Fresno parents call for Central schools superintendent to resign following felony arrest
Community members and parents on Thursday urged the superintendent of Fresno County’s third-largest school district to resign and said the school board should fire him if he “does not do the right thing.”
Calls for the resignation of Central Unified Superintendent Andrew Alvarado came during a special school board meeting held exactly one week after he was arrested on suspicion of a domestic violence felony.
Thursday’s meeting was primarily a closed-session discussion that ended with the board instructing staffers to hire an outside investigator to lead the district’s probe into Alvarado’s arrest.
Alvarado, 49, was arrested June 3 at a home in northwest Fresno on suspicion of inflicting corporal injury to a spouse, the Fresno Police Department reported.
Few details of the incident have been released. Police have said the 911 caller told the officers Alvarado was “pushing and throwing things,” and, police said, they “determined Mr. Alvarado had committed a felony domestic disturbance.”
Following news of Alvarado’s arrest, the school board on Tuesday placed him on paid administrative leave pending investigation.
On Thursday, more Central Unified parents called for his ouster.
“I think it’s offensive we (taxpayers) have to pay for his salary after this kind of behavior,” one parent said. “I request the board do that right thing and terminate him immediately if he does not do the right thing and resign.”
About a dozen parents spoke during Thursday’s special board meeting, with some saying the arrest presents a bad example for students and said the district should hold leaders to a higher standard of accountability.
The Madera County District Attorney’s Office will review the case for criminal charges because Fresno County’s District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp said she has a conflict of interest, according to a news release from the Fresno DA’s office.
In the statement, the prosecutor’s office said Smittcamp had “personal and professional relationships” with Alvarado but did not elaborate. The Fresno DA’s office also hasn’t responded to questions from The Fresno Bee about Smittcamp’s conflict of interest.
Alvarado has had other run-ins with law enforcement. He also was booked on an unrelated misdemeanor charge of violating a state labor law related to workers’ compensation.
“That tells me this is a pattern,” one parent said during public comment. “A pattern of dishonestly and carelessness.”
Last year, Alvarado was charged with two misdemeanor violations, contracting without a license and failure to secure payment for compensation. A judge issued an arrest warrant for Alvarado, and the case is still pending, according to Fresno County Superior Court records.
Alvarado was named Central Unified superintendent on June 26, 2018. He came to the Fresno district from Golden Valley Unified in Madera Ranchos.
This story was originally published June 10, 2021 at 8:01 PM.