‘The school is not stable.’ Fresno-area district names its fourth superintendent in a year
After controversial back-to-back firings of the previous two people to hold the job, Fresno County’s West Park Elementary School has a new superintendent — their fourth in less than a year.
Brian Clark, who has over 24 years experience in California schools, was appointed late last month by the West Park school board.
“I am so happy and feel so blessed to have received the opportunity,” he said in an interview with the Ed Lab. “There’s so much positive here. There’s so many great students here and some fantastic educators. I just want an opportunity to help bring things to a place where we all can be extremely, extremely proud. I believe that’s possible.”
The five-member West Park school board met three consecutive Sundays in August to interview candidates for the position, Board President Kimberly Vivenzi said in an email to the Bee’s Education Lab, and on Aug. 28 voted 5-0 to name Clark superintendent.
“While we had robust discussions about a number of potential candidates for the position, there was only one that all of us could enthusiastically agree upon and that was Dr. Clark,” Vivenzi said.
The board introduced Clark to the community and approved his three-year contract at Monday’s board meeting. His base salary is $145,000.
Clark said he officially started Monday and was on site Tuesday.
West Park superintendent grew up in west Fresno
Clark shared his origins are in Fresno’s west side, which, he said, is part of what drew him to the position.
“When I was a young man growing up in west Fresno, I didn’t always feel supported and have the opportunities to succeed,” he said. “With the help and love of various community partners ... I was able to see the value in education, beyond anything else.”
He wants to ensure West Park students — over 83% of whom are in poverty, according to 2021-22 school year data from the California Department of Education — come to the same realization.
His background is in sociology, the subject he got his bachelor’s in from Fresno State. He’s also received a master’s in education and administrative credential from Fresno’s National University, and a doctorate in educational leadership and social justice from California State University, East Bay, according to the district.
His resume includes administrative roles in several Central Valley school districts — including Fresno Unified, Central Unified and the former West Fresno Elementary School District — although he told the Ed Lab he’s worked in districts all over the state, in both the Bay Area and Southern California as well. This is his first superintendent job.
Clark inherits lingering challenges at West Park
The board fired one of Clark’s predecessors, Ralph Vigil, without cause in December 2021 after he had held the job for over 15 years. Regina Diaz took over in January, only to be fired months later. She’s now suing West Park for wrongful termination.
Darrell Yates followed Diaz as the district’s acting superintendent starting in April.
In addition to turnover in the office Clark now occupies, the small district’s teachers union has said the school’s equally small staff experienced massive turnover under the current board. Robin Johnson, the union’s president, declined to comment on Clark’s hiring.
Tensions have also been mounting between the board and some West Park families who blame them for the loss of several staffers in the past year, a lack of resources at the small school, and West Park students’ poor academic performance in recent years. Tensions boiled over into a physical altercation at a board meeting in June between a West Park parent and a school board member’s relatives.
When asked about navigating these tensions, Clark said he doesn’t yet know “all the ins and outs of what’s been going on,” but said he hopes to building bridges between the school district and community at large.
“I want to make sure that I’m a positive conduit to make sure that communication occurs,” he said.
While he’s planning a “listening tour” to speak with administrators, board members, families and staff before setting any priorities, one goal he’s coming in with is to fill vacancies with new hires where possible.
The board is also hopeful that having a new superintendent will help steer West Park in the right direction.
“We look forward to using our new leadership as an opportunity to bring our community together, build on our strengths and provide the best learning and working environment possible for our students, families and staff,” Vivenzi said.
Parents told the Ed Lab they’re hoping the new superintendent can stabilize the district.
“What is he bringing to this table?” said Rose Arellano, a West Park parent. “(After) going through so many (superintendents), are we going to have somebody stable? Because make no mistake about it, a child learns better within a stable environment. Right now, the school is not stable.”
The search process
The search for West Park’s new superintendent came with controversy.
The public posting for the job went up July 13, which was three months after the board originally said. The district’s previous acting superintendent Yates told the Ed Lab this was due to the district not having an HR director during that time frame.
West Park also opted not to bring community members into the interview process via a panel, despite some parents calling for one.
Board president Vivenzi said that this was due to a lack of interest from participants in a survey to West Park families regarding the superintendent search process.
An “overwhelming majority of respondents, almost 70%,” indicated they weren’t interested in being on a potential panel, Vivenzi said.
“The community survey, however, and the Board’s priorities were used to screen candidates, generate general interview questions and were at the forefront of the Board’s consideration during the selection process,” she added. “The Board recognized that the selection of a Superintendent is the most important job of ours.”
At Monday night’s meeting, Vivenzi said that since the board is elected by the community, “everyone has a say” in the decision-making process.
Felicia Villasana, a West Park parent who told the Ed Lab she indicated her interest in being on the panel in her survey response, was disappointed the community didn’t have the opportunity to sit in on interviews for the district’s top job.
“I didn’t have a problem with it not being, you know, me — just as long as it was anyone,” she said, “especially with everything that’s just been going on in the school.”
West Park didn’t have a community panel last time the board appointed a superintendent, either. Diaz was hired just weeks after her predecessor, Vigil, was fired.
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 — and hoped next time things would go differently with the help of more community members on the interview panel.
What’s next?
Now that Clark has taken over as superintendent, Yates will continue in his role as West Park’s dean of schools — a position he has held since March.
Clark told the Ed Lab his listening tour is off to a good start already, after he spoke with district office staff this week. Next week, he’s hoping to meet with teachers.
“I just think it makes sense to be communicative and transparent,” he said, “before I begin to try to create solutions.”
Villasana said she hopes that happens to help improve transparency from the district.
Arellano also said that communication and trust-building with the new superintendent will be key.
“If he can help communicate the needs of the students, the staff, and the parents to the school board, and vice versa — kind of being that middle ground — then you’re gonna have a big improvement to right now,” Arellano said. “All of Fresno is looking at us like we’re fighting and arguing — like we’re a dysfunctional family. We owe it to our kids to change that, and if we don’t, we fail them.”
Education Lab Newsletter
Get stories that matter on education issues critical to the advancement of San Joaquin Valley residents, with a focus on Fresno. Sign up, and join the conversation.
