SFUSD seeks reset after superintendent Matt Wayne resigns
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San Francisco Unified School District's (SFUSD) school closures plan is officially on hold.
Why it matters: The decision to press pause — the district's first course of action since Matt Wayne's resignation as superintendent on Friday — doesn't mean closures won't be on the table again after the 2025-26 school year, but it brought some relief to teachers and families fighting to save their schools.
Driving the news: Maria Su, head of the city's Department of Children, Youth and Their Families and co-lead of the School Stabilization Team, will be formally appointed superintendent at Tuesday's school board meeting.
- The board asked her to step in after voting 6-1 Friday to accept Wayne's immediate resignation — the lone vote in dissent was from Commissioner Kevine Boggess, who felt Wayne should have been fired, Mission Local reports.
State of play: Wayne's resignation follows months-long protests over his decision to close under-enrolled schools.
- Calls for his exit escalated after SFUSD released its list of potential sites for closure but fumbled the delivery by releasing inaccurate data and sending a letter meant for families at a welcoming school — the school where students would have been assigned if their school closed or merged — to all families and staff.
- Mayor London Breed soon after issued a statement saying she no longer had confidence in Wayne and called for a halt to the plan.
Catch up quick: Wayne joined SFUSD in 2022, inheriting a $125 million budget deficit amid a steep decline in student enrollment and the threat of a state takeover.
- During his tenure, he led the district in establishing student learning outcomes, piloting a new math curriculum and increasing early literacy rates, especially among African American and Pacific Islander students.
Yes, but: It was significantly marred by an erosion in trust because families and educators alike accused the district of non-transparent decision-making as it sought to balance its budget.
How it happened: Wayne announced in March that the district would have to close or merge some campuses by the fall of 2025. Though the district held listening sessions, they didn't quell families' speculation and anxiety.
- Criticism increased after SFUSD delayed releasing the list of schools that would be considered for closure. Protesters at a September emergency board meeting held signs reading "Matthew Wayne you can't hide!"
Meanwhile, fiscal issues continued to balloon, with state auditors projecting that the district will run out of money by 2025 due to lack of training for staff, budget inaccuracies and blunders in its transition to a faulty new payroll system that ultimately cost a total of $40 million.
- The district was also heavily scrutinized earlier this year after it was revealed that clerical errors prevented it from meeting legally mandated staffing levels for thousands of students with learning disabilities.
What to watch: Su, who with the School Stabilization Team has been working to expedite teacher credentialing, will serve on the city's payroll through June 2026 instead of the district's, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
- Though some have expressed concern that she'll be loyal to Breed, school board president Matt Alexander told Mission Local that state officials are "excited that we are going to have leadership that is really going to tackle our fiscal and operational challenges."
- She'll first have to lead SFUSD in submitting a balanced first interim budget report by Dec. 15 to avoid a state takeover.