Dyer blasts Fresno Unified test scores, backs O’Brien for county schools chief

Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer stepped directly into the county’s education power struggle Tuesday, saying Fresno Unified’s test scores were not acceptable and backing Dr. Eimear O’Brien for Fresno County superintendent of schools.

Dyer has generally stayed out of education fights, but he used a news conference to argue that a district of Fresno Unified’s size and importance should not be posting results as weak as its most recent Smarter Balanced scores. He pointed to the district’s performance in English language arts and math, saying only 37% of students met standard in ELA and 27% met standard in math, figures he said fell well below the state average.

The criticism landed at a moment when Fresno Unified itself has acknowledged how much work remains. Its strategic plan says the district aims to raise the share of 3rd through 8th grade students more than one year behind who make more than one year’s growth on SBAC ELA from 30% in June 2024 to 50% by June 2030. The plan also says the district wants to raise the share of high school graduates who are college and career ready, measured by CCI, from 43% in June 2024 to 64% by June 2030. Fresno Unified also says it is navigating a significant budget challenge, adding pressure to any attempt at turnaround.

Dyer tied that complaint to the county superintendent race, where O’Brien, the former Clovis Unified superintendent, is challenging incumbent Dr. Michelle Cantwell-Copher and former Parlier Unified administrator Dr. Johnny Alvarado. The June 2 California primary is the next major political test, and the race has already drawn unusual attention for a local school contest. Former county superintendent Jim Yovino has also endorsed O’Brien, building a coalition around the challenger that now includes one of Fresno’s most prominent elected officials.

The politics sharpen even further because Dyer’s comments came after Fresno Unified trustees formally opposed the city’s Southeast Development Area plan in a 4-0-3 vote on May 14, 2026. The vote followed public comment, and trustees raised concerns that the plan could affect enrollment and possibly lead to school closures. That put the district and city on opposite sides of a major growth fight, with Dyer already supporting the development plan and school leaders warning about what it could mean for neighborhood schools.

The collision of low test scores, development politics and a contested superintendent race has turned school accountability into a broader fight over who sets the tone for Fresno County’s future. Dyer’s intervention signaled that the county’s largest school district is now part of that argument, and that the outcome in June could shape not only the county office of education but also how city leaders, trustees and voters approach growth, school performance and public pressure on Fresno Unified.