Fresno Unified trustees change policy on taking public stances amid SEDA vote
Fresno Unified board members are split over whether they should take a public position on the Southeast Development Area (SEDA) plan backed by Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer.
At Wednesday’s board meeting, board President Veva Islas called for a vote to oppose SEDA, which the district projects would result in enrollment declines for Fresno Unified. Trustees were scheduled to vote in opposition of the plan in February before they narrowly decided not to take a position at the last minute.
Meanwhile, Trustee Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas proposed amendments to the board’s bylaws meant to limit the board’s advocacy to issues “within the subject matter of the school district.” Under her proposal, board trustees would vote on recommendations brought by a legislative committee.
Wednesday evening’s board discussion came weeks before the board is expected to vote again whether to take a public stance on SEDA, a 9,000-acre mega-development project in southeast Fresno that district officials fear could worsen Fresno Unified’s declining enrollment.
In February, when SEDA first appeared on the board’s agenda, Jonasson Rosas and Trustees Claudia Cazares, Susan Wittrup and Keshia Thomas voted to table the item, reasoning that taking opposition on a city’s development plan fell outside the school district’s jurisdiction.
According to a Fresnoland report, Dyer texted each trustee the night before the February board meeting, pressuring them not to interfere with the development plan. Recently, Islas said that she would bring back the item for a second vote.
Jonasson Rosas said her proposal aims to “ put the guardrail of things that are within our purview, that are focused on our student outcomes, schools, guardrails, and student outcome-focused governance.”
Trustee Claudia Cazares agreed on the motion, stating that a legislative committee was originally established to monitor the impact of state and federal laws on the school district.
Their suggestions were opposed by board President Veva Islas and Clerk Andy Levine, two of the three members of the Board Bylaw Subcommittee.
“I wouldn’t be in support of making a specific subject matter,” Levine said. “For instance, in terms of state legislation, we’ve weighed in on several bills around immigration enforcement that are not in the educational subject matter per se, but definitely we’ve weighed in because they have a direct threat and impact on our students in our schools.”
Islas criticized the intent of the motion, saying it will undercut the board’s ability to weigh in on local issues that would directly impact student safety, welfare and the fiscal solvency of the district.
“It’s to tie our hands around things that some members of this board do not want to vote on or take action on,” Islas said. “I think if the worry was about the advocacy of the Legislative Committee acting without consent of the board, then I’m fine to adjust that. But I don’t think what we can discuss, what we choose to advocate for, what we hope to bring forward to the broader board for support should be restricted in any way.”
Jonasson Rosas’s motion to define the Legislative Committee’s jurisdiction as “purview of Fresno Unified,” as well as clarifying that the governing board has “ultimate authority,” was passed by a 5-2 vote, with Islas and Levine opposed.
Islas told The Bee that the data is not yet available to show the impact of the development plan on Fresno Unified, but a presentation will be provided in May before the board decides whether Superintendent Misty Her could speak on the issue publicly.
“There’s nothing that prevents me as an individual board member from making comments at the city council meeting, but it’s entirely different to mobilize staff and to educate parents about what’s happening,” Islas said. “When the district adopts it, we’ll be in a more strength-based position to educate our community, so that they may want to participate in discussions at the city level, being armed with information about how it will negatively impact the district.”
