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District 1 candidates, almost all parents, discuss school closures

Welcome back to our weekly “Meet the Candidates” series, in which District 1 supervisorial candidates who have filed to run respond to a question in 100 words or fewer. Answers are published each week, but we are also archiving each answer on this page for District 1, to make it easier for voters to browse. San Francisco Unified School District is planning to close and merge selected schools, part of its plan called the Resource Alignment Initiative. But the district has delayed announcing which schools are slated for closure, first until this month and now until after the election. In response to that, Mayor London Breed announced that the city will intervene by sending a team of experts to support the school district and deploying $8.4 million in financial support.  We ask candidates this week: What are your thoughts on SFUSD’s Resource […]

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School board candidates on rescheduled antisemitism workshops

Welcome back to the “Meet the Candidates” series for the school board, where we ask each candidate one question every two weeks. They must answer the question in 100 words or fewer. We will link to longer answers.Eleven candidates are vying for four seats on the city’s seven-person school board. The election will take place on Nov. 5. Non-citizen parents of children living in the city are permitted to vote in school board elections, and can find information on doing so here.In September, the San Francisco Unified School District abruptly canceled mandatory antisemitism workshops for educators that would have been run by the American Jewish Committee. The move came after some parents and community groups expressed concerns with the American Jewish Committee; some have called it a “Pro-Israel lobbying group.” Other community members, however, criticized the decision amid what they […]

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District 3 candidates weigh in on school closures

Between February and the November election, Mission Local is asking each District 3 candidate one question per week, and candidates will get 100 words to respond. We will compile all responses to the 40-odd questions on a “Meet the Candidates” page, so that voters can get a full picture of their stances.Because Supervisor Aaron Peskin terms out next January, six candidates have filed to run for his seat to lead District 3, which includes North Beach, Chinatown, Union Square, the Financial District, Russian Hill and Nob Hill. Question this week: What are your thoughts on the SFUSD ‘Resource Alignment Initiative’?One candidate said “I am firmly against closing schools in San Francisco.” Sharon Lai Job: Economic recovery leader at the World Economic Forum, former board member at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Age: 41 Residency: Tenant and owner, living in District 3 since […]

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District 7 candidates respond to pending school closures

Welcome to “Meet the Candidates,” where Mission Local asks supervisor hopefuls questions in the lead-up to the November election. In District 7 — which includes the Inner Sunset, Parkmerced and West Portal — Matt Boschetto and Stephen Martin-Pinto are running against incumbent Myrna Melgar.It has been a rocky time for the San Francisco Unified School District, which is currently dealing with a number of woes including pending closures, a worsening financial outlook and staffing issues. Under the “Resource Alignment Initiative,” the district is looking to close and merge selected schools — although which schools have or will be selected is still unknown.Last week, the district delayed the announcement of which schools are slated for closure, causing further disruption and anger among parents and students who have been left in the dark. On Sunday, Mayor London Breed announced that the city […]

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Parents sound off at emergency school board meeting

Update: Following the San Francisco Board of Education meeting, SFUSD published a statement on Sept. 22 at 3:25 p.m. indicating that Matt Wayne will remain the district’s superintendent and that the board is committed to working with him. Read the full statement here. On Sunday at 9 a.m. the San Francisco Board of Education convened for an emergency meeting to discuss retaining or firing the district’s superintendent, Matt Wayne. The emergency meeting comes just days after the San Francisco Unified School District delayed its announcement of which schools are set to close or merge, leaving parents and students in the dark. Acting school board president Matt Alexander has acknowledged that the board put the brakes on the district’s plan due to questions over its methodological and strategic soundness. His predecessor in the position, Lainie Motamedi, recently resigned citing the district’s poor […]

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School Board candidates struggle to stand out on crowded stage

With the San Francisco Unified School District readying to sail off the edge of the map, 10 of the 11 declared Board of Education candidates shared their plans on proposed school closures and the district’s mammoth budget deficit with over 100 community members at a Friday night forum. The 11 candidate, Lefteris Eleftheriou, didn’t attend the forum held at Gordon J. Lau Elementary School and moderated by Crystal Van and Emily Fung of Chinese for Affirmative Action.The overcrowded stage made it de facto difficult for the candidates to differentiate themselves. That, however, didn’t seem to apply to candidate Matt Alexander, the only incumbent in the race. While his nine competitors cited their prior work experiences in other industries or presented their visions for education, Alexander enjoyed an unparalleled advantage as he was able to list his accomplishments as a board member. From […]

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SFUSD school board candidates on supporting educators

Welcome back to the “Meet the Candidates” series for the school board, where we ask each candidate one question every two weeks. They must answer the question in 100 words or fewer. We will link to longer answers.Eleven candidates are vying for four seats on the city’s seven-person school board. The election will take place on Nov. 5. Non-citizen parents of children living in the city are permitted to vote in school board elections, and can find information on doing so here.The San Francisco Unified School District kicked off the year with more than 100 educator vacancies. In response to the SFUSD’s financial troubles, the state has stepped in to oversee the district’s spending, including spending on hiring, which leaders of the teachers union say has delayed the process of filling those vacancies. The process has been hard on educators: […]

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SFUSD’s delay in announcing public school closures is a disgrace

Many years ago, the comedian George Wallace ridiculed the notion of the U.S. military developing a faster bomber. Was this, he asked, a problem? Have the many people the United States has bombed been waiting outside and asking “When’s that bomber going to get here?” In related news, the San Francisco Unified School District was, tomorrow, supposed to release its preliminary list of schools that will be closed and/or merged — the moment of truth in a nine-month ordeal. Mission Local has learned that, on Friday, the district realized it would have to delay this announcement. A planned Monday statement from superintendent Matt Wayne instead dropped over the weekend when the news of the delay got out and questions were being asked. And now public school parents are more irate, not less. When’s that bomber going to get here? No need to mince words: […]

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Non-SF funds make up 42 percent of school board race money

It’s been a rough few years for the San Francisco Unified School District. In 2022, voters recalled three school board members after the board drew intense criticism for slow school reopenings and other controversies. Since then, declining enrollment has exacerbated a budget crisis. The district’s inability to fully staff its schools has led to the dreaded process of closing and merging them, with the names of the proposed schools on the chopping block to be revealed this month. The board faced yet another shakeup last month when then-President Lainie Motamedi abruptly resigned for “personal and health reasons.”A majority of the board seats — four of seven — are up for grabs this November, making the race all the more important. As with other races, we took a closer look at candidates’ campaign finance filings. Here’s what we found.1. More than […]

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District 11 candidates weigh in on upcoming school closures

Welcome back to the “Meet the Candidates” series for District 11, where we ask each candidate to answer one question every week leading up to the election. They must answer the question in 100 words or less. We will link to longer answers. With District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safaí termed out and running for mayor, seven candidates have thrown their hats in the ring to represent the Excelsior, Oceanview and the Outer Mission.On Sept. 18, the San Francisco Unified School District will announce the list of schools recommended for closure, merger, or co-location for the 2025-26 school year.  Such a move is part of SFUSD’s Resource Alignment Initiative, which is an ambitious plan to improve student outcomes by creating a new school staffing model, generating more revenue for school properties, reorganizing the central office, investing in priority district-wide programs, and creating […]

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