On her second day as SFUSD's new leader, Dr. Maria Su visited Yick Wo Alternative Elementary School alongside Mayor London Breed to answer student and faculty questions about the future of the school.
Yick Wo was on the list of schools to be merged or closed due to SFUSD's mounting budget deficit. Then-superintendent Dr. Matt Wayne announced the closures on Oct. 8, but resigned last week following backlash over his plan to address the budget shortfalls.
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In a classroom stacked with press and cameras, Su and Breed fielded tough questions from the fifth graders trying to sort through all of the recent back-and-forth news about their school district.
One fifth grader asked the two bluntly, "Why couldn't you fire Matt Wayne?"
Several others asked questions related to the closures, like why they were happening in the first place and if their school would stay open going forward.
Breed explained the district's financial problems by comparing it to math equations - as the students were learning about decimals when the two leaders came into the classroom.
"When you're doing decimals, you don't know what the answer is...you have to go through the problem to help solve it to get to the correct answer," Breed said. "We wanted to make sure that as grown-ups, we are doing everything we can to ensure your teachers are supported, you all are supported."
Although the plan for closures is now paused for this school year, Su said she has "tough decisions" to make.
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The district has struggled with its finances for years, with declining enrollment leaving about 14,000 spots open district-wide. The loss of students has meant less funding from the state, an amount that is calculated based on total enrollment and overall attendance rates. With a $400 million budget deficit over a three-year period, the school district is looking for ways to cut costs.
After meeting with the fifth graders, ABC7 reporter Monica Madden asked Su if she can promise to them that their school will not close in the future. She did not commit to whether some schools may close or stay open going forward.
"In order for me to feel confident to move forward with mergers and closures, I need to have more data and more information. I need to work with my team to understand the fiscal impacts of that," Su said. "As well as to make sure that we're having deep and honest conversations with our school community before we move forward with anything."
SFUSD has until Dec. 15 to present a proposal to the state of how it will balance its budget, otherwise it could face state takeover.