Superintendent Matt Wayne has agreed to resign, following widespread outcry against the district’s school closures process.
The news, first reported by Mission Local and the San Francisco Chronicle, comes amid Wayne’s listening tour to schools on the district’s closure and merger list. The Board of Education has called a special meeting for 5 p.m. Friday to consider a separation agreement, sources confirmed to The Standard.
When asked about the reports, a spokesperson for the San Francisco Unified School District sent a link to the meeting notice, which states that the board is meeting to discuss an item “related to school district personnel.” The meeting’s agenda describes the issue as an employee “Resignation/Dismissal/Release.”
The board will meet in closed session and report out any actions taken afterward.
Wayne’s expected departure comes amid growing disappointment from City Hall, parents, and the Board of Education over his handling of the school closure process, which will likely be paused and restart under a new chief executive on a new timeline.
“Superintendent Wayne messed up and didn’t perform for our kids as we need him to, but the Board of Education also needs to hold themselves accountable,” Meredith Dodson, the executive director of San Francisco Parent Action, said in a phone interview shortly after the news broke.
On Tuesday, Mayor London Breed called for an immediate halt to the school closure process, citing widespread confusion and concern among parents, educators, and staff.
Breed said the proposed closures and mergers list, released last week, has made “a precarious time for our public schools even more chaotic.”
The mayor’s office said in a statement Thursday evening that Breed was committed to supporting the district during this process.
“Our public schools cannot fail,” the statement said. “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.”
Supervisor Ahsha Safaí, who is running for mayor, said the lack of transparency around the school closure process and issues with the district’s special education budget created “unnecessary stress” and eroded public trust.
“Superintendent Wayne’s resignation will offer an opportunity for a fresh start, but SFUSD’s next step must be to prioritize transparency and focus on meeting the needs of our city’s most vulnerable students and families,” Safaí said in a statement. “This time, we have to get it right.”
Wayne’s resignation will surely add to the chaos. Despite parents’ disapproval of his handling of the closure plan, some feared his departure would only worsen the district’s situation and make a state takeover inevitable.
“I assume he was asked to do so by the board, or at least they made it clear that they would not support what he wanted to do going forward,” said Gerald Kanapathy, a parent at San Francisco Public Montessori, one of the schools on the list. “I think it’s a dangerous and irresponsible game they’re playing, and I imagine it has to do with the election in three weeks.”
Another parent, Steven Gemmen, president of the public Montessori’s PTA, said he was proud of the school and larger community for coming together to “force change.”
“This is finally a move in the right direction for SFUSD,” Gemmen said.
The board is expected to appoint an interim superintendent at its regular meeting on Tuesday.