Fresno-area school likely to start the year without a new superintendent, teachers contract

A small school district less than 10 miles southwest of downtown Fresno is likely to start the school year without a new superintendent — or a contract with its teachers union.

West Park Elementary School District served just under 600 students from Transitional Kindergarten through eighth grade with both an elementary and charter academy during the 2021-22 school year. More than 80% of the student body in each program are considered to be in poverty, and 29% of the district’s total students are English learners, according to data from the California Department of Education.

The elementary school will start classes Wednesday, following a tumultuous year full of staff turnover that sent two superintendents packing within months of each other — and led to mounting tensions between community members and the board.

West Park has in recent weeks brought on some new hires, including new Food Services and Human Resources directors who were introduced at the district’s July 11 board meeting.

But uncertainties still linger around the superintendent’s office and when a new contract will be negotiated with the district’s teacher’s association, West Park Elementary Certificated Association (WPECA).

“Coming back after a full year of not knowing where we’re at is really hard,” Christina Ortega, a member of the teachers union and second-grade teacher at West Park Elementary, said in public comments at the July 11 meeting.

Still no new superintendent at West Park

After firing two superintendents just months apart this past school year, West Park’s school board said at a May 9 meeting that the superintendent position would be posted on EdJoin and open to applicants until the end of the month.

But it wasn’t until July 13 — over three months later — that the posting finally went up.

In June, the district’s acting superintendent, Darrell Yates, told the Ed Lab the district did not have an HR director at the time, causing the delay.

At a July 11 meeting, Yates introduced West Park’s new HR director, who said in a presentation that she was on her sixth day of work.

The current deadline listed to apply for the superintendent position is July 23 at 11:55 pm, and the salary is described as “competitive negotiable.”

Yates said he is “leaning toward” applying for the superintendent position at a meeting seeking input for the district’s Local Control and Accountability Plan in June. He was first hired to be the district’s substitute learning director in January of this year, when Regina Diaz vacated that position to become superintendent. Yates said Diaz, a former colleague from Madera, approached him about the role, and he came out of retirement to fill it.

In March, Yates was appointed West Park’s dean of schools. In April, he was asked to serve as acting superintendent after the board fired Diaz.

Questions still remain about whether the community will have a say in the district’s superintendent search. That was a concern earlier this year, when the district hired Diaz as a new superintendent mere weeks after firing her predecessor, Ralph Vigil (only to fire Diaz as well months later).

Some critics of the West Park board said they suspected her swift appointment was influenced by a personal relationship between Diaz and school board president Vivenzi.

“They were so buddy-buddy,” WPECA vice president Alyssa Martinez previously told the Ed Lab. “I mean, if I was a betting person, I’d be very rich right now.”

Neither Vivenzi nor Diaz have commented further on their alleged relationship, citing a lawsuit for wrongful termination that Diaz filed against the West Park school board in June.

WPECA president Robin Johnson said she hopes that this time the district will create a panel of staff and community members to help interview candidates for superintendent. This is the norm in other larger districts, such as Fresno’s Central Unified.

“I am in full support of an interview panel to include all stakeholders in the interview process,” she wrote in a statement to the Ed Lab. “We are hopeful for a good school year and (for) negotiations to go well and quickly so the teachers can focus on the students and providing a quality education.”

‘Hurdle after hurdle after hurdle’ for Fresno-area district

Representatives of West Park’s teachers association say they’ve also been pleading with the board to enter negotiations over their contract.

The process was first delayed when a West Park few teachers appealed to have the California Teachers Association as their representation instead of WPECA last school year. That conflict has since been resolved, both district and union leaders confirmed.

The district responded to an initial proposal from WPECA on June 13 but was waiting for Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign the state budget into law by the start of the 2023 fiscal year in order to “bargain intelligently and responsibly,” Yates said in an email to the Ed Lab July 13.

The governor gave the budget his signature June 30.

But in public comments at West Park’s July 11 meeting, union leaders said that even after the governor took action, the district didn’t immediately communicate about opening bargaining.

“It’s hurdle after hurdle after hurdle,” Johnson, the WPECA president, said during public comments.

Yates also told the Ed Lab July 13 that he anticipates negotiations will begin soon.

“Now that this data is in place, the District will look to set dates to meet with the unit with all possible speed,” he said.

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.