Parents in Fresno, California, are expressing anger over the large salary and benefits package for Fresno Unified School District Superintendent Mao Misty Her, which totals $513,725 annually. This compensation comes at a time when the district is facing an $88 million budget deficit, leading to significant cuts in staffing and student programs.
Her's compensation includes a base salary of $386,045, with an additional $87,117 in benefits and $40,563 in other pay, according to Transparent California. This figure has drawn criticism online, with many questioning the prioritization of administrative pay over educational resources.
Fresno Unified, which serves approximately 70,163 students, has recently implemented layoffs and employee "bumping," a process where employees facing termination can displace less senior workers. Nearly 200 classified employees are expected to receive notices related to layoffs, displacement, or reduced positions. The district states it can no longer sustain current staffing levels and aims to keep benefited employees within the district, though some may need to accept lower-paying or different roles.
Students are also impacted by the financial constraints. In August, the district confirmed the elimination of centrally funded field trips for students in transitional kindergarten through sixth grade, as well as sixth-grade camps. These cuts are expected to affect around 40,000 students and save approximately $2.2 million. Popular outings like visits to a pumpkin patch, the Big Fresno Fair, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium are among those that may no longer be subsidized.
Comparatively, the superintendent of Elk Grove Unified School District, which has a similar student population, earns a base salary of $352,365 plus benefits. The stark difference in compensation has fueled online debate, with comments suggesting that public officials should not earn more than the President and that school funding is being diverted from teachers to administrators.
The Fresno Unified School District has stated that it recognizes the value of field trips and enrichment activities but has made difficult financial decisions to prioritize jobs and core instruction. The district clarified that it is not eliminating all field trips but is reducing centralized subsidies due to unavailable funding, not prohibiting such activities.