{"id":195462,"date":"2026-02-26T22:07:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T22:07:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/195462\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T22:07:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T22:07:10","slug":"amid-seda-jousting-trustee-islas-says-threats-from-mayor-do-not-deter-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/195462\/","title":{"rendered":"Amid SEDA Jousting, Trustee Islas Says, &#8216;Threats From Mayor Do Not Deter Me&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Fresno Unified School Board indefinitely tabled a resolution to formally oppose the city of Fresno\u2019s Southeast Development Area plan on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n<p>During the marathon meeting, trustees expressed a wide divide of opinions on how the proposed expansion of Fresno\u2019s city limits would impact the struggling school district.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-28232\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Susan-Wittrub_500x500-1.jpg\" alt=\"Portrait of Fresno Unified Trustee Susan Wittrup\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs a School Board trustee, my responsibility is to govern the school district and improve student educational outcomes, not to weigh in on municipal zoning matters.\u201d \u2014 Fresno Unified Trustee Susan Wittrup<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs a School Board trustee, my responsibility is to govern the school district and improve student educational outcomes, not to weigh in on municipal zoning matters,\u201d Trustee Susan Wittrup said. \u201cThis resolution falls outside the legal authority and purview of the board.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, School Board President Veva Islas declared her vehement opposition to SEDA and fired a politico salvo at Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer.<\/p>\n<p><a data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/gvwire.com\/contact\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" class=\"a2t-link\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"GVWire-Ad-Get-our-mobile-app-1280\u00d790-1\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GVWire-Ad-Get-our-mobile-app-1280x90-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\"   width=\"1280\" height=\"90\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs written, SEDA would benefit Clovis Unified School District and Sanger Unified School District,\u201d Islas said. \u201cI was not elected to either of those boards. I\u2019m here on this board to fight for this district and to oppose anything that is detrimental to our economic solvency.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, Islas issued a warning: \u201cThreats from the mayor do not deter me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dyer did not return a request for comment made by GV Wire to a city spokesperson before publication of this story.<\/p>\n<p>Who Was For And Against the Resolution?<\/p>\n<p>The resolution asserted that the decade-old SEDA plan would redistribute families within the region resulting in an accelerated loss of Fresno Unified students.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-71177\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/A-Message-From-Veva-e1590186260469-1.jpg\" alt=\"Portrait of Fresno Unified Trustee Veva Islas\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs written, SEDA would benefit Clovis Unified School District and Sanger Unified School District. I was not elected to either of those boards. I\u2019m here on this board to fight for this district and to oppose anything that is detrimental to our economic solvency.\u201d \u2014 Fresno Unified School Board President Veva Islas<\/p>\n<p>Trustees tabled the resolution on a 4-3 vote, with Islas, Andy Levine, and Valerie Davis on the losing side.<\/p>\n<p>Wittrup, Keshia Thomas, Claudia Cazares, and Elizabeth Jonasson Rosa voted to table it.<\/p>\n<p>However, the item could be brought back to the dais later.<\/p>\n<p>The 9,000-acre SEDA proposal is in Clovis Unified and Sanger Unified boundaries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"rlic_tareqanwar_link\">Related Story: <a href=\"https:\/\/gvwire.com\/2025\/12\/29\/even-without-seda-families-flock-to-clovis-unified-for-first-rate-education\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Even Without SEDA, Families Flock to Clovis Unified for First Rate Education<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2018It\u2019s All White Noise\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Wittrup, who represents the Bullard High region, told GV Wire that she did not experience any coercion from the city. Davis did not allow time for GV Wire to ask her follow-up questions about her vote and the other trustees did not return phone calls.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s all white noise and has nothing to do with improving outcomes,\u201d Wittrup said.<\/p>\n<p>Fresno City Council President Mike Karbassi weighed in on the resolution before the vote.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn order to balance their budget, FUSD is about to make deep cuts to classified employee positions. You\u2019d think that the district would want to devote all their resources to figuring out how to preserve these essential jobs,\u201d Karbassi said in a text to GV Wire. \u201cInstead, the administration is playing political games by wading into city land use decisions where they have zero authority and experience. I am confident the board members will see right through this distraction.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"rlic_tareqanwar_link\">Related Story: <a href=\"https:\/\/gvwire.com\/2025\/12\/19\/opponents-pronounce-seda-dead-as-residents-pack-city-council-meeting\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Opponents Pronounce SEDA Dead as Residents Pack City Council Meeting<\/a><\/p>\n<p>City of Fresno Addresses SEDA Worries<\/p>\n<p>Fresno Unified was looking to urge the city to reconsider or revise SEDA \u201cuntil its impacts on public education, including enrollment, school viability, and fiscal stability, are fully mitigated and addressed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-184830\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Manuel-Bonilla-Portrait.jpg\" alt=\"Portrait of FTA President Manuel Bonilla\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cResources taken away from a school district impact the entire school district. Right now, we have leaders that are choosing against the very people they\u2019re supposed to represent and the future of the organization that they represent.\u201d \u2014 FTA President Manuel Bonilla<\/p>\n<p>This language addressed the \u201coriginal\u201d version of SEDA, according to Levine. Currently, the city is conducting a feasibility study and analyzing the cost of the southern portion of SEDA.<\/p>\n<p>Late last year, the Fresno Teachers Association adamantly opposed the development plan, saying it would lead to 11 school closures.<\/p>\n<p>But Dyer called these claims \u201cmisinformation\u201d and a district spokesperson told GV Wire that \u201cdue to our current declining enrollment, we could potentially close 3-5 schools in the future, however, that would be our last resort. Other actions that we might first consider include program realignment and boundary changes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, FTA\u2019s position and concerns remain the same.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cResources taken away from a school district impact the entire school district,\u201d FTA President Manuel Bonilla said. \u201cRight now, we have leaders that are choosing against the very people they\u2019re supposed to represent and the future of the organization that they represent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"rlic_tareqanwar_link\">Related Story: <a href=\"https:\/\/gvwire.com\/2025\/12\/16\/3-to-5-fresno-unified-schools-may-shut-down-but-not-because-of-seda-dyer\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">3 to 5 Fresno Unified Schools May Shut Down, but Not Because of SEDA: Dyer<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Dyer has defended SEDA, saying that he doesn\u2019t support sprawl or leapfrog development.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve seen that in our history in Fresno, but I do support smart growth and incremental development,\u201d Dyer said at a city council meeting.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, he met with district officials in December to pacify worries about SEDA\u2019s impact on Fresno Unified. These conversations were \u201cproductive,\u201d according to Levine, who hopes to meet with city officials once the SEDA plans are more concrete.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Fresno Unified School Board indefinitely tabled a resolution to formally oppose the city of Fresno\u2019s Southeast Development&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":195463,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[93,112,114,113],"class_list":["post-195462","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fresno","tag-featured","tag-fresno","tag-fresno-headlines","tag-fresno-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195462","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=195462"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195462\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/195463"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=195462"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=195462"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=195462"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}