Fresno High-area residents can still vote in the special school board race. What to know
Residents in the Fresno High area can still vote until Tuesday to fill the vacant seat on the Fresno Unified school board.
The seat was left vacant by the late Carol Mills, who passed away last July after a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. Mills served 17 years as trustee in the region also known as Area 5.
With four candidates on the ballot, the winner will serve the current boundaries of the Fresno High area until the end of 2024.
How to vote
Ballots were mailed to voters starting March 14.
Voters can still return those ballots anytime between now and Election Day on April 12. Ballots must be postmarked no later than April 12 to be counted.
Voters may also cast ballots at the County Clerk’s office, 2221 Kern St. in downtown Fresno. Other vote centers have been open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. since April 2 and will remain open until next Tuesday, April 12. All voting centers will be open on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
To look up voting centers and drop boxes close to you, visit the Fresno County Clerk’s interactive map.
A separate map labeled with vote centers, the election office and various drop boxes can also be found here.
Who are the candidates?
Russ Allen, Andrew Fabela, Andy Levine and Daniel Renteria are the four candidates vying for a seat as trustee.
Allen is a retired high school math teacher, who taught in Fresno Unified for over 27 years. Many of those years were at DeWolf Continuation High School. He’s also an alum of Fresno High. He wrote to The Fresno Bee’s Ed Lab that he stands out as the only credentialed teacher in the race.
His priorities, if elected, include making catching-up fun for students and providing resources to early development readiness programs like head-start.
This final weekend of the campaign, he’ll be performing with the Joe King band in front of Central Valley Talk on Saturday at 5 p.m. as part of Tower District’s Porch Party. His campaign site is rucya.org.
Fabela is a retired firefighter. In recent years he’s been a regular attendee of Fresno Unified school board meetings. He’s sparked controversy with some of his comments at meetings, including when he questioned whether Mills was fit to represent Area 5 last May. Mills responded by saying Fabela’s comments reflected “prejudice toward people with disabilities,” as she was using a speech-generating program amid her battle with ALS.
Some of the speakers at Wednesday night’s school board meeting voiced support for Fabela’s candidacy.
He did not respond to the Ed Lab’s request for comment.
Levine is a sociology instructor at Fresno State. He grew up in the Fresno High area and attended high school in the district at Edison High, which he said gave him insight into both the good and the inequities in a Fresno Unified education. He has also worked with community organizations, such as the multi-faith coalition Faith in the Valley.
He told the Ed Lab that his priorities include strengthening the district’s community engagement process, championing more individualized academic student supports and investing in resources to help with student’s mental health needs — all while prioritizing the district’s most vulnerable students.
He’s going to spend the last days leading up to election day doing the same thing he’s been focusing on since roughly last October, which is going door to door to talk to voters. His campaign site is www.andy4fresno.com.
Renteria worked in corrections, most recently retiring as a parole administrator for the State of California. Renteria is a Fresno High graduate, as is his son. His grandson also attends the school currently. He’s emphasized how his upbringing by a single parent helped him learn firsthand the struggle that some district families face.
In a written statement to the Ed Lab, Renteria outlined six areas he would prioritize making improvements if elected. They include identifying and working with students who face barriers to success, investing more heavily in early education programs, providing more robust mental health supports, investing in student safety, improving communication with district parents and addressing the burdens teachers face amid staffing shortages.
This weekend, he said he’ll continue canvassing Area 5 neighborhoods and connecting with community members. More details on his campaign can be found at Renteria4FUSD.com.
Who supports the candidates?
So far, Levine and Renteria have outraised the other two candidates.
Candidates who do not raise or spend more than $1,000 are not required to provide detailed disclosure of contributions of expenditures. Fresno County Clerk James Kus wrote to the Ed Lab that Allen remained under the $1,000 provision as of Wednesday.
Fabela recently received donations that moved him above the $1,000 threshold, including $2,500 from an organization called Fix Fresno Unified School District.
Donors to the Renteria campaign include Granville Homes, a local real estate development company led by Darius Assemi.
Levine’s campaign received a $10,000 donation from the Fresno Teachers Association PAC for Education.
Levine has received an official endorsement from FTA as well. The Fresno Bee’s editorial board endorsed him in March.
Renteria received an endorsement from current board president Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas.
The Education Lab is a local journalism initiative that highlights education issues critical to the advancement of the San Joaquin Valley. It is funded by donors. Learn about The Bee’s Education Lab at its website.
