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Three of the candidates running for the Fresno High Area 5 Trustee Special Election spoke about school board conduct, student academic performance, campus cops and other topics in an extensive online forum live hosted by GV Wire on Thursday.
Watch: Fresno High Area Trustee Election Special Forum
Candidates Russ Allen, a retired teacher, Andrew Fabela, a retired firefighter, and Daniel Renteria, a retired parole administrator, participated in the forum, which was on Facebook Live. Candidate Andy Levine, a teacher and community organizer, initially agreed to participate in the forum, but later chose not to.
The questions focused on how they would partner with the Fresno Teachers Association to make a difference for students and teachers, what aspect of education they would focus on if elected to the Zone 5 headquarters, s would have voted to change Fresno High’s mascot, and whether the district needs to increase resources for special education.
Related Story: Retired Smoke Jumper Wants To Hold School District’s Feet On Fire
Example answers
When asked what he would do if elected to reverse student performance, Fabela said he put more emphasis on K-8 education and ending social advancement, when students are automatically transferred to the next level, whether or not they are academically ready. After Slater Elementary was taken over by the state 20 years ago, the state response team told parents that their students would not be promoted until they reached grade level.
“I think we need to let parents know and make sure our students know, and help our teachers as much as possible to help them engage our students better in the future,” Fabela said.
When asked if he would support restoring police officers for college campus safety and keeping them on high school campuses, Allen said he was wholeheartedly in favor.
Related story: Trustee Hopeful worked on parole; Saw the effect of school failure.
“I know many teachers I’ve worked with who felt safer because the policeman was there,” he said. “But more important was the relationship that quite often developed between an officer and students who sit at this crossroads of life, trying to decide what they want to be when they grow up. And having that positive role model there, I saw the kid go from being that kind of cocky class clown to, “I want to be like that guy.” ”
Asked about the recent conduct of school board members and whether he would be a flamethrower, a team player or somewhere in between, Renteria noted that he had served on many boards and had experience. as a consensus builder.
“Distractions distract from what the board is supposed to do, which is to work on student success,” he said. “It takes time off the real work that we need to do. I think we just have to come together as mature adults and have an agreement and follow certain rules and regulations and get the job done.
Related Story: This ‘Rebel’ Goes His Own Way in Run for Fresno School Board
Ballots go out on March 14
The special election for Zone 5 was scheduled after longtime administrator Carol Mills lost her battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease in July. The winner will serve the remainder of Mills’ term through November 2024.
Ballots for voters in the Fresno High area will be mailed out beginning March 14, and the voting deadline is April 12.
