FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) — On the June primary ballot in Fresno County is a key race to lead the County Office of Education, which supports 31 school districts and charter schools. Dr. Michele Cantwell-Copher is seeking a second term and is facing two challengers.<\/p>\n
“I’m three-and-a-half years into a ten-year plan, and we are already seeing extraordinary results,” Cantwell-Copher told Action News.<\/p>\n
Cantwell-Copher points to improved reading and math scores.<\/p>\n
“What we’re learning is that early care is an important investment. What we’re learning is that we want every single student to be supported at every grade level with interventions and support that make sure they go to the next level successfully,” Cantwell-Copher said.<\/p>\n
But she has faced criticism over the closure of Kids Cafe, opened by her former boss and county superintendent Jim Yovino, who now supports her opponent, Dr. Eimear O’Brien.<\/p>\n
“At the time, we made (the decision) for fiscal and programmatic reasons; we were losing $350,000 a year. And if there’s anything that I looked at when I first took this position, (it was) the numerous issues that we need to become far, far more fiscally responsible about. Kids Cafe was one of those problematic decisions,” Cantwell-Copher said.<\/p>\n
Cantwell-Copher also defended hiring Ketti Davis, the former Central Unified superintendent who left last March, years before her contract expired.<\/p>\n
“It was widely reported, though, at the time, that she had some sort of separation agreement with Central Unified. Is it appropriate for somebody with that background to now be leading and training other superintendents?” Action News asked.<\/p>\n
“Ketti Davis is an outstanding educator, and we’re really pleased that she’s having the leadership role that she is in our county superintendent’s (office),” Cantwell-Copher said.<\/p>\n
Just feet away from that office on Tuesday, O’Brien picked up the endorsement of Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer.<\/p>\n
Her top priority is improving reading, and she said the current pace is too slow.<\/p>\n
“If we don’t get our kids reading by third grade, and as I mentioned, over half of our students aren’t, that’s current… if we’re moving along at a trajectory of about 1% a year, our kids can’t wait for that,” O’Brien told Action News.<\/p>\n
O’Brien has also faced criticism over her time leading Clovis Unified, including that she reopened schools too quickly during the pandemic and spent too much on building Clovis South.<\/p>\n
There are also concerns that she is too Clovis-centric.<\/p>\n
“I know most of the district superintendents very well. We’ve become good friends. Don’t forget, I was the superintendent for six years. And so over the last ten months, I’ve been engaged in a lot of conversations with them,” O’Brien said.<\/p>\n
Also in the race is Dr. Johnny Alvarado, most recently the assistant superintendent of Parlier Unified.<\/p>\n
“I am the only candidate that has served as an elementary, middle school, high school, and college teacher, and the only candidate has served as an elementary, middle school, and high school principal,” Alvarado told Action News.<\/p>\n
Alvarado has branded himself as anti-establishment.<\/p>\n
“Other priorities are going to be classroom management behaviors. The behaviors of students in our classrooms and how we are supporting (or) what I would say is how we’re not supporting our teachers,” Alvarado said.<\/p>\n
As accusations fly about the candidates’ work histories, Action News asked each whether they had ever been placed on administrative leave or signed a separation agreement with any former employer.<\/p>\n
“Never ever, ever,” Cantwell-Copher said.<\/p>\n
“I’ve never been placed on administrative leave,” O’Brien said. “I’ve never had any kind of separation agreement.”<\/p>\n
“I have never been written up. I have never been disciplined,” Alvarado said. “My reason for retirement was to be able to focus on this campaign because I wasn’t able to do it. So to honor both entities (the) education entity and the campaign itself, I made the decision to retire for that reason.”<\/p>\n
“Was there a leave before that, though?” Action News asked.<\/p>\n
“There was not,” Alvarado said, adding that he has the documentation to support his retirement and is willing to provide it.<\/p>\n
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