Fresno Unified trustees on Wednesday chose Misty Her to be the district’s next superintendent. The school board selected the interim superintendent as the only finalist to take the top leadership role.

The board will present Her’s contract to the public and officially name her superintendent at the April 30 board meeting, according to Fresno Unified spokesperson Nikki Henry.

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Community Reacts to Misty Her’s Appointment

Members of the Hmong community came out to support the board, thanking them for supporting diversity.

The district reserved the first three rows of seats for Her’s family. While the board was not supposed to have made a decision at that point, Henry said they were preparing for what they believed was going to take place.

One member of the Hmong community, who said he was part of the first wave of refugees, thanked them for putting homegrown talent in a position of leadership. “I think you will be engaging in a very historical move,” he said.

Others, however, felt the district did not uphold its promise for a transparent process and did not, in earnest, look at outside candidates.

President of the Fresno Teachers Association Manuel Bonilla congratulated Her on the new position, saying her success would lift the district. But he said a supermajority of teachers in a recent poll said they’ve lost trust in the district because of the process. “It’s about a pattern of closed-door decisions,” Bonilla said.

Granville Homes President Darius Assemi said the district has for decades failed in terms of reading and writing. He cited statistics showing Black students testing below grade level in reading and math.

“I thought this was going to be different,” Assemi said. “I thought this was going to be a new day.”

(Disclosure: Darius Assemi is the publisher of GV Wire)

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Questions Arise About Board Transparency

After becoming a teacher and principal in Fresno, Her joined the district’s leadership in 2011 as instructional superintendent for school leadership, according to Fresno Unified. In 2021, she became deputy for former superintendent Bob Nelson, who left the position in July 2024.

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When a majority of board members wanted to limit the search to only internal candidates, the community — led by then Board President Susan Wittrup — strongly opposed the limited search process.

Her promised to reform the district, focusing on student attendance and outcomes.