Zula Byambaa’s son Jinu was bullied at his public school because he didn’t speak well. He was afraid of his teachers. Byambaa looked into private schools, but they were too expensive. Then she found San Francisco Public Montessori.
“This was the first school where my son actually experienced grace and courtesy,” Byambaa said at a meeting Tuesday evening, adding that he loves the other students, the teachers, and the principal. “He’s free here.”
“I don’t wanna lose my friends,” Jinu chimed in.
When SFPM was included on a list of 13 schools targeted for closure or merger, Byambaa and other parents rallied to keep it open, saying there may not be another place in the San Francisco Unified School District where their children can thrive.
On Thursday, news broke that SFUSD Superintendent Matt Wayne agreed to resign. Not a day later, the school board named Maria Su — head of the city’s child welfare department — the new superintendent, and announced that no schools would shutter during the 2025-26 school year, and that all meetings related to closure decisions would be canceled for the time being.
“At this moment I’m incredibly proud of our school and San Francisco for standing together to force change,” Steven Gemmen, president of the SFPM parent-teacher association, said of Wayne’s expected departure. “This is finally a move in the right direction for SFUSD.”
During Tuesday’s meeting, the SFPM community made a case for why the school should be saved, pointing to its unique teaching methods and diverse demographics. Michelle Chu, who teaches fourth and fifth grade, said SFPM is especially needed because most Montessori schools, which encourage self-directed and hands-on learning, are private and thus out of reach for many families.
Keren Gutierrez was aghast at the prospect of the district’s only Montessori closing. She posted a video on TikTok of her son Hodari asking Mayor London Breed not to close his school. (On Tuesday, Breed called for an immediate halt to the closure process.)
“Please do not close our school,” Hodari, 8, tells the mayor after approaching her on the sidewalk. The boy then gives her a big hug.
Gutierrez said Hodari is autistic, and when he was younger, he had outbursts and meltdowns because he couldn’t communicate with other children. He also had trouble sitting still. But during his first year at SFPM as a kindergartener, his speech quickly improved, and teachers made special accommodations like getting him a standing desk.
“Now he’s able to read, and he really likes math,” Gutierrez told The Standard. “He’s going at his own pace, and he’s made friends.”
At the meeting, Gutierrez said that if SFPM closes, she will try to get her son into private school, referencing a federal law that can require districts to cover tuition for students with individualized education plans.
“As a parent of a neurodivergent child, are we expecting to need more resources for children who have extra needs?” Gutierrez asked. “Because legally, we can have the district pay for our children to go to private school. Are you guys ready for that?”
As parents and teachers took their turns at the microphone, Wayne sat quietly in a folding chair, taking notes on pink cards. A hand-painted banner reading “neurodivergent & diverse” hung on the stage behind him.
Lyndsey Roach, whose child started at SFPM a couple of months ago, said she felt at home in the school community right away.
“I already love it,” Roach said, standing outside the school Thursday afternoon. Before she came to pick her child up, she said, she was home making a list of other schools to consider if SFPM closes.
In the days since the closure list was released, Wayne has been visiting the targeted schools to provide information and get feedback. Even so, many parents have been dissatisfied with district communication.
At the SFPM meeting, Wayne explained that the district is funded based on enrollment, and as the number of students has dropped, expenses have risen. As the threat of a state takeover looms, Wayne said, SFUSD needs to cut costs and balance its budget; hence, the need to close schools and consolidate resources.
But Gemmen pushed back, saying that according to SFUSD’s website, “closing schools is not a cost-cutting measure.” Another parent, Gerald Kanapathy, added that SFPM’s enrollment would be higher if not for the district’s limits.
Vivek Sridharan, another PTA member, said the association has $100,000 in funding to train teachers in the Montessori method. He and other parents emphasized that their main priority is keeping their kids in a Montessori program, even if they move to a different school.
In an open letter to the district, the PTA launched a petition to keep SFPM open. Wayne did not address the letter at the meeting.
“I’m hopeful that the Board will learn from this experience and develop a new plan that promotes the unique educational opportunities within our public schools,” Gemmen said. “The issue wasn’t with Dr. Wayne; it was the plan that didn’t make sense.”