| Madera Unified School District | |
|---|---|
| Type and location | |
| Grades | K - 12, Adult |
| Established | 1966 |
| Region | California |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Madera, California |
| District Info | |
| Superintendent | Gustavo Balderas |
| Students and staff | |
| Students | 19,000 |
| Other information | |
| Website | http://madera.k12.ca.us |
Madera Unified School District is a public school district serving Madera, California.
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The district was first incorporated in 1966 to consolidate administration of schools in and around the City of Madera. The district has 25 schools (13 K-6 elementary schools, 3 K-8 country schools, 3 middle schools, 2 high schools, 2 alternative education centers, 2 charter schools). In recent years, M.U.S.D has added 4 new schools (3 elementary schools and 1 middle school) and completed Madera South High School (formerly named Madera High School - South Campus).
In late 2008, Madera Unified purchased land for a new high school in the northern part of town, the school will be named Madera North High School.
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, 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. [1] 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. [2] 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.
The Madera Unified School District held a workshop on Feb. 15 to inform staff and the community about budget reductions MUSD is facing in light of a state budget proposal that includes billions in cuts in K-12 education.
On Jan. 13, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger unveiled the state's budget proposal, which featured drastic across-the-board cuts to nearly every area that receives government funding. The trickle-down effect has an impact on school districts throughout the state. In the case of Madera Unified, the district is being forced to cut nearly $9 million from its 2008-09 operating budget as a result of the state's budget reductions.
The Madera Unified Board of Education and Superintendent John Stafford have discussed his pending retirement date and his desire to pursue other endeavors, and have agreed that John Stafford will be on leave with pay for the remainder of the 2010-11 school year. The Madera Unified Board of Education and John Stafford believe this leave will promote MUSD’s orderly transition to a new superintendent. During the transition period, the district’s two associate superintendents will share the superintendent responsibilities. Madera Tribune|date=January 2011