coached his 800th career win in a conference match!  The game was an exciting one against Madera South and gave Roy Verduzco the most wins of any coach in the State of California.  Roy’s record currently stands at 800 wins, 201 losses spanning his 35-year career.  Superintendent Nelson and Trustee Ashjian presented Roy with a plaque celebrating this milestone.

The Board of Education took the following actions on the below consent agenda items:

  • Approved personnel list
  • Adopted findings of fact and recommendations of the District Administrative Board
  • Approved the minutes from the January 24, 2018 and April 11, 2018 regular meetings
  • Adopted declaration of need for Fully Qualified Educators
  • Adopted waiver request for Alvarina Medrano
  • Approved addendum to agreement with Collaborative Learning Solutions
  • Approved State Center Adult Education Consortium Alternative District Representative for remainder of 2017/18 through 2019/20 fiscal year
  • Approved amendment to Independent Contractor Services Agreement with West Ed
  • Approved appointment to Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee
  • Approved award of Bid 18-23 Sections A-C, Exterior Painting at Various School Sites
  • Moved approval of award of Bid 18-25, Roosevelt High School Construction of New Aquatic Center to a future board meeting. Trustee Ashjian abstained pursuant to Board Bylaw 9270.
    • Mark Wilson Construction, Inc (Fresno, CA) $6,005,832
  • Approved award of Bid 18-26, Balderas, Centennial and Leavenworth Elementary Schools, and Edison High School, Portable Classrooms Relocation and Infrastructure. Trustee Ashjian abstained pursuant to Board Bylaw 9270.
    • Davis Moreno Construction, Inc (Fresno, CA) $1,387,001
  • Approved award of Bid 18-29, Heaton Elementary School and Fresno High School Energy Management System Replacement
    • New England Sheet Metal and Mechanical Co. (Fresno, CA) $833,700
  • Ratified grant application to the California Department of Education for the Learning Communities for School Success Program
  • Ratified Independent Contractor Services Agreement with Springboard Collaborative
  • Ratified change order for the project listed below. Trustee Ashjian abstained pursuant to Board Bylaw 9270.
    • Bid 18-02, Adult Transition Program Modernization Project
  • Ratified Purchase Orders from February 1, 2018 through February 28, 2018 and Zero Dollar Contracts. Trustee Ashjian abstained pursuant to Board Bylaw 9270.

Next, staff made presentations to the Board in the conference/discussion section of the agenda as follows:

  • Presented an overview on the Kepler Neighborhood Charter School and Charter Renewal Process
  • Held a public hearing in the matter of the Kepler Neighborhood School Renewal Petition
  • Presented and discussed the 2018/19 Strategic Budget Development
  • Adopted Resolution 17-45, providing for issuance and sale of General Obligation Bonds, Election of 2016 (Measure X), Series A, in the Aggregate Principal Amount of Not to Exceed $60,000,000 and Authorizing the Execution and Delivery of Documents and Actions in Connection Therewith

Included in the Board binders and recommended for The Board of Education received the following information or reports:

  • Proposed revisions for Board Policies (BP) 5141, 5141.1, 5141.6, 5146, (NEW) 5148.2, 6143, 6161.1 and 6170.1
  • BP 5141 Health Care Emergencies
  • BP 5141.1 Accidents (Deletion)
  • BP 5141.6 School-Based Health And Social Services
  • BP 5146 Married/Pregnant/Parenting Students
  • (NEW) BP 5148.2 Before/After School Programs
  • BP 6143 Courses of Study
  • BP6161.1 Selection And Evaluation Of Instructional Materials
  • BP 6170.1 Transitional Kindergarten
  • School of Unlimited Learning Renewal Petition
  • Findings and Recommendations of the 2018 Choosing Our Future Report

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Education is Wednesday, May 9, 2018 at the Fresno Unified Education Center, located at 2309 Tulare St. in Fresno. Complete minutes and agendas are available online at https://go.fresnou.org/board.

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