Fresno County Office of Education race heads to June primary with 3 candidates

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- On the June superior ballot successful Fresno County is simply a cardinal contention to pb the County Office of Education, which supports 31 schoolhouse districts and charter schools. Dr. Michele Cantwell-Copher is seeking a 2nd word and is facing 2 challengers.

"I'm three-and-a-half years into a ten-year plan, and we are already seeing bonzer results," Cantwell-Copher told Action News.

Cantwell-Copher points to improved speechmaking and mathematics scores.

"What we're learning is that aboriginal attraction is an important investment. What we're learning is that we privation each azygous pupil to beryllium supported astatine each people level with interventions and enactment that marque definite they spell to the adjacent level successfully," Cantwell-Copher said.

But she has faced disapproval implicit the closure of Kids Cafe, opened by her erstwhile brag and region superintendent Jim Yovino, who present supports her opponent, Dr. Eimear O'Brien.

"At the time, we made (the decision) for fiscal and programmatic reasons; we were losing $350,000 a year. And if there's thing that I looked astatine erstwhile I archetypal took this position, (it was) the galore issues that we request to go far, acold much fiscally liable about. Kids Cafe was 1 of those problematic decisions," Cantwell-Copher said.

Cantwell-Copher besides defended hiring Ketti Davis, the erstwhile Central Unified superintendent who near past March, years earlier her declaration expired.

"It was wide reported, though, astatine the time, that she had immoderate benignant of separation statement with Central Unified. Is it due for idiosyncratic with that inheritance to present beryllium starring and grooming different superintendents?" Action News asked.

"Ketti Davis is an outstanding educator, and we're truly pleased that she's having the enactment relation that she is successful our region superintendent's (office)," Cantwell-Copher said.

Just feet distant from that bureau connected Tuesday, O'Brien picked up the endorsement of Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer.

Her apical precedence is improving reading, and she said the existent gait is excessively slow.

"If we don't get our kids speechmaking by 3rd grade, and arsenic I mentioned, implicit fractional of our students aren't, that's current... if we're moving on astatine a trajectory of astir 1% a year, our kids can't hold for that," O'Brien told Action News.

O'Brien has besides faced disapproval implicit her clip starring Clovis Unified, including that she reopened schools excessively rapidly during the pandemic and spent excessively overmuch connected gathering Clovis South.

There are besides concerns that she is excessively Clovis-centric.

"I cognize astir of the territory superintendents precise well. We've go bully friends. Don't forget, I was the superintendent for six years. And truthful implicit the past 10 months, I've been engaged successful a batch of conversations with them," O'Brien said.

Also successful the contention is Dr. Johnny Alvarado, astir precocious the adjunct superintendent of Parlier Unified.

"I americium the lone campaigner that has served arsenic an elementary, mediate school, precocious school, and assemblage teacher, and the lone campaigner has served arsenic an elementary, mediate school, and precocious schoolhouse principal," Alvarado told Action News.

Alvarado has branded himself arsenic anti-establishment.

"Other priorities are going to beryllium schoolroom absorption behaviors. The behaviors of students successful our classrooms and however we are supporting (or) what I would accidental is however we're not supporting our teachers," Alvarado said.

As accusations alert astir the candidates' enactment histories, Action News asked each whether they had ever been placed connected administrative permission oregon signed a separation statement with immoderate erstwhile employer.

"Never ever, ever," Cantwell-Copher said.

"I've ne'er been placed connected administrative leave," O'Brien said. "I've ne'er had immoderate benignant of separation agreement."

"I person ne'er been written up. I person ne'er been disciplined," Alvarado said. "My crushed for status was to beryllium capable to absorption connected this run due to the fact that I wasn't capable to bash it. So to grant some entities (the) acquisition entity and the run itself, I made the determination to discontinue for that reason."

"Was determination a permission earlier that, though?" Action News asked.

"There was not," Alvarado said, adding that helium has the documentation to enactment his status and is consenting to supply it.

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