Alvarado faces scrutiny over school employment history before election

Dr. Johnny Alvarado’s résumé is under a microscope just days before Fresno County voters decide who will oversee the county’s school system. The race for Fresno County Superintendent of Schools will shape leadership for 31 school districts and 29 charter schools, and the June 2 primary will determine whether one candidate wins outright or the top two advance.

The sharpest questions center on Alvarado’s employment history. ABC30 reported that a document showed Alvarado signed a separation agreement with Selma Unified in 2022, partway through the school year, when he left as the district’s chief academic officer. The agreement reportedly provided a $13,000 monthly payout for up to nine months and said it was not an admission of wrongdoing by either party. Alvarado told ABC30 that he had never had a bad evaluation, been written up, or been disciplined.

GV Wire said it independently confirmed that Alvarado served as Selma Unified’s chief academic officer from Nov. 1, 2021, to Sept. 19, 2022. The same report said his LinkedIn profile listed him at Selma Unified through July 2024, creating a gap between the district record and the public résumé he presented online. GV Wire could not reach Alvarado for comment before publication.

Alvarado has also said he retired from Parlier Unified to focus on his campaign. Parlier Unified confirmed that he retired, but did not answer whether he had been placed on leave beforehand. In earlier campaign coverage, Alvarado said he had spent 30 years in education and worked in seven different school districts. GV Wire calculated that span averages about four years and three months per district. He has also described his background as including work as a teacher, principal, coach and administrator at the Fresno County Office of Education, and has centered his campaign on student outcomes, parent engagement and opposition to what he calls “social promotion.”

The questions matter because the county superintendent is not a ceremonial post. The Fresno County Superintendent of Schools office says it provides educational leadership and coordinates services across the county. With graduation rates around 86% in 2025 but test scores still mixed and math performance lagging, voters are being asked to weigh not just credentials, but whether those credentials match the demands of a job that influences schools from Selma to Parlier and beyond.

Alvarado’s opponents, incumbent Dr. Michele Cantwell-Copher and former Clovis Unified Superintendent Dr. Eimear O’Brien, told ABC30 they had never been placed on administrative leave or signed separation agreements. In a county where school leadership affects hundreds of thousands of students, the paper trail behind each candidate’s résumé is now part of the accountability test.