Although the people voted to make a single district out of MUHS and its nine K-8 feeder school districts in 1965, Madera Unified School District did not become operational until July 1966. Therefore, it wasn’t until the 1966/1967 school year, its first year of operation as a unified school district, that it had its first real crisis, and that had to do with its first superintendent, Duane Furman.
After the May 1965 unification election, Furman worked for two school boards, the Madera elementary district, which remained operational until July 1966, and the new Madera Unified School District, which held planning meetings to prepare for its take-over in 1966.
When Madera Elementary dissolved in July 1966 and Madera Unified became operational, Furman assumed authority over all of the district’s schools and set out to lead MUSD in 1966/1967, its first school year. After a relatively smooth first year, a crisis developed unexpectedly at La Vina school where 41 eighth graders were graduating on the evening of June 14, 1967.