Flush with $2 billion, Valley educators must now deliver better test scores | Opinion

Fresno County voters were in a giving mood on Election Day, approving nearly $2 billion in bonds to repair deteriorating buildings, construct new ones or update classrooms for the 21st century.

That is great news for school boards and college trustees who put their hands out asking for approval of general obligation bonds that will be repaid over 25 to 30 years. The fate of a $20 million general obligation bond for the Kingsburg Joint Union High School District has yet to be decided while a recount continues in Fresno, Tulare and Kings counties. It was four votes short of the 55% needed to pass.

However, voters approved $698 million for the State Center Community College District, whose plans include expanding facilities to churn out more nurses, peace officers, firefighters, paramedics and 911 emergency responders. Projects include a center for applied technology at Fresno City College, an interdisciplinary classroom building and cafe at the FCC West Center, a student services center at Clovis Community, an agriculture complex at Reedley College, and, a truck training center at Madera Community.

The next biggest chunk of approved bonds — $500 million — is going to Fresno Unified to help fix leaky roofs, upgrade old plumbing and update cooling systems. Key projects include an agricultural program near Sunnyside High, and track/turf/lights at Bullard, Roosevelt and Fresno high schools. The district has identified $2.5 billion in infrastructure needs, so the measure will only address a fraction of them.

Clovis Unified gets $400 million to help complete its Clovis South High School campus; Sanger Unified receives $175 million to help update schools that are as old as 88 years; and, Central Unified gets $109 million for expanding STEM labs.

The list goes on: $25 million for Firebaugh-Las Deltas, $24.15 million for Sierra Unified; $19 million for West Hills Community College; $14.1 million for Parlier; and, $9.7 million for Laton. State matching funds could stretch those dollars.

Independent citizen oversight committees will keep track of spending. No funds can be used for administrative salaries.

Schools must deliver more than shiny new buildings

The $1.77 million in approved bonds, not counting Kingsburg, is also a boon for the local construction trade. That is what labor leader Chuck Riojas noted in his support of the Fresno Unified bond measure.

“The construction and renovation work funded by Measure H will prioritize local hire of our construction workforce,” said Riojas, financial secretary/treasurer of the Fresno, Madera, Kings and Tulare Counties Building and Construction Trades Council.

A boon for construction workers is good, but school officials and board members must deliver on their promises that the bonds will be more than shiny new buildings. Student academic achievements must improve, otherwise these investments will bear little fruit.

The language seeking voter approval is nearly identical in all the local bond measures. “An investment in our schools is an investment in our future. Let’s ensure our children are safe and have the resources to succeed while also protecting the value of our community’s homes and businesses,” reads the pitch from Central Unified.

Overcrowded classrooms, said Fresno Unified, “hurts children’s ability to reach their potential.”

Many classrooms and school facilities are outdated and inadequate “in order to provide students with the facilities needed to succeed,” said Parlier Unified.

The pressure will be on Fresno Unified to increase student academic achievement. While the 2024 state average for meeting math standards is 35.54%, four of the district’s seven comprehensive high schools have math scores in the single digits, with Roosevelt High barely above that mark with 10.02%. There were slight improvements from the previous year.

In meetings with The Fresno Bee Editorial Board, trustees Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas, Andy Levine and Claudia Cazares said the district has made student achievement a top priority and expect the new superintendent, when named, to prioritize that goal.

It is only fair that taxpayers expect a fair return on their investments.