Fresno Unified chooses Misty Her as interim superintendent, following tense search process

The Fresno Unified Board of Trustees on Friday approved Misty Her as interim superintendent, the first woman to ever lead the district. 

The board has been searching for a new leader for nearly four months, after current Superintendent Bob Nelson announced in January he would leave the district for a tenured position at Fresno State starting in the summer.

Board President Susan Wittrup said Her’s appointment as interim superintendent would help ensure consistency in district leadership as the board continues its search for a permanent leader.

Fresno Unified is the third largest school district in the state, serving more than 70,000 students, a majority of them coming from diverse backgrounds. Nearly 70% of the student body is Latino.

Her is the highest-ranking Hmong public school official in the nation, according to the school district. The Fresno region is also home to the second-largest population of Hmong in the country.

Her attended Friday’s board meeting where the announcement was made. The trustees gave her a standing ovation shortly after the vote, and held a press conference soon after. In her remarks, Her said she isn’t afraid of making tough decisions and hard calls when it comes to students.

Current superintendent Bob Nelson says he supports the decision 100%.

The search for a superintendent turned tense after the board voted last month to look outside of the district for candidates – changing course from looking at internal candidates.

An independent firm, Leadership Associates, withdrew its participation a day after the board’s change of course, citing public outcry and political infighting.

The board’s initial process of only interviewing internal candidates sparked statements on social media against the process from trustees, and ultimately led the trustees to expand the search. But that decision also sparked community backlash.

It was speculated Her was a contender for the position all along. The boardroom was lightly attended Friday as the decision was announced.

This story was originally published by KVPR.