This election , voters will decide three open seats on the Fresno Unified school board: Area 2 (Roosevelt High region), Area 5 (Fresno High region) and Area 6 (Hoover High region).
All three areas’ incumbents are running for reelection, and each face one or more challengers. Area 2 incumbent Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas, who’s seeking her third term, is challenged by Fresno State student Joseph Aquino, a Hoover High graduate and former student trustee on the board.
Area 5 incumbent Andy Levine has drawn two challengers, James Martinez, president of the Fresno County Board of Education, and Emma Villa, an educator and advocate for special-needs. Area 6 incumbent Claudia Cazares is competing against retired teacher and administrator Dan Bordona.
Fresno Unified is the third-largest school district in the state with more than 68,000 students in 106 schools. It has a yearly budget of over $2.1 billion, making it the “biggest fiscal driver from Bakersfield to Sacramento,” according to former Superintendent Bob Nelson.
The seven-member governing board is grappling with declining enrollment, underperforming test scores, and the need to hire a permanent superintendent.
The Fresno Bee sat down to talk to every candidate to help voters make informed decisions. Here is all you need to know about Fresno Unified’s board races.
Area 2, Roosevelt High region
Joseph Aquino
- Occupation: Student, Fresno State
- Age: 19
- Education: Hoover High School
- Previous elected office held: N/A
- Campaign website: www.josephaquino4fusd.com
The Bee’s Q&A with Aquino: 19-year-old Hoover High grad running for Fresno Unified trustee. ‘I’m using my voice to advocate for my peers.’
Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas
- Occupation: Deputy general manager, Westlands Water District
- Age: 40
- Education: Bachelor’s in international relations from Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México; master’s in business administration from Fresno State
- Previous elected office held: Fresno Unified Board Trustee, Area 5 (2016-current)
- Campaign website: N/A
The Bee’s Q&A with Jonasson Rosas: Fresno Unified’s Roosevelt trustee, seeking third term, questions district’s spending amid budget woes
Area 5, Fresno High region
Andy Levine
- Occupation: Professor, Fresno State
- Age: 40
- Education: Bachelor of Arts from UC Davis; Master of Arts in sociology of education from Teachers College at Columbia University
- Previous elected office held: Fresno Unified Board Trustee, Area 5 (2022-current)
- Campaign website: www.andy4fresno.com
The Bee’s Q&A with Levine: ‘This is the last elected, political job I ever want to have.’ Fresno trustee faces challengers
James Martinez
- Occupation: Director of operations for Associated Students Inc. at Fresno State
- Age: 38
- Education: Bachelor of Arts in political science from Fresno State; Master of Arts from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
- Previous elected office held: Fresno County Board of Education Trustee, Area 3 (2020-current)
- Campaign website: www.martinez4fusd.com
The Bee’s Q&A with Martinez: ‘I think we’ve kind of lost focus.’ Meet a candidate for the Fresno High area trustee seat
Emma Villa
- Occupation: Educator, advocate, consultant
- Age: Unknown
- Education: Bachelor’s in business administration from Fresno State; master’s in education administrative services from Fresno Pacific University
- Previous elected office held: N/A
- Campaign website: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61564962912702
The Bee’s Q&A with Villa: Her special-needs son was ‘harmed repeatedly’ at Fresno Unified. Now she’s running for district’s board
Area 6, Hoover High region
Dan Bordona
- Occupation: Retired educator
- Age: 62
- Education: Master of Arts in education from Fresno State
- Previous elected office held: N/A
- Campaign website: www.danforfusd.com
The Bee’s Q&A with Bordona: ‘We are not doing enough for kids.’ Meet Fresno school board candidate for Hoover area
Claudia Cazares
- Occupation: Affordable housing program manager, City of Clovis
- Age: 45
- Education: Bachelor of Science from the UC Berkeley
- Previous elected office held: Fresno Unified School Board Trustee, Area 6 (2016-current)
- Campaign website: www.cazaresfortrustee.com
The Bee’s Q&A with Cazares: ‘Internalizing feedback.’ Fresno Unified Hoover trustee says she makes informed decisions
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