San Francisco Mayor London Breed is wading into the controversy over which public schools should be shuttered next fall. Terry McSweeney reports.
San Francisco parents and teachers are raising concerns as Mayor London Breed is wading into the controversy over which public schools should be shuttered next fall.
Breed is not naming the schools that should close, but she is naming the school district’s superintendent as the person who should not be in charge of this very difficult process.
San Francisco school district superintendent Dr. Matt Wayne arrived at the public Montessori school in Pacific Heights on Tuesday evening to hear from the community about the district‘s plan to close 11 schools.
Just before the meeting started, a fire alarm sounded, prompting evacuation and bringing out the fire department.
Earlier Tuesday, Breed released the following statement:
“I have lost confidence in the Superintendent's ability to manage the current process. Any effort to engage in this conversation must be done with care, clarity, and competence. That has not happened here, and I don’t have confidence that it can happen right now under the current conditions.”
Wayne refused to talk to the media about the mayor’s scathing comments on Tuesday. But her released a letter, in which said in part:
“Without having the courage to make deep changes and difficult decisions. We cannot expect to meaningfully improve student outcomes.”
The superintendent is elected by the board of education members, who are elected by the public.
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More meetings like this one are scheduled for the next couple weeks at other schools considered for closure. The final list expected at the Nov. 12 Board of Education meeting.
