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Community Support

We love our community.

Words cannot express the gratitude we feel for every message of support we’ve received while building ACE. Check out these special messages from individuals and community groups cheering on the brave Clovis educators who are seeking to unionize for the first time!

Add your message of support

Carol Kilburn

A retired award-winning CUSD teacher, mother of current CUSD teachers, and grandmother of CUSD students feels that Clovis administration and Faculty Senate have let teachers down and gives her reasons why educators should partner with the California Teachers Association.

James Renwick

A CUSD parent and ACE community supporter shares his view that a teachers union will help ensure that the teachers have a voice in educating our students and help Clovis schools maintain their excellent legacy.

Julia Penner-Zook

A local Pastor knows that ACE educators are fighting for a righteous cause when they seek to empower teachers and other educators who support our students.

Richard Kinney and Paul Lake

Two retired former CUSD teachers explain why the decisions made by the Clovis district exposed the problems that occur when teachers aren’t heard or respected.

California School Employees Association: Chapter 250

“We are endorsing ACE because we know that Clovis schools and students will benefit when the professionals who do this work have a strong voice in the decisions that impact the classrooms. They will be best equipped to support our schools and students when they are backed by the protections of a strong union contract and the resources to enforce.” Read the support letter (PDF)

California Nurses Association

“We are writing you to communicate our support for the educators at Clovis Unified School District, who are forming a union, the Association of Clovis Educators (‘ACE’)… As Nurse Representatives of the California Nurses Association (CNA), we want to let you know that the members of CNA fully support their decision to unionize…Without Teachers, We Wouldn’t Be Nurses.” Read the support letter (PDF).

An Open Letter from Local Heroes with Fresno City Firefighters to Clovis Superintendent O’Farrell

“As the President of Fresno City Firefighters Local 202, I want to let you know that the local 202 Executive Board and myself fully support their [Clovis educators] decision to unionize…In the months to come, you will have the opportunity to collectively bargain with ACE educators. I encourage you and the Clovis Unified Board of Directors to take this responsibility seriously. Please engage with your dedicated educators in a respectful and productive way.” Read the support letter (PDF).

An Open Letter from Faith Leaders in our Community to Clovis Superintendent O’Farrell

“We, the undersigned faith leaders, are writing to you today to stand in firm support of your district’s certificated educators and their dream of strengthening themselves in a union. Not only is unionizing educational labor a legally protected right under the Educational Employment Relations Act, it is the greatest tool available to insure that protections are afforded to those who care for our most precious community members- our children. Our teachers are our heroes, and we should do everything possible to allow them to have the safety and protection only a union can offer to workers.” Read the support letter (PDF).

District Council 16/Local 294 Painters & Allied Trades

“As Regional Director of District Council 16 Local Union 294, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades I wanted to let you know that we fully support [ACE] their decision to unionize. Please engage with your dedicated educators in a respectful and productive way that respects their labor rights to form a union without any interference from administration.” Read the support letter (PDF).

Fresno, Madera, Kings & Tulare Counties Building Trades Council

“I am writing you to communicate our support for the Association of Clovis Educators (‘ACE’). As president of the Fresno, Madera, Kings and Tulare Building Trades Council, I want to let you know that the membership of the Building Trades fully supports their decision to unionize.” Read the support letter (PDF).

Unitarian Universalist Church of Fresno Board

Read the support letter (PDF).

An Open Letter from Local Heroes with Fresno City Firefighters to Superintendent O’Farrell

Read the support letter (PDF).

An Open Letter from Faith Leaders in our Community to Superintendent O’Farrell

Read the support letter (PDF).

​Public Support

Cannot wait to see the amazing work this organization is going to do! It’s being led by people who truly care about students and education!! — Yailin Romo

I believe in our educators and I have faith in your path. Keep moving forward. — Elizabeth Fields

As a former CUSD student, I am proud to support ACE and willing to help in whatever way I can. I can honestly say that I wouldn’t have done as well in high school or found my passion for the arts if it wasn’t for my teachers. Y’all supported me so much during my time in school and now it’s my turn to support ACE. — Gabriela Gutierrez

As an educator and a parent of a Clovis Unified student, I wholeheartedly support the formation of ACE. It is imperative that educators truly have a voice when decisions are being made that will impact the children in their classrooms. The development of a union is the only means to ensure this. I am so excited for the Clovis educators that are spearheading this endeavor. You are all incredibly brave. Please know there are many of us who are cheering you on from the sidelines! — Sarah Martin

Thank you for working hard for our students! It’s important that our educators are supported as they advocate for the best possible learning environment for themselves, their colleagues, and of course for our students! It’s important that the educators who work directly with our students each and every day have a true voice and negotiating power with school and district leadership so that the best possible decisions are made. Thank you again for all that you do! — Noha Elbaz

I am in full support of your cause. — Joanne Rosen

I stand in solidarity with Clovis Educators and I support their effort to create a union. — John Beynon

Don’t give up. Your voice will be heard if you fight for your right to be heard. — Luz Cheng

I am so excited to hear that Clovis teachers are finally coming together as a union! It’s about time! Woohoo! I am special educator in FUSD. My aide is a Clovis parent & is very excited about this too! — Suzanne LaMontagne

Yes! Finally! Listen to the teachers and staff!! — Sara Ingels

We support the work these incredible educators do for the youth and families in our community. We care about them and the heart and soul they bring to their work and we completely support their efforts to organize. — Bonnie Pavlovich

Just know you always have our support. ACE is the future of Clovis Unified. — Jose Sandoval

As a fellow educator, I know the importance of a union to protect the welfare of students and to ensure that teachers have a voice in the process of how students are served. Unions also protect and advocate for what is right for teachers and students; they push districts to reflect and rethink their approaches. I commend the work of Clovis educators in their efforts to build ACE! ACE you have my support as a fellow educator and Clovis Unified parent. Keep up this very important work. — Yadira Gonzalez

Unions allow all staff to have a place at the table. — Eileen Fisher

Thank you for taking a risk and putting yourselves out there to support our CUSD students and staff. I want to see that you are compensated for your time, have fair working conditions, and an equal voice at the decision making level. Through this union I hope that you can bargain for reduced class sizes, decreased counseling-to-student ratio, registered nurses at every site, increased social-emotional support staff, equitable dispersal of funds across all sites, and an annual supply budget so teachers and parents are not having to pay so much out of pocket for school supplies. — Rhianna Beaumont-Lamb

Teachers need an equal voice. They are the 3rd leg of the educational STOOL: 1. Community; 2. Administration; 3. Teachers. A balanced STOOL works best for ALL! — Terry Moore

I am eternally grateful for the positive change ACE is focused on for our students. As an educator in a title one setting, I love our families. I know we can do better as we prepare ourselves and our students for this next chapter in CUSD. I appreciate the way ACE members have carried themselves in a professional manner in the face of this challenging time. I feel excited and hopeful for our district. — Trisha Sisk

Glad to see educators showing a united front! Keep up the good work!! — Lauretta Rion

Clovis teachers are some of the best, but are not treated as such. They deserve better. Better healthcare, better pay, better retirement. — Amanda Woody

Congratulations on bringing collective voice and bargaining to Clovis educators! — Elisabeth Robledo

As a union member and working professional, I can attest that union contracts support both workers and management. Collective bargaining agreements don’t “give away the store”, they establish guidelines for fair and respectful working conditions for all involved. Teachers have a vested interest in the success of their schools and their students! How about we trust their voices and give them a seat at the table? I know at least three excellent teachers who have not applied at CUSD because they knew they would function without protection or a voice. How much better could CUSD be if everyone was heard and respected? I am hopeful and excited to see CUSD grow in this important direction! — M Olson

Educating is a unique profession which lies at the intersection of nurturing the next generation, ensuring the free movement of critical thought, and social safety net. These exemplary and vitally important professionals both need and deserve collective bargaining and support. — Brooke Aiello