Fresno Unified School Board President calls superintendent search ‘rigged’ [Video]

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — The president of the Fresno Unified School Board is sounding the alarm as the district searches for a new superintendent to replace outgoing leader Bob Nelson.

“Last week, a narrow majority of the board decided in closed session to forgo (an) external search for applicants and start with internal applicants,” Fresno Unified School District Board President Susan Wittrup.

Wittrup says the decision to look at internal applicants came on the heels of this report by Leadership Associates.

The school board hired the firm to conduct community listening sessions, asking stakeholders what they wanted to see in the superintendent.

The firm then generated a report. It says residents want the next Fresno Unified leader to have “strong ties to the community.”

But Wittrup claims that is not what residents said.

“It was rigged. You know, it was rigged,” she said. “Their voices to ask for an external candidate — or fresh eyes — was not included in the report to …