3 min readJan 25, 2021
SAN FRANCISCO STUDENTS FIRST
Informational Bulletin
January 18, 2021
SAN FRANCISCO STUDENTS FIRST
sanfranciscostudentsfirst@gmail.com
Volume 1
San Francisco School Board Has Lost Its Way
The newly-formed SAN FRANCISCO STUDENTS FIRST (SFSF) coalition was established by alumni, graduates, proud products of our public schools with support from Principals, School Administrators, Support Staff, Teachers, and Concerned Educators to address an exhaustive and growing list of San Francisco School Board misguided priorities, mismanaged programs and misplaced policy. Above all, accountability and transparency must occur.
SAN FRANCISCO STUDENTS FIRST is dedicated to the promotion of student education as the School Board’s highest priority and the promotion of excellence and equity in all aspects of educational development in and throughout the entire SFUSD.
SAN FRANCISCO STUDENTS FIRST believes each student has the potential to become a productive citizen in a multi-cultural and multilingual world. SFSF is committed to advocating that both elected and appointed leaders of the SFUSD practice sound fiscal policies, promote research-based educational practices, and conduct ethical and socially responsible practices and behaviors in all actions impacting students, parents, and community members in the City.
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On October 16, 2020, San Francisco Mayor, London Breed, issued a statement, “on the need for our School District to focus on reopening our public schools, not renaming them. To address inequities, we need to get our kids back in the classroom.” Mayor Breed went on to say, “I am livid” and then stated, “(N)othing should be on their (School Board) agenda other than, what is our plan and our timeline to reopen schools. We shouldn’t even be having a conversation about anything else.”
Later the same October day, School Board President, Mark Sanchez, issued a three-page, nine paragraph rebuttal to the Mayor in which he denied, “(T)he Board of Education at this time is not using its time or energy on school names…”
At the time, Immediate-Past President Sanchez did not reveal that each of the more than initially 64, now more than 40, proposed school name changes (estimated to cost of between $100,000-$350,000 for each school). All together, this represents millions of tax dollars the School Board doesn’t have and can only come at the expense of students, teachers, administrators and support staff.
And President Sanchez also did not inform the Mayor that, last February 19, School District Superintendent, Dr. Vincent Matthews, told “Colleagues” throughout the entire school system of a pending financial crisis and stating, “I am sorry to share this disheartening news” and disclosed a $26 million budget shortfall. Mathews explained, “what’s different this year, and for the foreseeable future, is that we’ve reached the point where we’ve depleted our reserves and…need to make more drastic cuts.”
President Sanchez went on to devote four paragraphs explaining and defending the School Board appointed special Committee’s work. He neglected to mention that:
- The School Board did not follow its original Resolution which mandated the review process to “engage the larger San Francisco community in a sustained discussion regarding public school names”;
- The School Board appointments to the Special Committee excluded historians or any other outside parties with historical expertise; and,
- The School Board Committee Report was riddled with historical errors.
The Sanchez statement conveyed but a single message: We — the School Board — do not report to you or anyone else in the City and are not accountable to you to anyone else in the San Francisco.
The School Board repeatedly rejects accountability. School renaming is but one of a score of policy and programmatic issues needlessly in conflict. On issue after issue, the School Board ignores voices, ignores those with contrary views and ignores reason and respect.
- The School Board has lost its way;
The School Board has abandoned its mission;
- The School Board has turned its back on its primary ”duties and responsibilities”; and,
- The School Board failed at managing its budget — the budget shortfall grew from $26 Million last February to more than $160 Million today.
