This story was originally by Fresnoland.
FUSD Superintendent Misty Her announced that field trips for this year would be restored, with the Foundation for Fresno Unified Students stepping up to fund the centralized field trips for a one-year commitment.
Her also announced the district would establish a community budget advisory group where community members will review the district budget alongside the district financial officials and understand the decision-making process regarding the budget.
She said Thursday’s news conference was called to dispel “misinformation” in the community relating to the cut field trips, stressing that the district still has numerous enrichment programs apart from the trips where students can have experiences during school breaks and summer and winter camps.
“I understand that many of you learned about the change to our centralized field trip program in August, just as the school year was beginning and this is not how you should have heard it,” the superintendent said, adding, “when something affects your child, you should hear it directly and promptly from Fresno Unified and I realize that it did not happen in this way, and so for that I take full responsibility.”
According to Her, the district is also considering investing even more in more programs and camps, with priority given to vulnerable students to sign up first for camp experiences, saying that for many of these students it is the only opportunity to walk onto a college campus or leave the city for the first time.
Her emphasized that the good news does not change the long-term financial realities of the district, referring to the previous school year’s budget cuts and saying that as enrollment declines and resources dwindle, the reality is that this piece of good news sits between a dire financial situation.
“I stand by those decisions because they were rooted in what we believe will have the greatest impact on student success and I want to be honest with our community, enrollment continues to decline; it is declining again this year, and additional difficult financial decisions will likely be necessary during our next budget cycle. I share this not to create alarm, but to ensure that there are no surprises,” Her said.
In fact, the district’s chief financial officer, Patrick Jensen, said that the district is looking at potentially losing around 1,800 students this school year, a figure that will be confirmed later in the year.
Jensen also refuted claims by the Fresno Teachers Association and its president Manuel Bonilla, that the district had committed in its LCAP to fund the trips and then later changed its mind. Monday’s announcement is a result of the community’s feedback, according to Jensen.
“We have to really pick and choose,” Jensen said, referring to the district’s allocation process, adding “and the community’s input and feedback on this matter is really what allowed this decision to come forward today."
Moreover, Jensen clarified that the foundation is donating $1.5 million, saying there is a gap that the district can fill by shifting around money from the $700 million they got from the “super COLA,” or cost-of-living-adjustment that came from this year’s state funding. Specifically, Jensen said that salary savings from unfilled positions will be used to fund the gap.
In a statement to Fresnoland later Thursday, FTA President Manuel Bonilla pushed back on Jensen’s claims.
“The CFO is responding to something I never claimed,” Bonilla said via text. “The district first told the media and the public that centralized field trip funding was no longer available and that schools would have to use site funds or fundraising.”
“Only after that did we look at the district’s final 2026–27 LCAP and ask the obvious question: If the money was gone, why does the district’s own plan still budget about $2.35 million for “District-Funded Educational Enrichment Trips?"
“The LCAP also says that funding would be provided ‘on a district-wide basis,'” Bonilla continued, “which clearly points to centralized district funding, not individual school sites paying for it.”
DJ Criner, who sits on the foundation’s board of directors, explained that experiences offered by trips expand the worldview of students and are integral to getting them to understand what opportunities exist in their educational career.
“This is a one-year commitment, and in our partnership, we believe that Fresno Unified will continue to cover transportation, substitute teachers, staffing, and normal operational costs associated with these trips,” Criner said, adding “but it is our belief that it’s our responsibility to invest in this opportunity itself, 40,000 impacted students doing 40,000 opportunities that we cannot afford to lose and that is what foundations are uniquely positioned to do.”
Previously, the foundation received a $20 million donation in 2022 from McKenzie Scott, a philanthropist and ex-wife of Jeff Bezos.