Two seats on Central Unified’s school board are up for election. Read The Bee’s endorsements

The Central Unified School District lies to the west of Fresno and east of Kerman. It is Fresno County’s third-largest district, with 15,700 students attending 24 schools.

Its goals are high: A graduation rate of more than 90% from its three high schools; at least 20% of English learners reclassified each year as proficient; and all students being literate by the end of second grade.

While enrollment growth has slowed in recent years, Central Unified has been busy building and bettering facilities. Justin Garza High opened in 2021 and has seen additional campus building since then. Improvements have come to other schools as well, such as security upgrades and new lighting to sports fields.

Now the school district is hoping voters approve a $109 million bond, Measure X, on the November ballot. If passed, it would be used to renovate old heating and cooling systems at campuses, make more security improvements, fix leaky roofs, better classroom accessibility for disabled people and a host of other measures.

Three candidates running to be Central Unified trustees who were interviewed by The Bee Editorial Board support the bond, saying fixing older schools has to be a top priority. A fourth candidate did not participate in the board’s interview process.

The Editorial Board recommends newcomer Natalie Chávez for Area 3 and incumbent Richard Solis for Area 5. Karla Kirk, a social science instructor at Fresno City College, is running unopposed for Area 6 because incumbent Jeremy Alan Mehling is not seeking re-election.

Here is a breakdown of the candidates for Areas 3 and 5:

Area 3: Challenger Natalie Chávez vs. incumbent Phillip Cervantes

Cervantes did not take part in the interview with the Editorial Board, so he will not earn its endorsement.

Chávez, 47, taught at Fresno City College for 17 years, 12 of them as a full-time employee. She was a clinician in mental health counseling, helping foster youth and helping lead a program at FCC to provide housing to homeless students. Today she owns an educational consulting business.

She is making her first run for elected office “to represent those people who could never get in the room to make decisions for their children.”

Chávez backs the state law that forbids schools from telling parents if their children are in gender transition, but wants the school board to be clear on its role in the issue.

When it comes to a student’s chronic absenteeism, Chávez does not think punitive measures work. “The majority of those families just need help. Some of it is just as simple as, ‘I don’t have transportation to get my kid to and from school, can you help me?’” She said it is critical to pinpoint the bigger problems causing absenteeism.

A current program Chávez wants expanded is dual enrollment. High school students in Central Unified can be enrolled concurrently in classes through Fresno City College, taking those courses at their high school free of tuition and for credit.

Area 5: Incumbent Richard Solis vs. challenger Jaspreet Sidhu

Solis, a retired Fresno County social worker, has been on the board since 2016. Sidhu, a registered nurse and case manager, is making his first run.

Solis, 66, backs Measure X as a key way to get funding for necessary repairs at schools. For his part, 27-year-old Sidhu also supports the bond, and points out that pipes that leaked when he was a Teague Elementary student decades ago are still leaking.

The bond does not add a new tax onto property rolls, but rather continues a tax that is already assessed. Solis said that was critical to his making the motion to support placing the bond on the ballot.

In terms of improving academic achievement, Solis said reading labs are now present at every campus. The district is also increasing its training for teachers on small-group learning methods, he added.

Sidhu wants to ensure students don’t use technology as a way to cheat on getting answers on assignments, but rather to enhance learning. “They can just take a picture of the math question and then they don’t have to do the work,” he said. “So how do we match the technological advancements that we have and still teach them how to do work? So the focus has to be student oriented.”

Sidhu is enthusiastic but lacks necessary experience. He would do well to volunteer on district advisory boards and then campaign again.

Given Solis’ years as a trustee and his good understanding of how to keep Central Unified moving forward, the Editorial Board recommends him for re-election.