Multiple sources tell Mission Local that a list of perhaps 13 schools to be potentially merged or closed will be included in a communique from Superintendent Matt Wayne. Originally scheduled for 4 p.m. today, the announcement has since been pushed to 5 p.m., preceding the Board of Education meeting at 6 p.m.
Elementary schools dominate the list, Mission Local is told. Principals at the affected institutions should have been reached by phone on Monday morning, sources say.
“On Tuesday, Oct. 8 (tomorrow), I will share the names of schools that meet the criteria for closure or merger in 2025-26,” Wayne emailed school principals on Monday afternoon. “What we will share on Tuesday represents our best thinking right now, but we need to talk with these schools before making a final recommendation.”
The schools on the list meet the district’s criteria to potentially be merged or closed, based upon much-maligned surveys and low enrollment totals.
The final list of schools to be closed will be forwarded to the Board of Education on Nov. 12 and up for a vote on Dec. 10.
On Friday, Mission Local spoke to three attendees of a school district meeting with members of the District Advisory Committee. They all stated that they were told at their Friday meeting that the list of schools to be merged or closed would not be disclosed until after the election.
The three advisory committee members — Teddy Gomes, Ed Parillon and Sarah Wilson — all independently recalled being told that the list would not be released this week; Wilson said this was repeated several times as multiple people logged into the hybrid meeting late.
Instead, the attendees recall being told that the list would be “rolled out” at a post-election Board of Education meeting, which they felt clearly constituted another delay, after the district blew through its original Sept. 18 date to release a merger/closure list. The district on Friday denied that it had altered or delayed its schedule.
It would appear that the district is parsing the distinction between the official list, which will be formally forwarded to the school board on Nov. 12, and a more preliminary list, which stands to be revealed today.
“I hate saying this in public,” Wilson said on Monday, “but, once again, this is a sign of how sadly chaotic the district must be, internally.”
In a Monday YouTube video, Wayne also announced a “virtual town hall” for Thursday at 5:30 p.m., in which he could explain budget woes and make the case for consolidation.
“I’m looking forward to having conversations with you,” concludes Wayne in his Monday video, “about how to best support our students in the future.”
The process the district has outlined now seems planned to maximize infighting between sites and gives an edge to schools that are able to activate community pushback and generate public attention for their school. That isn’t equitable and it is the antithesis of the ethic of care a school district should attempt to embody.
Personally, I am deeply suspicious of whatever “fiscal analysis” the district intends to share. In his video, Wayne heavily implied that failing to close schools would cause state takeover; this is entirely false and suggests a willingness to frame the conversation dishonestly.
Someone also assured the Chronicle that closing sites would save one to four million dollars per site. There are no examples of such savings anywhere; this seems like a hypothetical best-case scenario with very little real consideration.
It will be interesting to find out if SFUSD intends to sell the properties and to whom. I would also be interested to see if there is a correlation between the value of the land for development of luxury housing and the selection of a school for closure.
Thank you for the transparency you’re bringing, with very specific information.
It’s worth noting that the video of Matt Wayne touts transparency, but doesn’t mention that a list will be announced this week. Not very transparent of him.
You Are Always Evil. You in the San Francisco School District Always Are. You Suck