Photo of Jim Yovino with students contributed.

The Fresno County Superintendent of Schools has announced that he will not seek a third term in office.

Jim Yovino has served as head of the Fresno County Office of Education since 2013. His current four-year term ends on Jan. 2, 2023.

He has overseen rapid growth in the office’s mission. The organizational budget was $199 million when he took charge. It is $359 million today. Some 1,546 work for the Fresno County Office of Education.

“Serving the school districts, families and students of our county has been my greatest honor,” said Yovino in a news release. “I am deeply grateful to all in our community and my staff who have been side-by-side with me as we positively change the lives of children through access to quality education and the support services enveloping them to ensure their mental, physical and emotional health. At the end of my term, I will leave FCSS with tremendous confidence that our dedicated team will continue to expand upon the incredible achievements we’ve had together.”

The Fresno County Office of Education oversees 345 schools in 32 school districts in the county with more than 205,000 students. Under Yovino’s leadership, the FCSS has been heavily involved with numerous local organizations tackling all kinds of issues including the

Initiatives undertaken in Yovino’s tenure include the $111 million “All 4 Youth” behavioral health initiative, adult transition student-run Downtown Fresno eatery Kid’s Café,the Career Technical Education Charter High School and Lighthouse for Children Child Development Center, to name a few.

Before his role as superintendent, Yovino was the deputy superintendent.

Appointed as superintendent of schools in 2013, and elected in 2014, Yovino has championed for children by advocating for programs and initiatives addressing issues of poverty, intervention, homelessness and the importance of early education, the release stated.

A Fresno native, Yovino and his wife Jennifer founded the nonprofit Fresno County pet food pantry, Halo Café.