Union plays role in District 2 race

Fresno Unified challenger questions school chief's raise.

Published online on Tuesday, Sep. 30, 2008

Janet Ryan is clear about the importance of her re-election bid to the Fresno Unified School District's board of trustees.

The future of Fresno's children is at stake, she said.

Ryan, 69, said she has a right to be concerned -- her opponent, Virginia Hermosillo, 46, has the backing of the nearly 4,000-member Fresno Teachers Association.

The teachers union's clout was evident in 2006, when it pumped more than $164,000 into the school board race -- an effort that helped oust trustees Luisa Medina and Pat Barr, two incumbents who were staunch supporters of Superintendent Michael Hanson.

Now, the FTA has targeted Ryan because of her unwavering support of Hanson -- including giving him a big pay increase while approving smaller raises for teachers and other employees.

Ryan, first elected in 2004, said she voted to give Hanson the raise because the district is on the right course: Student test scores are rising, the district has money in the bank, and no teachers have been laid off. She also feared that Hanson, if not fairly compensated, would leave because other school districts were inquiring about his services.

"I did what I thought was right," Ryan said.

On Nov. 4 , Ryan will learn whether her actions as a trustee will lead to another four-year term or give voters a reason to hand the job to Hermosillo, a PTA vice president/treasurer at McCardle Elementary School and a classroom volunteer.

The job pays $1,500 a month, plus benefits.

The school board's duties include approving curriculum and setting policies for the district's 76,460 students -- most of whom live in poverty. The trustee seat up for grabs represents the Hoover High School area in northeast Fresno. The voting is districtwide, and there are 145,083 voters.

Ryan, a former Chicago schoolteacher, said she is best equipped for the job. She has a bachelor's degree in organizational behavior from the University of San Francisco and a paralegal certificate from the San Joaquin College of Law in Clovis. She also is a regional director for the Concord Coalition, a national group that monitors federal budget issues.

Her campaign has the support of several community leaders, including U.S. Rep. George Radanovich, Assembly Member Mike Villines, Fresno County Schools Superintendent Larry Powell and former Fresno Unified trustees Dick Johanson and Nancy Richardson.

Ryan also has the endorsements of the Fresno Citizens for Good Government, the Greater Fresno Area Chamber of Commerce and the California School Employees Association, which represents 2,500 food-service workers, classroom aides and other classified employees in Fresno Unified.

Hermosillo said Ryan's endorsements don't concern her. She said she has parents and teachers helping with her campaign, as well as Fresno City Council member and mayoral candidate Henry T. Perea, and the Central Valley Progressive PAC, a local civil rights group.

"I want to help children and give parents and teachers a voice," Hermosillo said.

Hermosillo, a graphic designer, has two children in Baird Middle School, but she spends more time at the school her children used to attend -- McCardle Elementary.

"I didn't want to leave them," Hermosillo said of the McCardle students.

If elected, Hermosillo said, she will work with Hanson, but she won't rely exclusively on Hanson or his administrators to give her answers on district issues.

"I am already in the classrooms. I see what's going on," Hermosillo said. "If I want answers, I will work hard to get the right information."