FRESNO, Calif. — Three candidates are vying to lead Fresno County as the Superintendent of Schools, a key leadership and oversight role in local education.
The Fresno County Superintendent oversees more than 30 school districts and charter schools, and functions as the intermediary between districts and the California Department of Education.
Michelle Cantwell-Copher, the current Fresno County Superintendent of Schools, has served one term and is seeking reelection.
Cantwell-Copher is facing two challengers: Eimear O’Brien and Johnny Alvarado.
Both challengers also have a long history in local education. O’Brien is a former Superintendent of the Clovis Unified School District and most recently served as the Interim Superintendent of the Central Unified School District. Alvarado is the Assistant Superintendent of the Parlier Unified School District.
At the Maddy Institute's candidate forum on April 2, these candidates discussed a number of issues facing Fresno county students, teachers and staff, including literacy improvements, bilingual education and oversight and accountability for school districts.
They made their case to voters and explained their leadership philosophy, answering questions from local journalists including KVPR’s Elizabeth Arakelian.
The Maddy Institute is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization and does not endorse or support any candidates or political views. The institute hosted the forum in collaboration with KVPR, the Community Media Access Collaborative (CMAC), the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative, Fresnoland, and GV Wire.
KVPR will broadcast the Maddy Institute's Candidate Forum on Thursday, April 16th at 7 p.m.
KVPR's regularly scheduled program "On Point" will be pre-empted. Listeners can find the day's episode here.
