Seven elected school board members serve the community of Clovis Unified in four-year terms. Meetings of the Governing Board are held on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month (unless otherwise noticed) at 1680 David E. Cook Way in Clovis. Complete minutes, agendas, videos and meeting calendars can be found here.
The foundation of our District can be seen in the words of our founding Superintendent, Dr. Floyd Buchanan. His philosophy is grounded in the idea that our kids are what matter the most. Everything else falls under that philosophy. We have hired the best teachers and best role models… for our kids. We have caring parents whom we have faith in… for our kids. We have a community that cares about fairness and compassion… for our kids.
On Wednesday night, the Board voted to submit an Elementary Waiver from the Department of Public Health, one more step to return to campus those students wanting in-person instruction. This District has weathered tough times before. I was here when the financial crisis took millions of dollars away from our District’s funding and let’s remember how we all responded. Every employee who worked for Clovis Unified collectively took a percentage reduction of their salary and took furlough days to help us get through the financial crunch…for our kids. Our kids deserved to not lose valuable employees to this financial crisis. The result was that we stood together and we as a District, did not lay off one single employee. We worked it out together….for our kids.
Our current situation affects the world, our country, our state, our community and our Clovis Unified School District in so many challenging ways. The Board hears daily from parents, teachers and our community to please get our kids back in the classroom! They passionately express their sincere concerns about the emotional and mental challenges that our children are experiencing, and as a result, they are approaching some very serious consequences. The Board also hears daily from parents, teachers and our community to please not send our children back to school until they feel that it is safe to do so. The Board feels deeply for the concerns on both sides.
The Board understands the enormous challenges that our families and employees are facing daily. We share your concerns because we too have children, we too have loved ones whose safety we are concerned about. We are members of this community, and we live amongst all of you.
The Board recognizes the need for options as we all make our way back to the classroom. The Board also respects that everyone will want to make a decision that works best for their own individual and family’s unique circumstances. We trust Dr. O’Farrell and her team, and we trust our employees who are working tirelessly to develop plans to meet the many needs of our community.
We will bring our kids back very soon, for those who wish to return, with complete consideration for the health and safety of everyone involved. For those who wish to remain online, we will continue to provide that option. We care about all of our parents, students, employees and our community and we are dedicated to doing the right thing…for our kids.
Christopher Casado
Clovis Unified School Board President