Clovis school board trustee resigns her seat. How will CUSD fill the elected post?

Clovis Unified school board President Susan Hatmaker resigned Tuesday, citing a “necessary move of my residence outside of the northwest Fresno area that I have proudly represented since 2018,” the district announced in a joint statement.

The school board will discuss how to fill Hatmaker’s seat during its Feb. 16 meeting, the district said.

“I am saddened to make this announcement. This school district is where I have devoted my life, where I have raised my family, and where I built my legal practice, and it will always be close to my heart and soul,” Hatmaker said.

The district’s statement did not elaborate on Hatmaker’s future plans.

Superintendent Eimear O’Brien described Hatmaker as a “thoughtful leader.”

“Ms. Hatmaker brought to the Governing Board a resolve to do right by our staff and students, courage to make difficult choices in hard times, and the willingness to be a reflective and intentional decision-maker while we charted the unnavigated territory of a global pandemic,” O’Brien said.

Board Vice President Tiffany Stoker Madsen will step in to takeover Hatmaker’s duties as board president.

Hatmaker, an attorney, was elected in 2018 after beating out longtime incumbent Sandy Bengel Budd, who had served on the board since 1993.

News of Hatmaker’s departure comes a day after Fresno County Superintendent of Schools Jim Yovino announced he would not seek a third term in office.

This story was originally published February 1, 2022 at 12:18 PM.