The new superintendent for the San Francisco Unified School District was formally appointed on Tuesday, according to city officials.
Maria Su, the head of San Francisco's Department of Children, Youth and their Families, was approved by the San Francisco Board of Education in a 6-1 vote. She will be replacing Matt Wayne, who was ousted on Friday after serving as SFUSD superintendent since July 2022.
Su will work along with Karling Aguilera-Fort, who was picked to be deputy superintendent for the school district. Aguilera-Fort served as superintendent of the Oxnard School District from 2019 to 2023, and El Rancho Unified School District from 2017 to 2019.
"On behalf of the Board of Education, we are thrilled to welcome Dr. Su to serve as SFUSD's new superintendent," board president Matt Alexander said in a statement. "Her deep expertise leading teams and running a large government agency is exactly what we need to stabilize our school district. I'm excited that she will work closely with veteran educator Dr. Karling Aguilera-Fort as we take on SFUSD's fiscal and operational challenges and create the schools our students deserve."
City officials said Su, who lives in San Francisco with her husband and two sons, will remain a city employee, as the superintendent does not need to be an SFUSD employee. Under an agreement between the city and the school district, the city will release her from her former obligations to serve as SFUSD superintendent under the direction of the Board of Education. The deal will be valid through June 2026.
"As a fellow San Franciscan, a former SFUSD parent, and a lifelong public servant dedicated to the betterment of our children and families, I am honored to serve as the superintendent of San Francisco's public school system," Su said. "My immediate priorities are to balance SFUSD's budget to maintain local control, rebuild trust with our community, and tackle operational hurdles that will allow our schools to provide the best possible learning environments for the 49,000 students in our care."
San Francisco Mayor London Breed last week called out Wayne and his plans to close or merge schools to save money for the district.
"I have lost confidence in the superintendent's ability to manage the current process and do not believe this current plan will lead to an outcome that will benefit students and the school district in the long-term," the mayor said.
California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond has said his office will continue to provide fiscal experts to help SFUSD. A school stabilization team has also begun deploying city staff to support teacher hiring, expediting teacher credentialing, and is conducting a desk audit to improve the district's budget functions, the school district said.
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