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Education and Schools section

FUSD approves $2m purchase of KIPP site

Published online on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009

By Tracy Correa / The Fresno Bee
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Fresno Unified will spend more than $2.3 million to buy and renovate the former KIPP Academy charter school site for use as a community day school for at-risk students.

The school district’s board of trustees unanimously approved the purchase and agreed to temporarily name the school Dakota Campus.

“A school like this will give us the opportunity to turn lives around,” said trustee Janet Ryan.

The district will spend $2.1 million to purchase the 1-acre site near Dakota and Hughes avenues, $60,000 for furniture and equipment, and $200,000 in improvements. Escrow is expected to close Tuesday, and the school would open to a limited number of students in January.

The site will house up to 150 students in grades 7-12, most of whom have been expelled from traditional school for truancy, academic or behavioral problems.

NURSES OBJECT TO FUSD DIRECTIVE

School nurses, backed by the Fresno Teachers Association, told trustees they are being asked to put their professional licenses at risk because the district has directed them to train school staff to administer certain anti-seizure medications to students.

Greg Gadams, FTA president, said there are already too few nurses in the district and this is part of a plan to further eliminate nursing jobs by having other staff perform nursing duties. He said the California Board of Registered Nursing supports the nurses’ position.

Patricia Atdya told trustees that state education code prohibits nurses from following the directive: “It’s illegal and could possibly lead to loss our license.”

Fresno Unified issued a written statement before the meeting citing “a difference of opinion between a few school nurses, FTA and the district as to what kinds of training school nurses may provide to other school personnel.”

The training of other staff is a key job responsibility that has been part of the nurses' job duties for years and if disagreement exists there are other ways to resolve differences, the district said.

It will be the first secondary community day school for at-risk students in Fresno Unified. Currently, these students attend Teilman, a community day school run by the Fresno County Office of Education.

Trustee Carol Mills, who represents the area where the school will be located, expressed concern about the short notice given for residents to attend a community meeting last week to discuss the plan.

The property has 11,298 square feet with five classrooms, a multipurpose room, lounge and office space. The site also has five portable classrooms and space for a playfield.

The district is buying the site from the nonprofit Low Income Investment Fund in San Francisco. The owners placed the site for sale after KIPP defaulted on its loan and the property failed to attract bidders at a public auction.

KIPP, which stands for Knowledge Is Power Program, is part of a national chain of charter schools. KIPP closed its Fresno school in June after experiencing financial problems and falling behind on property payments. The school was open five years, and its students outperformed local public schools on state academic tests.

The school had been at odds with Fresno Unified — its charter sponsor — after the district’s review team cited concerns over student discipline methods and teacher credentials at KIPP.

The situation escalated when KIPP officials blamed Fresno Unified for preventing the school from obtaining state construction funds.


The reporter can be reached at tcorrea@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6378.

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