‘Big changes’ coming to this controversial school board in Fresno County after election?
West Park community members appear to have kept a promise to bring sweeping changes to their small elementary school and its controversial board.
As election results trickled in late this week, at least two West Park school board incumbents appeared headed for defeat, including Board President Kimberly Vivenzi, who drew some of the heaviest criticism over the last year from the public and in at least one lawsuit.
Vivenzi was running fifth as of Thursday evening in an at-large, six-candidate race in which the top three vote-getters are elected. Incumbent Trustee Anna Benavidez, one of Vivenzi’s closest school board allies, was also on the outside looking in as vote totals updated, running in fourth place, well behind the three front-runners.
“The voters decided that they were ready for a change,” said Robin Johnson, president of West Park’s teachers’ union. “We’re anticipating some big changes.”
Without a significant injection of ballots in the coming days, Vivenzi and Benavidez would likely be replaced on the board by Fernando Alvarez, who was in second place with 107 votes (20.4%) and Ezekiel Rodriguez, who was third with 100 votes (19%).
“When you hurt the community, the community responds,” Alvarez said. “We truly showed them the power of unity, of what our people are capable of.”
However, with thousands of ballots still uncounted, nobody was ready to declare victory.
Tuesday’s mid-term election wasn’t all bad news for West Park incumbents this week.
Araceli Lopez, who came to office after a special election in April, emerged well ahead of the pack as the weekend approached, carrying 130 votes, or almost 25%.
Vinvenzi, in a statement to The Bee on Thursday, appeared to acknowledge a tough path to victory but did not concede the race.
“It’s been a privilege and honor of mine to serve on the West Park Elementary school board,” she said. “I am proud of the accomplishments my colleagues and I have made while serving on this board.”
Benavidez did not respond to a request for comment.
A new era for West Park?
Vivenzi and Benavidez were focal points of much of the criticism of the West Park school board over the last year. The two, along with Kimberly’s husband, Mark Vivenzi, formed a majority voting block that pushed through some controversial decisions.
Fresno County Superintendent of Schools Jim Yovino confirmed it’s not illegal for spouses to serve on a board together but said the community was likely questioning “the appearance of it.”
The Vivenzi/Benavidez block rarely — if ever — voted apart, an Ed Lab investigation revealed earlier this year.
Perhaps their most contentious move was to fire two district superintendents within four months. One of the ex-superintendents is now suing West Park for wrongful termination.
But the board has also been blamed for the loss of as much as a third of the school’s small staff in the 2021-22 school year, although Vivenzi contends that the fault rests with a previous superintendent’s administration.
Tensions boiled over into a physical altercation between Benavidez’s family and a parent during an unruly board meeting in June. Sheriff’s deputies were called to break up the chaos, but nobody was arrested.
Critics said that with Tuesday’s midterm results and the recent appointment of a new superintendent, they’re feeling more upbeat about the future of the tiny district of just under 600 students southwest of Fresno.
Shortly after the new superintendent announcement, West Park’s teachers’ union finally reached a new collective bargaining agreement with the district, which came with 9% raises, Vivenzi confirmed. Negotiations began unusually late this year due to vacancies in West Park’s Human Resources department.
Now that the district’s welcoming some fresh faces to the school board as well, some “healing” has begun, said Celia Pineda, whose family has been among the most vocal critics of the board.
“You could feel it. I know it sounds weird, crazy, but you could,” said Pineda of the energy in West Park this week following the election. “You could see the relief on some of these people’s faces.”
Still, even those feeling the most optimistic about the results know there’s still a long road ahead for the struggling district. The incoming school board inherits significant challenges, including low student achievement, which has been a growing problem.
This year’s statewide Smarter Balanced assessments in math and reading showed that only about 23.2% of students met the standard for English language arts, and only about 8.4% met the standard for math. Those percentages dropped over 5 points from 2019 in the English results and over 3 points for math.
“There’s going to be a learning cycle,” said Johnson, who’s also the district’s most veteran teacher with 32 years under her belt. “We have one seasoned board member,” she added, meaning longtime trustee Aida Garcia, “and the rest are all within two years (of experience).”
Alvarez, the political newcomer who stands to be the board’s youngest member at 21, said he’s not daunted by the work ahead.
“Let’s make history. Let’s bring this school up,” he said. “Southwest (Fresno) has potential to shine like any other area. That’s my vision.”
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.
