Clovis Unified’s fall election has two contested seats. Here are The Bee’s endorsements | Opinion

For the first time, voters in the Clovis Unified School District will get to choose trustees by district when they cast ballots in the Nov. 5 election.

Four of the seats on the Clovis Unified School District are up for election, but only two of the positions are being contested.

Running unopposed are incumbents Steven G. Fogg (District 5) and Yolanda Moore (District 7). They will automatically win new terms.

In the race for District 2, which covers the north end of Clovis Unified, incumbent David DeFrank is not seeking a new term. But his wife Molly has entered the race, as have Janet S. Kardashian and Wilma Tom Hashimoto.

In the race for District 4, incumbent Hugh Awtrey is campaigning for a new term against challenger Gina Vue. District 4 covers northeast Clovis.

Clovis Unified is California’s 12th largest school district with 43,300 students. Floyd “Doc” Buchanan led Clovis Unified as its superintendent for 31 years, and his imprint remains on the district with its emphasis on academic excellence and athletic competition.

Forty-one percent of the district’s students are Hispanic. The district includes neighborhoods in northeast and northwest Fresno.

Here are The Bee Editorial Board’s recommendations for the contested seats on the school board.

Clovis Unified District 2

Molly DeFrank has her husband’s name recognition and a slew of endorsements from influential members of the Clovis education community, like former superintendents Eimear O’Brien and Terry Bradley. But she declined to meet with the Editorial Board, and thus will not have The Bee’s endorsement.

The board’s backing goes to Wilma Hashimoto, who has a strong breadth of experience that will suit her well as a trustee.

She worked at Clovis Unified for 18 years, first as an elementary school teacher and later as the assistant director of child development. Her resume includes working for the Fresno County Office of Education as the assistant director and coordinator of early care and education. She was an assistant superintendent at Fresno Unified as well.

Currently, Hashimoto is the executive director of the nonprofit Court Appointed Special Advocates for Fresno and Madera counties. It pairs foster youth with trained advocates who help the young people through the court system.

Hashimoto has a master’s in education administration from Fresno State, and among her honors is the 2022 title of mother of the year as bestowed by the Fresno County Women’s Chamber of Commerce.

Janet Kardashian has more than 50 years of teaching experience in Clovis schools — she says Buchanan was her mentor — and she is effusive in her love for the district and her desire to serve on the board.

But she lacks the administrative experience that Hashimoto offers. Knowing how to work in the district office beyond the classroom is critical to being a successful trustee.

Clovis Unified District 4

Hugh Awtrey was appointed in 2019 to fill out a term of a trustee who moved out of the area. He then won his first four-year term in the 2020 election. Now he seeks a second full term. Awtrey declined to meet with the Editorial Board, which means he does not get its endorsement.

Gina Vue did meet with the board, and was impressive for several reasons. She is a first-generation Fresnan, having Hmong parents who fled Southeast Asia in the Vietnam War. Today she works as a clinician helping those with mental health needs, and she founded a program to help children with autism.

She is self-funding her campaign and has no endorsements, factors that typically do not lead to success at the ballot box. She also gave general answers to the board’s questions, showing she needs more time to develop specific ideas of how to improve Clovis Unified.

The Editorial Board does not offer a recommendation for this seat, but encourages Vue to serve on district committees to gain experience and better prepare herself for a future campaign, if she chooses to seek office again.