FRESNO, Calif. (KMJ/KFSN) — The Fresno Unified School District is facing criticism for reprinting thousands of diplomas to change a single word.
As thousands of seniors are walking across the stage this week, the diplomas they receive are a second version.
The district reprinted about 3,500 diplomas to update Misty Her’s title from “Interim Superintendent” to “Superintendent of Schools.”
Each reprint cost $1.73, totaling roughly $6,000.
It’s a small change, but one that caused a big headache for staff already preparing for end-of-year events, says the Fresno Teachers Association.
“Many of them plan ahead of time and had to reschedule,” said union president Manuel Bonilla. “Multiply those things together, and it’s a big concern because it’s indicative of the culture in our school system.”
Manuel Bonilla with FTA says the diploma holds the same value with or without the word “interim.”
“It took something that should just be about our students and made it about the vanity of a person with a particular title,” he said. “We’re wasting taxpayer funds.”
Fresno Unified says diploma orders are typically placed in March or early April, and the reprint was due to the timing of the superintendent announcement in late April.
