The 2026-27 school year kicks off with a mix of progress and challenges for Fresno unified school District. At the first board meeting of the year, Superintendent Misty Her presented a comprehensive overview of the district’s goals, investments, and the steady, yet slow, improvements in student test scores.
Since 2026, Fresno Unified has been implementing an overhauled education improvement plan aimed at boosting student performance. While the data shows positive trends, the pace of improvement is not as swift as desired. The district is committed to addressing these challenges head-on, with a focus on both academic achievement and operational efficiency.
Steady Improvements in Student Test Scores
Preliminary data from the 2026 SBAC assessments indicates that Fresno Unified is making progress in both English Language Arts (ELA) and math. The district’s ELA proficiency rate stands at 40%, while math proficiency is at 29%. Superintendent Her emphasized the importance of improving math scores, noting that enhancing reading skills could have a positive ripple effect on math performance.
“We know we’ve got a lot of work to do in math,” Her stated, “but we believe that if we can get kids to read, the math is going to start to go up.” The data also revealed regional variations, with the Bullard region leading in both ELA and math proficiency, followed closely by the Edison region.
Challenges in Special Education
Despite the Between 2026 and 2026, ELA proficiency rates for this group dropped by 5.5%, reaching 10.5%, while math proficiency decreased by 4.9%, landing at 9.1%. Trustee Susan Wittrup underscored the urgent need to enhance the district’s special education capabilities, including adding more certified educators.
“Our kids are starting school on Monday at Starr Elementary with two classes that don’t have teachers, again,” Wittrup remarked, drawing attention to the persistent staffing shortages in special education. She emphasized the need for a different approach to address these challenges effectively.
Strategic Investments and Plans
Superintendent Her’s presentation also outlined a five-year strategy for achieving the district’s goals and guardrails, which were adopted two years ago. The strategy includes specific investments and timelines for implementation. An annual plan for the current school year was also unveiled, with progress reports scheduled at the end of the year.
The district will implement weekly meetings between departments and supervisors to review school data and plan efforts to meet annual targets. Additionally, quarterly sessions will be held for leaders from each school site and their supervisors to review progress, share best practices, and align efforts with the district’s objectives.
In a move to enhance student engagement, the board approved a contract for the “Portrait of a Learner” initiative. This digital portfolio will allow students to showcase assignments corresponding to district values. Fresno Unified will utilize the Otus platform for this initiative, with an annual subscription cost of $152,000 for the first year. The total estimated cost over five years is $1,790,250.
