![\"Portrait](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Susan-Wittrub_500x500-1-e1711569963803.jpg\")
<\/p>\nFresno Unified School District\u2019s usually sleepy final budget approval heated up as trustees dealt out pointed criticism toward leadership and each other.<\/p>\n
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\u201cInputs into the system are ultimately the responsibility of the superintendent. When those inputs are low quality, ineffective, poorly communicated, or compromised by favoritism and back room deals that lead to the promotion of problem employees, student outcomes will not improve.\u201d \u2014 Bullard region trustee Susan Wittrup <\/p>\n
The budget passed on a 6-1 vote Wednesday night with Trustee Susan Wittrup casting the lone no and saying she couldn\u2019t support a budget amidst the district\u2019s current level of performance.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs board members, we have a duty to provide oversight and to call out conditions that undermine the success of our students,\u201d she said from the dais. \u201cI remain concerned about our ability to execute initiatives at scale, the quality of leadership and adult performance in key areas, and a culture that too often rewards the wrong behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fresno Unified spending has come under intense scrutiny as the district continues to battle budget deficits due to declining enrollment and low average daily attendance. Recently the district overcame a deficit which ballooned to $89.5 million. This year\u2019s budget is $1.66 billion, down from a high of $2.3 billion for the 2023-2024 school year.<\/p>\n
To stay afloat, Fresno Unified has scaled down reserve levels, authorized an early retirement incentive, and eliminated hundreds of positions. This includes an overall decrease of 172 teaching positions due to elimination or retirement.<\/p>\n Amidst this, the district has attempted to redirect funds towards its goals and guardrails<\/a>, hoping to turn around decades of underperformance.<\/p>\n Trustees still held concerns surrounding contracts, third-party analyses, and low teacher pay, which they requested the district address.<\/p>\n Tensions Grow Among Trustees<\/p>\n Budget discussions brought seemingly long-standing concerns to light with Wittrup publicly accusing Superintendent Misty Her of \u201cbackroom deals.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is very hard to come back from comments that accuse people of making backdoor deals. I am hoping that we can find improved ways to communicate things that we\u2019re dissatisfied about as colleagues.\u201d \u2014 School Board President Veva Islas<\/p>\n \u201cInputs into the system are ultimately the responsibility of the superintendent,\u201d Wittrup said. \u201cWhen those inputs are low quality, ineffective, poorly communicated, or compromised by favoritism and back-room deals that lead to the promotion of problem employees, student outcomes will not improve.\u201d<\/p>\n The comment created a tense atmosphere, but Her did not respond.<\/p>\n However, at the end of the meeting, Board President Veva Islas took time to call out Wittrup, saying that trustees\u2019 comments and critiques should remain respectful and civil.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is very hard to come back from comments that accuse people of making backdoor deals,\u201d Islas said. \u201cI am hoping that we can find improved ways to communicate things that we\u2019re dissatisfied about as colleagues.\u201d<\/p>\n Islas emphasized the importance of calling out shortcomings in order to become more successful, but clearly thought there were better ways to do so.<\/p>\n Fresno Unified Projections Look Up<\/p>\n The ending of one-time pandemic era grants coupled with falling average daily attendance has led to a string of budget shortfalls for Fresno Unified.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/GVWire-Ad-Get-our-mobile-app-1280x90-1-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Veva](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Genoveva-Islas-1-e1712956020994.jpg\")
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