This month, the San Francisco Unified School District announced that it would stave off school closures and mergers for at least another two years while it works to fix the districtโs broken lottery system.ย
But by 2030, the district said it may be forced to close and merge schools in an attempt to reduce the districtโs growing budget deficit. Itโs not a popular decision.
In 2024, Superintendent Matt Wayne resigned after he called for several schools across the city to close or merge.
Wayne was accused of mishandling the effort, releasing an unanticipated list of schools slated to close that drew ire from parents. When Superintendent Maria Su stepped in in Wayneโs place, she put a halt on school closures, but soon, schools may again be up for consideration to close.ย
The Board of Education will be required to vote on whether or not to allow the move.
Across the district, enrollment has dropped significantly, partly due to a growing number of parents enrolling their children in private schools. At some schools, class sizes have dropped to record lows. Such schools will be at risk for closure, or may be merged with other small schools.
Empty seats have had a significant financial impact on the district, which like many across the state, receives state funding from the California Department of Education based on its projected enrollment numbers.
โZero toleranceโ for school closures has been a key component of school board candidate Brandee Marckmannโs campaign.
Despite the districtโs finance team finding that consolidating three school sites per year would save the district approximately $3 million per year, Marckmann wrote to Mission Local that school closures โdonโt save the district money,โ because they make public schools โless desirable to parents.โย
Marckmann has previously stated that public schools that close will likely be converted to charter schools, but there is little evidence to support this statement.
This week, Mission Local asked each of the candidates whether they would vote to close or merge schools in 2030. Here is how they answered:
Mission Local color codes the answers to yes/no questions. A blue background means the candidate answered yes, an orange background means no, and a yellow background means that the candidate answered ambiguously.
Phil Kim
- Job: Deputy director and chief of staff at the San Francisco Human Rights Commission
- Age: 35
- Residency: San Francisco
- Education: PhD in Education, University of California, Berkeley; masterโs in urban education policy from Loyola Marymount University; bachelorโs in neuroscience from Bucknell University
- SFUSD Experience: Charter school educator, SFUSD administrator and current school board president
In October 2025, I led the Board in unanimously giving guidance to the superintendent to develop a concrete strategy that develops a sustainable portfolio and an enrollment policy that is more accessible.
The reality is that we have 14,000 empty seats across the district. Our resources are spread too thin when they could be concentrated and better used to support students, teachers, and programs.
I’m committed to doing this with genuine community engagement, transparent data, and an honest accounting of the tradeoffs. Any merger strategy should be paired with a clear plan to strengthen our existing schools.
Endorsed by: Mayor Daniel Lurie, Senator Scott Wiener, Assemblymember Matt Haney, Assemblymember Catherine Stefani, San Francisco Democratic Party … read more here.
Virginia Cheung
- Job: Nonprofit executive
- Age: 42
- Residency: San Francisco
- Education: Bachelorโs degree from the University of California, Irvine in social ecology
- SFUSD Experience: Parent of child at Alice Fong Yu, former director of Wu Yee Children’s Services
I would not commit to closing or merging schools for 2030 today.
Our focus should be on retention, stability, and improving learning environments for all children. Strong relationships between students, educators, and families are foundational to student success, and disruption should only be considered if it clearly improves outcomes.
Any decision must be driven by data, measured outcomes, and transparent equity analysis, not just cost savings. Before any vote, I would want a meaningful community engagement plan that includes students, families and educators, and ensures every child has a pathway to success.ย
Read Cheungโs full response here.
Endorsed by: United Educators of San Francisco, San Francisco Green Party, Supervisor Connie Chan, S.F. Public Defender Mano Raju, Phil Ting, Norman Yee, Eric Mar … read more here.
Brandee Marckmann
- Job: Director of parent-led group
- Age: 53
- Residency: San Francisco
- Education: Bachelorโs in English and French from Central College
- SFUSD Experience: Parent of SFUSD student
No. I believe there are better ways to heal our budget besides permanently closing treasured neighborhood schools. Itโs important to know that school closures donโt actually save districts money in the long run.
News of massive closures makes public schools less desirable to prospective parents, which depresses enrollment numbers, thereby decreasing state funding to SFUSD.
Closures force children to switch schools, disrupting learning and subsequently increasing class sizes at other schools. Local businesses suffer without schools acting as community hubs.
In a city where one out of three children attends private schools, SFUSD must stabilize to attract families.
Endorsed by: Harvey Milk Democratic Club, SEIU 1021, Supervisor Shamann Walton, Supervisor Jackie Fielder, Dean Preston, Aaron Peskin, Mark Leno, Tom Ammiano … read more here.
Answers may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, and grammar. If you have questions for the candidates, please let us know at marina@missionlocal.com.
You can register to vote via the sf.gov website.