On the heels of public controversy that threatened some students’ access to field trips, the Foundation for Fresno Unified Students is helping to fund the opportunity for the next year — though Fresno Unified says more tough decisions will come in the near future.
Superintendent Misty Her began a Thursday morning press conference at the Fresno Unified headquarters by saying the district did not properly notify families of the field trip situation.
She said people should have heard the news — which threatened field trip opportunities for elementary-aged children and would have put the funding responsibility on individual school’s budgets — directly from the district and in a more timely manner.
After considering ample community feedback, Her said the district turned to its nonprofit foundation, which offered a bail-out to help sustain the field trip opportunities for another year.
However, financial issues still loom on account of the district’s declining enrollment, which is estimated to be down by 1,800 students compared to last year.
“While the foundation’s generosity restores centralized field trips for this school year, it does not, however, change the long-term financial realities facing this district. This gift provides an important opportunity for our students today, but it does not eliminate the difficult decisions we will continue to face as enrollment declines and resources become more limited,” Her said.
Later this month, the foundation’s board is poised to approve donating $1.5 million to Fresno Unified. The district has estimated that field trips total at around $2.2 million annually, and Fresno Unified is looking to cover the remaining $700,000 balance by utilizing salary savings from unfilled positions, chief financial officer Patrick Jensen said during the press conference.
“A field trip is far more than a day away from school. It may be the first time a child sees the ocean. It may be the first time they step onto a college campus, walks through a museum, attends a theater performance or experiences something they have only read about in a book,” Her said. “I need you all to know I value that.”
The superintendent also noted that — while the controversy was focused on changes to field trips — other opportunities like extracurricular camps remain unimpacted and offer students unique experiences.
The Fresno Teachers Association applauded the decision on social media, calling it a “community win.”