Cracks Exposed in Alvarado’s Resume in Fresno County Superintendent of Schools Race

The employment history of Dr. Johnny Alvarado, a candidate for Fresno County Superintendent of Schools, is being scrutinized in the final days before the election.

Alvarado boasts over 30 years in education, spent with seven different school districts across Fresno County. That is an average of four years and three months in each district.

However, his time at Selma Unified School District was questioned in a report from ABC30.

Alvarado signed a separation agreement with the district, receiving a $13,000 monthly payout for up to nine months, ABC30 reported. The document states it is not an admission of wrongdoing by any party.

When asked if by ABC 30 if he ever had a separation agreement, Alvarado dodged the question.

“What I’m going to say is that I have never, never had a bad evaluation. I have never been written up. I have never been disciplined,” Alvarado told the TV station.

Alvarado served as the Chief Academic Officer for Selma Unified from Nov. 1, 2021, to Sept. 19, 2022, GV Wire independently confirmed.

However, Alvarado’s LinkedIn profile shows he was employed with Selma Unified School District from Nov. 2021 to July 2024.

GV Wire could not reach Alvarado for comment before publication of this story.

Former Clovis Unified Superintendent Dr. Eimear O’Brien and Alvarado are challenging incumbent Dr. Michele Cantwell-Copher for the county superintendent’s post.

A Closer Look at Alvarado’s Work History

Alvarado lists employment with six school districts throughout Fresno County on his LinkedIn profile.

This includes Fresno Unified, Clovis Unified, Fresno County Superintendent of Schools, Crescent View South II, Selma Unified, and Parlier Unified.

He began serving as Parlier Unified Assistant Superintendent in Feb. 2023, about five months after leaving Selma Unified. Recently, he retired from that position to focus on his campaign.

Alvarado’s LinkedIn shows a pattern of the educator leaving districts during the school year.

He exited his role as a learning director at Fresno Unified in April and he stopped serving Crescent View South in March. He also reports leaving Clovis Unified in October. But a Clovis Unified district spokesperson said he resigned in September.

His LinkedIn profile has no specific mention of Bullard High School, where Alvarado says he served as principal during COVID-19. However, there is a gap in the profile’s employment history from March 29 to Nov. 2021.

GV Wire submitted a public records request with Fresno Unified on May 12, seeking dates of employment for Alvarado. The district invoked a 14-day extension for this request on May 22.

Alvarado Uses Different Method of Reporting Scores

Alvarado has a unique way of reporting academic gains, which can artificially inflate the results.

He touts massive gains in English Language Arts and Math post-pandemic at Bullard High School.

During the 2018-2019 school year, 46% of Bullard High students met ELA standards and 20% met math standards.

In the 2020-21 school year, 55% met ELA standards and 28% met math standards.

According to Alvarado, who calculates the “relative change” of scores, ELA results rose by 24% and math increased by 30%.

However, state and local school districts measure this change through percentage point changes, presenting results as a 9% increase in ELA and 8% increase in math.

It is important to note that only 77% of students received scores in the 2020-21 school year. Typically, more than 90% of students participate.

Additionally, Alvarado states Parlier Unified scores rose by 3% in ELA and math during his tenure. However, using standard reporting, ELA scores remained stagnant with 24% meeting standards and math rose by about 2%.

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