Madera Unified School District is a public school

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivision ...

serving Madera,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

History

The district was first incorporated in 1966 to consolidate the administration of schools in and around the City of Madera. The district has 28 schools (14 K-6 elementary schools, 4 K-8 country schools, 3 middle schools, 2 high schools, 2 alternative education centers, one adult school, and a preschool program). In recent years, M.U.S.D has added 7 new schools (4 elementary schools and 1 middle school) and completed two high schools: Madera South High School (formerly named Madera High School - South Campus) and Matilda Torres High School.

Voting Rights Act lawsuit

Madera Unified's capitulation when faced with a 2008 lawsuit about the manner in which school board trustees were elected, as well as a judge's related ruling on the matter, has reportedly influenced other California school districts and other governmental bodies to change from at-large representation, which dominates the state's school districts, to a by-district system. Four Madera plaintiffs, represented by San Francisco-based

Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, or simply the Lawyers' Committee, is a civil rights organization founded in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy. At the time, Alabama Governor George Wallace had vowed to resist cou ...

, alleged that the at-large voting system resulted in racial polarization that resulted in the city's Latino majority of 82 percent being politically marginalized, which they said violated the state's 2002 Voting Rights Act. That statistic is slightly misleading, however, as only 44 percent of those eligible to vote in an MUSD election were Latinos, according to a press release by Anayma DeFrias of the aforementioned LCCR. The Madera case was one of the first to be filed under the

California Voting Rights Act The California Voting Rights Act of 2001 (CVRA) is a state law in the state of California. It makes it easier for minority groups in California to prove that their votes are being diluted in "at-large" elections by expanding on the federal Voting ...

."Voters Sue Madera Unified School District,"

Indybay The San Francisco Bay Area Independent Media Center, commonly known as Indybay, is the San Francisco Bay Area branch of the Independent Media Center, an all-volunteer organization which operates a community news website, ''Indybay.org'', and in June ...

, Aug. 21, 2008, http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/08/21/18528496.php The school district settled out of court without admitting guilt but agreeing to change how school board trustees were elected, according to The Madera Tribune daily newspaper in 2008.

Recent superintendents

The Madera Unified School Board placed Superintendent John Stafford on leave with pay for the remainder of the 2010-11 school year. No reason was given. After a short search a new superintendent, Gustavo Balderas, was hired in 2011 on a three-year contract. Balderas surprised the district by resigning to take another superintendent position in Southern California in 2012. During the search for a replacement for Balderas accusations were made of improper conduct by several board members in regards to the search, and that search was aborted and an investigation launched. In the meantime the board rehired former superintendent Julie O'Kane as interim. In July 2013 it was announced that Ed Gonzales, former teacher and principal in Madera Unified, was hired as superintendent.

Schools

Elementary schools

*John Adams Elementary School *Alpha Elementary School *Berenda Elementary School *Caesar E. Chavez Elementary School *Eastin-Arcola Elementary School *Lincoln Elementary School *James Madison Elementary School *Millview Elementary School *James Monroe Elementary School *Nishimoto Elementary School *Parkwood Elementary School *John J. Pershing Elementary School *Sierra Vista Elementary School *George Washington Elementary School *Virginia Lee Rose Elementary School

Middle schools

*Jack G. Desmond Middle School *Martin Luther King Jr, Middle School *Thomas Jefferson Middle School

High schools

Madera High School Madera High School is the first school and original high school in the central San Joaquin Valley city of Madera, California, serving students since 1894. The school colors are royal blue & white and its mascot is the coyote. History Madera Hi ...

* Madera South High School *

Matilda Torres High School Matilda or Mathilda may refer to: Animals * Matilda (chicken) (1990–2006), World's Oldest Living Chicken record holder * Matilda (horse) (1824–1846), British Thoroughbred racehorse * Matilda, a dog of the professional wrestling tag-team The ...

K-8 schools

*Dixieland School *Howard School *La Vina School *Eastin Arcola

Alternative education

*Furman High School *Adult Education

References

External links

* {{Official, https://www.madera.k12.ca.us School districts in Madera County, California School districts established in 1966 1966 establishments in California