On GV Wire’s weekly Unfiltered show, hosted by Publisher Darius Assemi with guests GV Wire News Director Bill McEwen and Fresno Unified Interim Superintendent Misty Her, McEwen discussed the elimination of FUSD’s designated schools program.

He said Fresno Unified stalled on its 2017 promise to evaluate initiatives and eliminate ineffective programs, blaming former Superintendent Bob Nelson for inaction before and after the pandemic.

He noted the district’s current review was promised eight years ago but should have happened decades earlier.

McEwen also pointed out the teachers union’s changing stance on designated schools, saying it once opposed them but now appears supportive.

Addressing financial concerns, he clarified that the district’s cost-cutting measures are not pay cuts but rather an elimination of overtime, a distinction he said is misunderstood.