March 8, 2017

The March 8, 2017 meeting of the Board of Education began with the following announcement out of Closed Session. The Board appointed:

  • Gia Picchi-Shirley, Principal Dailey Charter School to Principal II, Storey Elementary School

Next, Ms. Laura Murray, a parent that has had a positive impact at Burroughs Elementary, led the Pledge of Allegiance.

​The Board of Education approved the minutes from the January 26, 2017 and January 30, 2017 special meetings.

The Board of Education adopted a resolution recognizing Fresno Unified as a Safe Place School District, in order to provide a safe learning environment for all students.

Student Hope Cruz from DeWolf High School provided a report to the Board of Education, sharing details of yesterday’s SAB meeting. She thanked Trustee De La Cerda for attending the SAB meeting and his ongoing support. Hope shared a number of activities going on at Dewolf including a total of 25 students who have graduated and 50 more expected by the end of the school year.  Hope was joined by friends to share the news that a fellow DeWolf student and leadership member was recently diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Students are wearing purple to support her and look forward to having her join them on the graduation stage later this year. In addition, students from Wawona Middle School provided highlights of their campus activities and why they enjoy their school.

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

  • Congratulating the Bullard girls soccer team on their recent Central Section Division I Valley Championship. With a last minute goal from freshman Jordyne Puentes, the Knights went on to a thrilling 1-0 victory over athletic powerhouse Clovis North.  The girls hosted their first CIF Southern California Regional game yesterday, beating Santa Clarita’s Hart High School 2-0.  They face Huntington Beach tomorrow at 5:00 p.m.
  • Nelson also recognized Bullard sophomore Dawson Sihavong who placed 6th in the State wrestling tournament last weekend; as well as Christopher Casillas and Hudson Dorian from Edison High School who are moving on to the VEX Robotics World Championships in Louisville, Kentucky next month. Interim superintendent congratulated all the district teams and individuals who competed over the last few weeks in playoffs, championships and academic competitions around the valley.
  • Next Wednesday, another champion will be making her appearance on the big stage – the Fresno County Spell-Off stage.  Fifth grader Sharleen Her from Storey Elementary and second-place finisher Sonya Hughes from Fremont Elementary will be representing Fresno Unified in the county’s annual spelling bee at Fresno State’s Satellite Student Union.  Best of luck to Sharleen and Sonya.
  • Reminder that next Friday, March 17, is the last day of the quarter. Nelson encouraged students to stay focused and make every day count.  Make sure that if you are struggling or falling behind—connect with an adult, a teacher or a peer mentor and let us help you get back on track.
  • Nelson closed highlighting this month’s edition of Building Futures calling out stories about the district’s new school based health centers, Excellence in Education winners and a story on the newest school to implement a food recovery program. Building Futures can be found on the district website or on the education page at ABC30.com.

Following Interim Superintendent Nelson’s remarks, 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
  • Adopted a resolution delineating authorized district agents to sign on behalf of Fresno Unified School District.
  • Approved employment agreement for Robert G. Nelson, Interim Superintendent.
  • Approved agreements with SMG: Fresno Convention and Entertainment Center and Save Mart Center
  • Approved award of Bid 17-13, Terronez Middle School Gymnasium Make-up Air Unit Replacement.
  • Approved award of Bid 17-18, Wood Chips for Playgrounds
  • Approved contract agreement with Collaborative Learning Solutions
  • Approved Student Innovation and Design Lab agreement
  • Ratified submission of a grant application to the California Department of Education – Fresno County Office of Education After School Education and Safety Program – program renewal.
  • Ratified submission of a grant application to the California Department of Education
  • Ratified the filing of a notice of completion for Bid 16-30C, Installation of Exterior Lighting at Various Sites (Baird, Tehipite and Wawona Middle Schools)

After the consent agenda, staff made a presentation to the Board in the conference/discussion section of the agenda as follows:

  • Discussed and approved the charter renewal petition for Sierra Charter School
  • Presented and discussed the 2017/18 Strategic Budget Development (Special Education, Health Services)
  • Discussed and approved the 2016/17 Second Interim Financial Report with a Positive Certification
  • Presented and discussed proposed revisions for Board Bylaws (BB) 9100 Organization, 9122 Secretary, 9123 Clerk, 9200 Limits of Board Member Authority, 9320 Meeting and Notices, 9322 Agenda Meeting Materials and Exhibit (E) 9270 Conflict of Interest

The Board of Education received the following information and reports:

  • Received Aspen Public School Renewal Petition​

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Education is Wednesday, March 22, 2017 at 5:30 p.m. 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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