FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – The fight over field trips for the Fresno Unified School District continues. 

The Fresno Teachers Association said the district is contradicting itself and is not being truthful to families when it comes to their budget.

“It’s an issue of trust in this school district, and the documents show exactly that,” FTA President Manuel Bonilla said.

This comes after the district announced in July that it’s cutting funding from the district’s central budget for field trips for elementary schools. Fresno Unified said schools could still offer trips, but it would have to come from their own budget rather than the district’s.

The district said the cuts would impact nearly 40,000 students and would save them over $2 million.

However, Bonilla is questioning where the money went. 

“The district put pen to paper and said that they are investing $2.35 million in field trips district-wide paid for, and they’re now saying they’re not. And the second thing is that they blame COVID money going away. And that’s absolutely not the case, because from 10 years ago it showed that the district was paying for field trips,” Bonilla said.

The district released this statement responding to the matter.

“Post Covid, the District benefited from one-time COVID relief funds which we were able to utilize to support centralized funding for field trips. That funding has ended, and like many school districts across the country, Fresno Unified is facing budget challenges. As funding becomes more limited, we made thoughtful decisions how to prioritize our resources and ensure we continue meeting the essential needs of our students.

“As part of this process, the district has returned to the original funding structure to provide enrichment field trips for K-6 grades. This means that the district’s central budget will no longer fund these trips. However, schools may still choose to offer enrichment field trips with site-based funds.

“To be clear, this decision does not reduce instructional programs or take educational opportunities away from students. While enrichment field trips can enhance classroom learning, they are designed to supplement rather than replace instruction.”

But Bonilla points to the 2026-2027 Local Control and Accountability Plan released by Fresno Unified. He said in that plan, the district put money aside for the trips. Now he’s questioning the district and asking for transparency. 


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“There’s money to do it. We think it’s a priority. Our community thinks it’s a priority. Let’s make sure that we make that happen,” he added.

Bonilla said they are asking for signatures for a petition they are circulating about the funding for field trips.