Latest news with #MistyHer
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fresno teachers union criticizes school district's use of AI-generated documents
Tensions in the longstanding feud between Fresno Unified and the teachers union escalated after the district's new superintendent confronted the union's president about its public critiques using a document containing quotes fabricated by artificial intelligence. Fresno Unified Superintendent Misty Her confirmed to ABC30 that the district's chief communications officer, Nikki Henry, used A.I. to compile a document listing examples of criticism from union leaders in news articles and social media posts. Manuel Bonilla, president of the Fresno Teachers Association, said the district's leadership presented him the document, titled 'Instances of Fresno Teachers Association Leadership Targeting Misty Her,' at a May 7 meeting. The meeting came after weeks of feuding between the school district and teachers union that spilled into the public sphere via combative comments on Facebook and in local news media. The union was critical of the school board's lengthy superintendent search process, which it said lacked transparency and public input. The district's budget proposal created another rift between the two parties. The proposal aims cutting a program, Designated Schools, the union wants to preserve but the district says is ineffective. According to ABC30, Her described the document as being created to help mend the situation between the district and teachers union. In its summary, the district brought forth allegations that the FTA framed Her 'as disingenuous, authoritarian, or incompetent.' 'They utilized that document to say that we had personally targeted the superintendent,' Bonilla said. To support its claims, Fresno Unified compiled a list of quotes taken from local publications, including The Fresno Bee, as well as numerous FTA communications. After the meeting, Bonilla said he and his team reviewed the materials and had some doubts, prompting him to request a digital copy. That's when Bonilla said he confirmed the district used artificial intelligence to create fabricated quotes in news articles. The links to the articles included in the report each end with 'source=chatgpt.' Bonilla said he mentioned these observations during a follow-up sit-down between FTA and FUSD leadership last week. Later that week, Her admitted the document was created with A.I. and not vetted. Her told ABC30 she stood by the sentiment behind the report. 'I want to be completely honest with the public about what's happening. My comms person did use A.I. to help generate the document. I didn't check the document,' Her told the news station. 'But I will say that the gist of it was there, the articles were there, the postings were there.' Henry is on leave through June 9, per an automated email response. The school district has not publicly commented whether Henry's leave was in response to the A.I. incident. The incident was first reported by GV Wire, a local news outlet. Bonilla says the incident is indicative of a larger issue. 'This is just the most clear and egregious example of what so many people have called out in this system for years,' Bonilla said. 'How many times has something like this happened to influence the view of untold number of management and board members about us and our teachers?' He also emphasized that teachers wouldn't accept A.I.-generated work and called for district officials to be held accountable. Specifically, Bonilla said the FTA is seeking an independent investigation, as well as for Henry to be fired for 'the magnitude of the allegation and the egregious nature of the decision.' Fresno Unified officials declined requests for comment by the The Bee and said they would no longer speak about the issue. 'Our current focus remains on student outcomes and finishing the final weeks of the school year strong by celebrating our graduates and their accomplishments,' a district spokesperson said Monday in a statement.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fresno superintendent Her must lead with cultural responsiveness, transparency
Following a tense and politically charged search process, Misty Her has made double history: She is the first woman and the first Hmong American to serve as superintendent of the Fresno Unified School District since its founding in 1873. This milestone holds powerful symbolic value, particularly in one of California's most ethnically and culturally diverse school districts. Her's appointment is more than symbolic. It reflects a significant step forward for both gender equity and racial representation. As a Hmong American woman in the district's highest leadership role, Her offers inspiration to Hmong youth and other underrepresented students who rarely see themselves reflected in positions of authority. Opinion Yet with this historic achievement comes a profound responsibility: to lead with cultural responsiveness, transparency, and accountability. Representation, however, does not automatically lead to structural change. True transformation of Fresno Unified's organizational culture will require more than symbolic victories. It demands that all stakeholders — students, educators, families, and community members — have a meaningful voice in shaping the decisions that impact them. Inclusion must be more than a value; it must be a practice rooted in trust, transparency and shared ownership. Her's leadership arrives at a moment when many institutions, including public education, are increasingly criticized for top-down, autocratic practices. In this context, it is essential that Her's tenure reflect the inclusive values her appointment symbolizes. That means reimagining curricula, rethinking pedagogical approaches and fostering school environments that affirm student identity, uplift educators and actively engage families as partners in the educational process. One of the most urgent challenges Her must confront is the district's widely reported 'culture of fear,' a critical issue highlighted by educators and the Fresno Teachers Association but largely ignored during the superintendent selection process. Addressing this pressing matter will be crucial to restoring trust and ensuring that educators feel empowered rather than silenced. Although Her took steps during her time as interim superintendent to engage specific groups, broader and more transparent community involvement is necessary. Greater inclusion will not only lend legitimacy to district strategies, but also strengthen collective responsibility and support for district goals. Fresno Unified has made efforts to emphasize professional development and align teaching practices with student outcomes. However, its centralized decision-making process continues to limit teacher autonomy and reinforce perceptions of top-down governance. This dynamic contributes to dissatisfaction among educators and a community that seeks deeper involvement in shaping educational priorities. As someone who has navigated educational and professional systems as a Hmong American woman, Her brings lived experience that mirrors the journeys of many students, especially those from immigrant, refugee or multilingual backgrounds. This background gives Her a unique and powerful lens through which to advocate for culturally relevant education. Still, if this perspective is to move beyond symbolism, it must inform a deliberate critique of how traditional curricula often exclude or marginalize students. When students don't see themselves reflected in what they're taught, they disengage, physically attending school while mentally checking out. This sense of alienation contributes to chronic absenteeism and undermines academic success. Curriculum reform is therefore not a peripheral issue, it is central to closing the achievement gap. Interventions focused on truancy or performance will fall short unless teaching and learning begin to center the student voice, culture and identity. In this regard, Her has both the platform and responsibility to be a bold advocate for culturally relevant education. Language instruction, particularly bilingual education and culturally responsive language curricula, must also be prioritized. For a district like Fresno Unified, where many students speak multiple languages or come from linguistically diverse households, these efforts are not just supplementary — they are essential. If Her's leadership is to mark a true turning point for Fresno Unified, it must be defined by more than representation. It must be rooted in transformative, systemic change that affirms every student and empowers every stakeholder. Silvio Manno is a retired Fresno bilingual teacher and author.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Many Fresno Unified students start at a disadvantage. Misty Her was one of them
Long before Misty Her became superintendent of Fresno Unified, she was a kindergarten student struggling to learn how to read at Jefferson Elementary in the 1980s — about a mile from the school district's downtown headquarters. Born in a prisoner of war camp during the Vietnam War, Her's family relocated to the U.S. when she was 5 years old to flee persecution. Her family settled in Fresno, where her parents found jobs at Fresno Unified as custodians. 'I was so scared. I didn't speak English. I didn't look like all of the other kids. I felt invisible, out of place, alone,' Her said. Fresno Unified trustees announced Her as their pick for permanent superintendent on Wednesday, becoming the first woman superintendent in the district's 152-year history. Her's directive is to turn around a school district that has long struggled with low test scores and raise the student achievement of tens of thousands of disadvantaged students, many of whom share similar modest upbringings to their new superintendent. Her says she wouldn't have pursued a career as an educator if it weren't for her teachers. It was in the very classrooms that her parents cleaned for 30 years, that she learned to read and write — and dream of pursuing a career as an educator, Her said. In her acceptance speech Wednesday, Her recounted how a librarian in the school district helped her learn how to read by handing her a popular children's book, 'Madeline.' She said she saw herself in the titular character and came to believe that she didn't need to hide her differences and began to feel like she belonged. 'That is why I became a teacher. It is why I became a principal. It was why I'm standing here before you today,' Her said Wednesday night. 'Because every child deserves to be seen, every child deserves to be believed in, every single child deserves a future as bright as their dreams, and this is the Fresno Unified we are building together from this day.' Starting her educational career as a bilingual instructional aide, she worked her way up the Fresno Unified ladder as an elementary teacher, vice principal, principal, assistant superintendent, instructional superintendent and, now, the district's permanent superintendent. She also becomes the nation's highest-ranking Hmong K-12 educational professional. The historic significance of her selection is not lost on Her. In an interview with The Bee last May, after she was appointed interim superintendent, Her recounted walking the hallways of the district's downtown headquarters where the portraits of former superintendents hung on the walls — all of them male. It only fueled her desire for the permanent post. 'When people see me, they see a woman, they see an Asian woman,' she said. 'Does that make me nervous? Not really, because all my life, I've had to work to prove myself just because of who I am.' Her takes over the state's third largest district with 70,000 students, 88% of whom live below the poverty line, and only 35% and 25% of whom meet grade-level standards in English and math, respectively. Last year, as interim superintendent, Her set a goal of making double-digit gains to close the gap to standards by 15% for every student in two years. A year later, Her and the school board introduced four goals aimed at raising early student literacy and the percentage of graduates deemed college- and career-ready. Her enters the job already with detractors. One board trustee, Susan Wittrup, voted against Her's appointment, arguing that the school board should have, instead, selected an outside candidate with prior experience turning around large, urban school districts. The district's teachers union, the Fresno Teachers Association, criticized Her's tenure as interim superintendent as lackluster and said the tumultuous, 15-month superintendent search process lacked transparency. Her vowed to lead the district as a consensus builder and said her longtime experience in the district as an educator and administrator — as well as a student — was a strength, not a liability. 'My lived experiences, the struggles, the barriers and perseverance, are not my abilities, they are my greatest leadership strengths,' she said. 'They keep me grounded in our mission. They remind me that when we stay focused, when we align every effort to our shared goals, we can transform futures, and I am living proof of this.' In an interview with The Bee on Friday, she said part of her first-day schedule on Thursday included visiting classrooms and reading stories to students. She said she felt a strong sense of responsibility when she saw the children's bright faces. 'I thought to myself, I am not going to fail them,' she said. The interim superintendent became the target of harassment after she declared herself as a candidate for the superintendency, Her said. She disclosed on Wednesday that she had received racist and sexist threats in recent months, including a racist letter mailed to her home, prompting her to have what Her said was a difficult conversation with her teenage son. 'We ended up having conversations about what he would face,' she said. 'He was very understanding.' Her shared a message to Fresno Unified students after she was named the full-time superintendent. 'I stand before you today, the daughter of refugees, the student who once sat silent and scared in the classroom, and the woman who found hope in a storybook: If a little girl like me, who find her place here, imagine what is possible when we come together. Imagine what we can achieve when we stay focused, when we lead with love and we refuse to let hate win,' she said.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Misty Her is named Fresno Unified superintendent. ‘We must do things differently'
Fresno Unified trustees selected interim Superintendent Misty Her as the full-time leader, making her the first woman to lead the state's third-largest district since its inception in 1873. The historic Wednesday evening announcement by the school board concluded a tumultuous 15-month search for a new leader after Bob Nelson, the former superintendent, announced his retirement in January 2024. The board voted, 6-1, in closed session to select Her as the next superintendent, and will approve a superintendent contract at its April 30 meeting. Trustee Susan Wittrup cast the 'no' vote. Her has worked in Fresno Unified for more than 30 years as a bilingual instructional aide, elementary teacher, vice principal, principal, assistant superintendent and instructional superintendent. She was named a deputy superintendent in March 2021 and took over as interim leader of the district in May 2024. Her assumes the role of full-time superintendent as the school district faces low student test scores, yawning student achievement gaps and pandemic learning loss. She vowed to focus on improving early literacy rates, closing achievement gaps and increasing the percentage of high-school graduates deemed college- and career-ready. 'Let me be very, very clear, if we want different outcomes for our students, we must do things differently,' Her said. 'We must stay laser focused. We must align our initiatives, our actions and our energy behind our goals, and we must hold ourselves accountable.' Some Hmong parents and community members spoke in support of Her's appointment at Wednesday's school board meeting, and urged trustees to remove the interim label. In prepared remarks, Her said she would aim to display 'leadership that builds bridges, not walls' and prioritize students' learning. Her said the lengthy search process took a toll on her family as she received racist and sexist threats after publicly disclosing she applied for the permanent position. 'I ask you that we move forward together with courage, with clarity and with compassion, and let's build a Fresno Unified where every student achieves their greatest potential,' Her said. 'I am honored to accept this role as the permanent superintendent.' Still, the school board's search process was not without controversy. Trustees initially sought to select a full-time leader last May, but delayed their pick by a year following public criticism over trustees' plan to limit their search to internal candidates only. The school board expanded to a national search and interviewed candidates behind closed doors earlier this month. Board President Valerie Davis defended the school board's selection process as 'rigorous, thorough and transparent.' 'We know we have selected the most qualified, experienced, visionary leader to take Fresno Unified to the next era — Mao Misty Her,' Davis said. 'She knows what we need in our community, she has a proven track record with 10,000 employees and leading with her heart, her courage and listening for what's said and not said, and with an unwavering belief that everything is possible in every child.' Following Nelson's retirement announcement, Fresno Unified launched a search for his successor by holding a series of community listening sessions and spending $40,000 to hire a search firm. In March 2024, the board decided on a 4-3 closed-session vote to limit its superintendent search to internal applicants, a move that garnered widespread criticism. Trustee Susan Wittrup, the board president at the time, petitioned for a wider search, and more than a hundred parents and community members protested at the district's downtown headquarters on the eve of the scheduled internal interviews, demanding transparency in the search process. The board canceled the interviews. That same night, the headhunter withdrew from Fresno Unified, citing the search was 'compromised.' The board appointed Her as interim superintendent last May, and vowed to restart its search to include outside candidates. Last May, the board spent $100,000 to hire a coach to address frequent infighting among board members. In February 2025, Fresno Unified spent $34,500 to hire another headhunter firm, McPherson & Jacobson, LLC, to conduct a nationwide search. That search was done mostly behind closed doors — a move that drew criticism from the Fresno Teachers Association and community members for lack of transparency and public input. Manuel Bonilla, president the teachers union, told board trustees Wednesday, before they entered closed session, that most rank-and-file members 'have lost a significant amount of trust in you.' 'I want to be clear, it's not because of the person you chose, but because of the process that you led,' Bonilla said. Bonilla accused the board of ignoring an offer by the union to pay and host a public forum of candidates for the position. Earlier this month, the board held closed-door interviews with several candidates. The district didn't reveal the names of the other candidates who interviewed with trustees, and argued that a public interview process would have deterred some candidates from applying. A community advisory panel, whose members were picked by trustees, also participated in the candidate interviews. The panel was set up as 'an additional opportunity to appropriately gain insight from various members of the community,' said Ben Johnson II, a consultant from the search firm. Johnson declined to share who served on the advisory panel. 'The panel only provided areas of strength and potential areas of opportunity of the candidates,' he said. 'There is zero ranking. The panel's feedback is consensus.' Nikki Henry, Fresno Unified's spokesperson, said all trustees and panel members signed non-disclosure agreements to preserve the confidentiality of the candidates and the interviews. 'This confidentiality was critical to ensuring the strongest possible candidate pool,' Henry said. 'Many high-level leaders might not have applied if there had been a public interview process prior to finalist selection, given the potential risk to their current roles, teams, and communities.'
