Three candidates are in the race to become the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools (FCSS), a key supporting role for over 30 school districts in Fresno County.
Incumbent Michele Cantwell-Copher, elected in 2022, is in the race along with challengers Johnny Alvarado and Eimear O’Brien. All three bring decades of experience in administrative and leadership roles in education within Fresno County.
While the county is home to Fresno Unified, the third largest school district in the state, many of its school districts are positioned in rural areas that serve a total of over 200,000 students across the county.
Fresno County faces similar problems seen statewide and nationwide. Among them are low literacy and mathematics achievement levels in early grades, with nearly 55% of all third graders not meeting SBAC test standards for both subjects last year.
Moreover, schools in and around Fresno face declining student enrollment and low attendance attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, declining birth rates, higher costs of living and concerns over immigration enforcement near schools.
What does the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools do?
The FCSS is a state mandated position that provides support for vulnerable student groups to school districts, professional development for teachers and administrators and oversees the fiscal stability of districts by reviewing and approving Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs).
LCAPs are three-year plans that outline a school district’s funding priorities using state funds to districts and schools based on the number of high-needs students served.
The county superintendent is also responsible for the education of students in juvenile court schools and ensuring district compliance with state laws and mandates, including the Williams legislation, which mandates that schools provide all students equal access to learning materials and resources.
All county superintendents are elected and serve four year terms with a limit of two terms.
Currently, incumbent Cantwell-Copher receives an annual salary of around $350,000.
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Johnny Alvarado | Michele Cantwell-Copher | Eimear O’Brien
Johnny Alvarado
- Job: Retired, previously Assistant Superintendent, Parlier Unified and Chief Academic Officer, Selma Unified
- Age: 60
- Residency: Lives in Fresno, raised in Sanger
- Key Endorsements: Mayor Matthew Tuttle of Reedley, Mayor Frank Gonzalez of Sanger, Sanger City Councilmember Michael Montelongo, Dr. Toulu Thao of The Hmong Inc., Selma Unified Trustee Narinder “Nick” Sahota, President Faith Bautista Tamashiro of The National Diversity Coalition
Alvarado has served in education for over 30 years, starting off as a middle and high school teacher in Sanger Unified in 1995. According to Alvarado, he worked as an elementary, middle and high school teacher, a college professor and served in assistant principal and principal roles at Fresno and Clovis Unified schools before becoming director of charter schools at the FCSS office around 2013. He then served as Selma Unified’s Chief Academic Officer from 2021 through 2024 and as assistant superintendent in Parlier Unified for three years before retiring and joining the race for county superintendent.
What’s his approach to the duties of the superintendent?
Alvarado says that he agrees that the county superintendent is not supposed to meddle in the work of district superintendents and local school boards. However, he noted that part of the county superintendent’s role is to evaluate, support and hold schools accountable, explaining that he’d like to create a system that tracks student performance across all grades throughout the school year.
What are his objectives for the tenure?
Alvarado explained that he would like to develop and implement a common assessment throughout the county at each grade level along with progress monitoring cycles to help educators identify what areas students need help with before they move onto the next grade. Through this, Alvarado says, the county would be able to address social promotion.
Alvarado said that he would like to bring all district superintendents together through meetings similar to professional learning communities (PLCs), where educators of similar subjects and grade levels get together to share best practices.
Alvarado says that the data gathered regarding a student’s performance would allow for specific interventions to be made. Part of his objective as county superintendent would be to share this data with parents in large community conferences while also creating more opportunities for families to be mentored on how they can help their students after the school day.
“I want to change that, if we have common assessments, including 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th throughout the school year, now we’re going to hold all of us accountable to what those results are and when the results aren’t good, it gives us time to respond,” Alvarado said.
On top of this, Alvarado wants to train all educators with social-emotional learning strategies and expand mental health and behavior support in schools, saying that he would like to create more supportive learning environments for students.
“I want to make sure that academic achievement is improving every year and I made a challenge to myself: I want double-digit figures,” Alvarado said.
How will they address parent/students concerns about immigration enforcement?
Alvarado said that he could educate parents about their rights and resources in his planned community meetings to help quell concerns over immigration enforcement near schools.
Alvarado said that he would like to get more parents involved in volunteering for activities like crosswalk duty to have more community eyes around campuses.
“It’s communication, it’s making sure parents are knowledgeable and making sure that they’re feeling safe and that we have a plan to be able to ensure that,” Alvarado said.
What is his approach to artificial intelligence use in classrooms?
Alvarado said that he wants to use the position to help train students, educators and parents alike on how to properly create prompts for AI.
He also noted that he would collaborate with school districts to understand what parameters should be considered on AI use in schools to ensure it is being used safely and efficiently.
“AI should support learning but not replace student effort or teacher judgement,” Alvarado said.
What are their thoughts on potential school closures in the county?
Alvarado described school closures as necessary evils, saying that communities should be informed about school funding processes and about the possibility of closures well in advance.
“The more that parents are involved and educated in this process, the easier it is when it does actually have to happen,” Alvarado said.
“We try to do everything first to avoid it; that might mean moving students to different school sites, but again, if it has to happen, it has to happen, but we need to be humanistic about it,” Alvarado added.
Who is funding his campaign?
According to campaign finance documents, the following organizations and individuals have donated to Alvarado’s campaign:
- Ro’s Precise Painting, Inc. – $30,000
- Christine Barcus – $2,500
- Faith Bautista – $1,000
- Jodie Garabedian – $1,000
- Toulu Thao – $1,000
- Jeffrey Scott Agency – $720 and $332.50
Michele Cantwell-Copher
- Job: Current Fresno County Superintendent of Schools
- Age: 58
- Residency: Lives in Fresno, raised in Riverdale
- Key Endorsements: Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni, the California Teachers Association, Fresno County Supervisor Buddy Mendes and Brian Pacheco, Mayor Vong Mouanoutoua of Clovis, Mayor Victor Martinez of Mendota, Mayor Brandon Pursell of Kingsburg, Fresno City Councilmember Annalisa Perea, Fresno Chamber of Commerce
Cantwell-Copher currently serves as the county superintendent. She previously served as an administrator at the FCSS office for 14 years and as an assistant superintendent at Central Unified for 12 years.
In her re-election campaign, she highlights steady improvements to English Language Arts (ELA), Math and English Learner achievement along with investments in community and charter schools since being elected in June of 2022 with 68% of the vote.
What’s her approach to the duties of the superintendent?
Cantwell-Copher explained that while the county superintendent provides fiscal oversight to Fresno County’s school district, she respects the independence of the districts and their elected boards.
“I’m the liaison between the state and the local districts, but the local districts each have their own elected governing boards,” Cantwell-Copher said, adding “I love how diverse and different our school districts are in Fresno County, respectfully, so I’m going to be of support to those boards and I’m not going to be intrusive in their governance.”
What are her objectives for the tenure?
Cantwell-Copher says that on top of continuing her office’s momentum in improving student performance and test scores, she’s looking to expand the office’s presence in Sacramento to support legislation impacting Fresno County.
“For the first time in many, many years, our office is supporting 16 legislative bills in Sacramento,” Cantwell-Copher said.
Cantwell-Copher said that legislative support is new territory for the office, explaining that she has used the last two years to understand how the office could influence decisions taking place at the capitol.
Additionally, Cantwell-Copher says she hopes to expand early care and education, specifically transitional kindergarten, and to grow dual enrollment and career technical education opportunities for students in the county.
“We’re working intentionally to mitigate barriers to kids’ success, so that when they get to school, they are prepared and equipped well-enough to be students and learn in their classrooms,” Cantwell-Copher said.
How will she address parent/students concerns about immigration enforcement?
Cantwell-Copher explained that her office felt the impact of immigration enforcement concerns from parents and students almost immediately, noting that there were dips in attendance. In response, she said her office offered mental health services for students who feared potential ICE enforcement and partnered with Centro La Familia to be able to communicate with families about their rights.
For the future, Cantwell-Copher says she plans to continue to support students with mental health services and transportation in case families are impacted by immigration enforcement.
“I am going to make sure that that school district has our mental health services and that we have maybe participated in some sort of community drive to help care for the child and making sure that the child keeps coming to school, even if they’re living in a neighboring school district,” Cantwell-Copher said, adding, “we’re going to do our part to help with transportation and do what we need to to keep that child as stabilized in the school as possible.”
What is their approach to artificial intelligence use in classrooms?
Cantwell-Copher said that while her office is aware of the risks that come with using AI in classrooms and in the office of the FCSS, she is not afraid of the technology and embraces AI.
“We are fully aware of where the pitfalls are, where the risks are and where the legal aspects are, we’re intentional about and careful about that,” Cantwell-Copher said. “Student Data has got to be protected, parents rights have got to be protected.”
Cantwell-Copher said that on top of using AI in her office to enhance productivity, her office is developing an AI-use road map in partnership with Fresno Unified.
Moreover, Cantwell-Copher says she thinks Fresno County could be a leader in the area of AI use and plans to continue developing guardrails for student use of AI in schools.
What are their thoughts on potential school closures in the county?
Cantwell-Copher said she expects school closures in Fresno County in the future.
According to Cantwell-Copher, the county has maintained a steady student enrollment count of around 200,000 students for the last decade and says that while Fresno Unified is experiencing declining enrollment, families are not leaving the county.
Cantwell-Copher said that her office will continue to partner with districts to help with budget projections but will respect the decisions of school boards and how they allocate their funds.
“It’s a reality in Fresno County, but it’s a little different than it is in counties across the state of California, and our office is a resource for individual school districts to make their budgetary decisions relative to their enrollment and their ability to frankly, fund and manage their budgets,” Cantwell-Copher said.
Who is funding her campaign?
According to campaign finance documents, the following organizations and individuals have donated to Cantwell-Copher’s campaign:
- Charter Public School PAC – $30,000
- Fresno Teachers Association PAC – $10,000
- Jagdip Dhanda – $5,000
- Fresno Laborers Local 294 – $2,500
- Brad Huff – $1,500
- Francisco Hernandez Jr. – $1,000
- Richesin Holdings (Douglas Richesin) – $1,000
- Shellie Hanes – $1,000
- Fresno Chamber PAC – $1,000
Eimear O’Brien
- Job: Retired, former Superintendent of Clovis Unified
- Age: 62
- Residency: Lives in Fresno, born in Ireland
- Key Endorsements: Former Fresno County Superintendent Larry Powell, Former Fresno County Superintendent Jim Yovino, Mayor Jerry Dyer of Fresno, District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp, Fresno County Assessor-Recorder Paul Dictos, Clovis City Councilmember Matt Basal, Fresno City Councilmember Mike Karbassi, Fresno City Councilmember Tyler Maxwell
O’Brien has been involved in education for over 30 years after moving to Fresno at the age of 30 from Ireland. O’Brien was a teacher for early grades for a decade in Ireland before teaching another 10 years at Maple Creek Elementary in Clovis Unified. O’Brien then served as vice principal and principal at Valley Oak Elementary and as learning director, deputy principal and principal of Clovis West High School. After, she served as assistant superintendent before becoming superintendent of CUSD in 2017, a position she held until stepping down in 2023.
What’s their approach to the duties of the superintendent?
O’Brien explained that she wants to be a partner of the district superintendent to help share best practices and to listen to districts about how she can support their staff, students and communities.
Additionally, O’Brien says that she wants to be transparent with the community at all times, even if it means admitting that something is not working.
“I’m not afraid to make a decision. I’m equally not afraid to turn it around if I discover I made the wrong decision, right? So I think that communication from the county office is very important. I think the county superintendent needs to be visible. But I also think it’s really important not to overstep their role into the district superintendent roles.”
What are their objectives for the tenure?
O’Brien has identified early literacy, parent and family engagement in education and collaborating with districts to increase student achievement as her main goals for the position.
“Reading affects everything,” O’Brien said, adding “it affects kids’ ability to access other academic areas, math and science, it affects their confidence, it affects their mental health.”
O’Brien explained that she plans to help strengthen parent ties with district superintendents by creating programs to educate parents about their opportunities to be involved in their student’s education and volunteering on campus. She noted that AI could be used to help create modules for parents to learn from.
O’Brien says that her goal is for every child to be able to read by third grade by starting education as early as possible through preschool or transitional kindergarten. Specifically, O’Brien would like to implement phonics-based training and materials for students and educators alike.
O’Brien also says that part of the literacy problem is a lack of access for students in rural areas, something she hopes to support if she wins the race.
“I’ll say this, there are certain things we can’t control: We can’t control poverty, we can’t control if a child’s first language isn’t English, we can’t control if there’s violence in the home, but what we can control is providing a high quality education,” O’Brien said.
O’Brien noted that she also plans to strengthen the position’s presence in legislation from Sacramento, citing her previous experience as a district superintendent as a resource that could help her better represent Fresno County.
How will she address parent/students about immigration enforcement?
O’Brien said that she plans to expand opportunities for parents and families to be educated about available resources through community organization partnerships, informational videos and communications to help meet the concerns of communities who are worried about ICE enforcement near schools.
“I do not believe that any child should be afraid to come to school, and I believe that every child should be in school every day,” O’Brien said.
What is their approach to artificial intelligence use in classrooms?
On artificial intelligence, O’Brien said that leaders in education need to get ahead of the curve on AI, referring back to the explosion of social media in smartphones in the early 2010s.
“I believe we need to be in the driver’s seat of how AI is going to be integrated into our education system,” O’Brien said.
Specifically, O’Brien says that AI can be used to enhance student learning, but that staff and students need to be trained on how to develop prompts and sniff out inaccurate information.
“It’s not taking over everything, but when the child is in class and there’s six kids with their hands up to ask a teacher, they should be able to put a question in, get the answer and then keep going,” O’Brien said.
What are their thoughts on potential school closures in the county?
O’Brien said that while it can be difficult to predict closures and challenges for schools, she noted that long-term planning can be used to find efficient ways to use resources and staff.
“We have to be good stewards of the public funds, and so it does involve making difficult decisions, but we can mitigate and minimize the difficulty of those decisions through long range planning.”
Who is funding her campaign?
According to campaign finance documents, the following organizations and individuals have donated to O’Brien’s campaign:
- Fresno developer Richard Spencer – $30,000
- Matthew Ruiz – $10,000
- Clovis developer Jerry Cook, via Cook Family LP – $5,000
- Eimear O’Brien – $5,000
- CENCAL Services Inc – $5,000
- C-III Construction, Inc. – $5,000
- Tyler Maxwell for Fresno City Council 2024 – $5,000
- Western Systems, LLC – $5,000
- Associated Builders and Contractors Northern California Chapter Political Action – $5,000
- Ramandeep Basi – $5,000
- Brooke Ashjian – $2,500
- Dr. Joe Lee – $1,000
- Jim Yovino – $2,500
- Doug Richesin – $2,500
- Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp – $1,000
- Susan Castro $1,000
- Richard Shehadey – $1,000
