San Francisco Unified school closures on hold as superintendent steps down, new leader appointed

Updated 1 hour ago
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- In a stunning development, the San Francisco Unified School District announced Friday that they will not be closing any schools in the 2025-26 school year.

This comes as current Superintendent Matt Wayne also announced Friday that he is stepping down and will be succeeded by Dr. Maria Su, the co-lead of the City's School Stabilization Team.

"I believe the time is right for new leadership in the District," wrote Wayne in a statement posted on SFUSD's website. "From day one, every decision I have made has been to benefit the students, families, and staff of SFUSD, including this one."

Wayne's resignation comes just days after San Francisco Mayor London Breed publicly slammed the superintendent over his plan to close and merge 11 schools.

Breed said she had "lost faith" in Wayne's ability to manage the issue.

VIDEO: SF Mayor London Breed slams SFUSD superintendent over school closure and merger plan
SF Mayor London Breed slams SFUSD superintendent over school closure and merger plan


"As the District continues to navigate difficult decisions ahead, we need a steady hand on the tiller," said President of the Board of Education Matt Alexander. "I'm thrilled that Dr. Maria Su has agreed to lead SFUSD at this critical juncture."



Dr. Su is expected to be officially appointed superintendent at the Board of Education's next regular meeting on October 22, 2024.

SFUSD said in a statement Friday, that the resources made available by the mayor under the School Stabilization team would continue to be available to the district.

The statement also said, that Su would focus on addressing the District's massive district through structural changes to avoid a state takeover, but acknowledged that school closures and mergers could very well still be possible.



"Moving forward, SFUSD must consider school mergers or closures as a potential strategy to mitigate the impacts of declining enrollment," explained SFUSD's statement. "Declining student enrollment is not unique to San Francisco. Dr. Su will work... to mitigate its impacts while ensuring that the District delivers educational services and programs critical to student success, particularly for student populations most vulnerable to the opportunity gaps."

MORE: Where did it go wrong? Here's how San Francisco Unified's issues led to school closures

On Oct. 1 Su addressed the board of supervisors, where she said she would investigate what went wrong with the district.

"How did we get here? How did the school district get to this place and more importantly how do we never get to this place again," said Su.

Mayor Breed released the following statement about Su's appointment:

"Dr. Maria Su has been a champion for families and children in our city and she has my full confidence in this new role leading our public schools," said Mayor London Breed. "The most important thing right now is for the School District to close its budget deficit to prevent a state takeover and to instill trust and confidence in the District. I know Maria has what it takes to lead this process with clarity, compassion and a commitment to strong communications with families and educators. Maria is a tremendous leader, and the City will continue to provide Maria the city resources and capacity she needs in this new role. We are one city and if our city is going to thrive, SFUSD needs to thrive."

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