Misty Her named next Fresno Unified School District superintendent, awaiting final contract vote
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Misty Her has been named as the finalist to become the Fresno Unified School District superintendent.
The announcement was made during a board meeting Wednesday evening.
RELATED: Fresno Unified Interim Superintendent Misty Her details 100-day plan
The room erupted in cheers and a standing ovation following the announcement. Her's family and friends had packed into the audience, expecting the announcement.
The vote was six-to-one, with Trustee Susan Wittrup as the sole no vote. She has scheduled a news conference for Thursday morning to discuss the decision. Previously, Wittrup said that she felt that an outside candidate was needed to implement the changes needed at the district.
The final step will be for the board to negotiate a contract with Her, which is expected to be voted on and signed at the next board meeting on April 30th.
Her has been the interim superintendent since Bob Nelson left for a job at Fresno State last May.
But the process to select the next superintendent has been under scrutiny, with the district facing accusations that the process has not been fully transparent, and that it didn't seriously look at outside candidates.
It has even prompted very public infighting amongst board members, which led the district to hire an outside firm to help with the search.
Her becomes the first Asian American and first woman to lead the third-largest school district in the state.
Her is also the highest-ranking Hmong American in K-12th grade education in the country.
When Action News interviewed Her as she began her tenure as interim superintendent, she said her priorities for the district were to enhance student learning outcomes, provide support for the district to succeed, create trust and engagement within FUSD and the community and to uphold fiscal stability and responsibility.
RELATED: ONLY ON ACTION NEWS: 1-on-1 with Fresno Unified's Misty Her following historic appointment
Action News has sat down with Her multiple times since her appointment, highlighting her plans for the district and what it means to lead the district.
