Mayor London Breed says she’s got a new plan to support the troubled San Francisco Unified School District. Sergio Quintana reports.
Mayor London Breed says she's got a new plan to support the troubled San Francisco Unified School District.
SFUSD leaders have been trying to sort through a host of long-running issues including declining student enrollment, pay raises for teachers, pending campus closures and a $400 million budget deficit.
In May, the district caught the attention of auditors from the California's state education department. Now, Breed's staff will be getting involved as well.
"We will be working as a partner with the school district. This is not a city takeover. This is a partnership on in which the school district has embraced,” she said.
In the run up to an emergency Sunday morning meeting, school board President Matt Alexander reached out to the mayor's office to ask for the support.
During the contentious school board meeting, several speakers called for the dismissal of superintendent Dr. Matt Wayne. The board ultimately decided to keep the superintendent, in part because firing him now with no replacement would only add to the district's problems.
Breed said that she's dispatching a team of leaders from five different departments, including the city controller’s office, human resources, and the department of children youth and their families. Breed equated the school stabilization team to her office's efforts to help the troubled Laguna Honda Hospital.
The Mayor added that the superintendent and the school board will still ultimately be in charge. But she does expect them to take the city's support and guidance.
"They will be taking a lot of guidance from our stabilization team. And we will be making a number of recommendations that we expect them to implement,” Breed said.
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Wayne said in a statement: "As superintendent, I agree that these priorities are critical to our success, and I am ready to demonstrate effective leadership and make progress in these areas."
One of the biggest concerns for school district parents and teachers is the district's delayed list of potential campus closures. Breed would not comment on that plan because her office hasn't been given any details yet.
