SFUSD Superintendent Matt Wayne plans to resign Friday, report says
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Embattled San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Matt Wayne plans to resign Friday two years into his tenure, according to a report from the San Francisco Chronicle.
The school board is meeting to discuss an employee resignation at 5 p.m. on Friday, but would not confirm Wayne is the employee. The Chronicle reports that employee is Wayne and if his dismissal is approved, it would take effect immediately.
Wayne has faced a lot of criticism for his plan to close or merge schools to shore up the district's finances and avoid a state takeover.
RELATED: SF Mayor London Breed slams SFUSD superintendent over school closure and merger plan
Earlier this week, Mayor London Breed said she's lost faith in Wayne's ability to lead the district through a financial crisis and planned school closures.
ABC7 News reached out to Mayor Breed's office and they issued the following statement:
"This is a personnel matter before the Board of Education. During this very difficult time for families and students, the Mayor remains committed to supporting San Francisco Unified with resources and staffing as she has with her School Stabilization Team. Our public schools cannot fail. The most important thing right now is to maintain local control by balancing the District's budget, while ensuring that our schools deliver services and programs critical to student success."
RELATED: SFUSD superintendent defends closure and merger plans as he meets with upset parents
Just a week ago, the district released a list of 13 schools that meet its criteria to close or merge.
One of those 13 on the list is Malcolm X Academy Elementary School. That's where Wayne visited Thursday evening as part of a series of meetings that were set prior to plans for his resignation.
LIST: Which SFUSD schools might face closure or mergers
"Should have done that a long time ago because what you're doing isn't working," Malcolm X Elementary parent Joseph Carter said.
Parents reacted to the news of Wayne's reported resignation, saying it's a weak move but could be for the best.
MORE: Where did it go wrong? Here's how San Francisco Unified's issues led to school closures
"Him resigning is a cop-out because you've known for a long time you've had this problem and you think the solution is to step down and make it someone else's problem," parent Renata Waller said.
The potential resignation has also offered some hope for some parents about the future of their school.
"It makes me hopeful that the school board will realize that students' and parents' voices matter and they'll value it and make their decision going forward about school closures," parent Latoya Pitcher said.
