Central Unified tightens conflict rules after PAC disclosure report

Central Unified moved to seal a conflict-of-interest loophole after a top communications employee was found to be working for a political action committee he co-founded while employed by Fresno schools.

The district amended its board policies so the communications and public relations officer must now file a Form 700 Statement of Economic Interest, the state disclosure form used to identify outside income and financial ties that could create conflicts. The change forces the role into Central Unified’s conflict-of-interest code, where financial interests must be reported and potential disqualifying conflicts can be spotted before they affect district decisions.

At the center of the issue is Johnathon Burrows, Central Unified’s communications and public relations officer and a cofounder of Youth Save Democracy PAC. He was paid $58,000 in 2025 and $60,000 over the previous two years for digital consulting tied to the PAC, according to the reporting. The arrangement drew scrutiny because Burrows was not just taking outside pay; he was tied to a committee with a $1.5 million footprint and active federal campaign filings in the 2025-2026 cycle.

Board president Yesenia Carrillo said the district had been alerted to a reporting gap and wanted any possible conflicts made visible and handled properly. Carrillo, who represents Trustee Area 2 and has served on the Central Unified board since 2018, framed the policy change as a response to a disclosure failure, not a broader ban on outside work.

The loophole appears to have been structural. The district’s communications office handles district-wide messaging, public relations, social media, community relations and liaison work with local organizations, but the position had not previously been designated as one that had to file Form 700. That meant the safeguards that apply to designated public officials and employees under California’s conflict rules did not automatically reach Burrows’s outside PAC work.

The scrutiny has also widened because Youth Save Democracy PAC has drawn criticism from some Fresno-area Democrats for raising money nationally and spending locally. Reporting summaries say the committee made contributions to two Central Unified trustees before Burrows joined the district in October 2024, adding another layer of concern around relationships between campaign money and school governance.

For Central Unified, the policy change is a concrete fix, but it also shows how much depends on what jobs are listed in a district’s conflict code. The new filing requirement closes the gap for the communications post, yet similar gray areas can still exist anywhere a public employee’s outside political work is not clearly captured in the reporting rules.