"I knew it would be a difficult process -- but I'm finding that it's a little easier than I expected so far," Pings said.

Reform Fresno Unified's proposal to split the district is the second effort in the last year.

In April, Bullard Pride -- a group of Bullard High parents -- tried unsuccessfully to enlist support from Fresno High parents to form a separate district.

Chuck Manock, a Fresno attorney and one of Bullard Pride's members, said the splitting process "doesn't favor amateurs" and his group scuttled plans to split the district once members discovered the complexities involved with the state application.

"We didn't get too far into the process," he said. "It would've taken years. We all have jobs and families -- so my hat's off to Reform Fresno Unified for taking it all on."

Others not on board

Even if the split meets state guidelines, advocates would need community buy-in, a tall order unless Reform Fresno Unified can win support from current Fresno education leaders.

"District splits tend to become very political," said Larry Shirey, who oversees district reorganizations for the California Department of Education. "If there's any opposition at all it can be very difficult."

And opposition to the effort already has surfaced. Fresno Unified Superintendent Michael Hanson called the effort "unproductive" on the day the campaign was announced.

"Fresno Unified is the poorest urban district in the state," he said. "That poverty is a stiff challenge for a district of any size -- whether it's one district of 73,000 kids or two districts of 36,000 kids -- and dividing up the district is not going to change that."

The new effort also leaves some parent leaders skeptical. John Farrell, the chair of Fresno High's parent group, which calls itself the Tribal Council, said he was leery of any proposal that would pair Fresno High in a district with Bullard High.

"I have fears about a future where we will be competing for attention against the richest and most powerful people in the district," he said. "I'm smart enough to know this smacks of racism and segregation."

Clint Horwitz, a former member of the Tribal Council, said parents from the two high schools have a long history of disagreements, including how bond money should be spent and whether Wawona Middle School should have been turned into a feeder school for Bullard.

"I think being stuck in a district with those kind of overbearing folks would be a kind of hell," Horwitz said.

Teachers unions can wield powerful influence over district split campaigns, too.

In the city of Carson, for instance, a move to leave the Los Angeles Unified School District flamed out at the polls after the teachers union spent $125,000 campaigning against it.

In Fresno, Greg Gadams, head of the Fresno Teachers' Association, said his union hasn't taken a stance on the Reform Fresno Unified proposal.

Lots of steps

It can take years to split a district.

In Fresno, advocates would need to gather more than 16,000 signatures from voters within the district. They would then present the plan for the split to the Fresno County Office of Education, which would hold public hearings. If the county office approves, then the application would go to the state for approval.

There is a backlog of applications at the state level and the review can last about a year, Shirey said.

If the state approved the plan, it would go to district voters.

The process generally takes about two years, but "it can take longer if there are any political complications," Shirey said.