After Fresno Unified board fires Superintendent Hanson, trustees quiet about reason

After the Fresno Unified school board voted to terminate Superintendent Michael Hanson, the trustees stayed quiet about what happened in a string of closed-door meetings that turned his plans to stay at the helm until August into termination without cause, effective Wednesday.

Monday’s 4-2 vote came after the board met in a special closed-door meeting – the fourth of its kind in the past month. Hanson and his legal counsel were spotted in district headquarters more than once during those sessions.

The decision could cost the district up to $328,326 – Hanson’s annual earnings – but would be offset by any employment he secures between now and January 2018.

While the majority of trustees say they were boxed in by Hanson’s confusing departure – which included an announcement of his plans to leave, but refusal to use the words “resignation” or “stepping down” – his attorney, Oliver Wanger, offered three words on Tuesday regarding Hanson’s ouster: “consummate bad faith.” Wanger, a former federal judge, would not elaborate.

Hanson’s termination brings to an end a tumultuous relationship with school board president Brooke Ashjian. Ashjian has been vocal about his displeasure with Hanson for more than a year, and was among the first to speak out against Fresno Unified’s no-bid construction contracts, which spurred an ongoing federal investigation.

Hanson has gone after Ashjian, too, focusing on an investigation opened in November by the California Fair Political Practices Commission of his potential conflicts of interest, and warning that concerns about Fresno Unified’s leadership have been “manufactured.”

But Ashjian denies that Monday night’s move was political. “It’s never been personal,” Ashjian said Tuesday. “It’s always been about the betterment of children.”

After his firing, Hanson said in a prepared statement that he “reserves all his rights at this time,” and that he gave the board an eight-month notice to “ensure minimal disruption” to the district. Trustees Valerie Davis and Christopher De La Cerda voted against Hanson’s termination, and trustee Cal Johnson was absent.

“It has been my honor to serve the community, the district, and the students – all 74,000 of them,” said Hanson, who oversaw the state’s fourth-largest school district for 12 years. “I believe that my performance and contributions to this city and the district stand on themselves and speak for themselves, and I wish the students, their families and the staff of Fresno Unified the very best success in the future.”

After Hanson announced last month he planned to leave the district, he emailed trustees saying “nothing has changed in my job status at all,” and that he had not resigned. Ashjian said that meant the board was not in a position to simply accept Hanson’s resignation.

“In light of this development, the board attempted to reach a mutually acceptable resignation date but that did not prove possible,” Ashjian said. “The board believes that it is in the district’s and the community’s best interest to immediately employ an interim superintendent and begin the process of hiring a permanent superintendent … The board appreciates all of the good work that Mr. Hanson has done as superintendent since 2005, and the board wishes him the best in his future endeavors.”

Trustee Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas, who was elected in November and had said she was willing to give Hanson a chance, voted for his termination. She said Tuesday that personnel laws prevent her from talking about her decision.

“In speaking to community members, there are certainly mixed feelings about the board’s action last night,” she said. “Our focus now is on moving forward, starting a community-led process to find the next leader of our district and continuing the business of Fresno Unified. Our students, families and staff deserve our focused attention.”

Groups like the Fresno Teachers Association, which has called for Hanson’s removal more than once in the past year, are celebrating the decision, while others, such as Fresno Interdenominational Refugee Ministries are worried about the move creating distractions from the board’s goals to educate children.

“I didn’t agree with the outcome of tonight’s decision,” De La Cerda said Monday. “My concern is the instability that this has created in our district.”

Bob Nelson, Hanson’s chief of staff, will act as superintendent until the board appoints a more permanent interim leader. The board next week will discuss hiring a search firm to recruit Hanson’s permanent replacement, and has vowed to make the process as transparent as possible.

Nelson, who has worked for the district for more than 20 years and previously served as superintendent of Chawanakee Unified in Madera County, did not know he would be tapped for the job until Monday’s meeting. It’s unclear how long he will serve in the role.

“I can’t speculate as to what’s going to happen in terms of the board’s effort to find a permanent solution to their superintendency. I just know that our students are coming tomorrow, and our teachers are wanting to know that business is going to be moving forward,” Nelson said.

“In any type of transition, it’s a very difficult time … but we owe it to our students and our families and those that trust us with the sacred work of educating students in the district to keep things as stable as we can. I’m willing to do whatever it takes on behalf of the district to provide that level of stability because it’s really about the kids and their needs first and foremost.”

This story was originally published January 30, 2017 at 5:15 PM with the headline "After Fresno Unified board fires Superintendent Hanson, trustees quiet about reason."