Changes expected in SFUSD leadership, sources say

SAN FRANCISCO - The future of the embattled superintendent of the San Francisco Unified School District, Matt Wayne, is in question, as the district plans to discuss changes in leadership.

Wayne's status with the district is to be discussed in the closed meeting scheduled for 5 p.m. Friday, a source told KTVU.

Scheduled on the agenda for SFUSD's Oct. 18 meeting is the "resignation, dismissal, release" of a "public employee." 

No names are mentioned, but there have been growing calls for Wayne's resignation over the potential school closures and mergers, triggering an outcry from parents and students in the district.

The district is trying to close a $100 million deficit by December amid declining enrollment. For years, the district relied on its reserves.

Eleven elementary schools and two high schools are under threat of being shut down or merged with other schools, shocking families.

Wayne met with families in multiple listening sessions over the looming closures. Both the school board president, Matt Alexander, and Mayor London Breed distanced themselves from Wayne Tuesday.

Alexander suggested staff cuts district-wide instead of shutting down individual schools.

"The budget-balancing question is about much bigger staff cuts across the board... there's going to be some critical decisions about how we use our resources and what's most essential," Alexander previously said to KTVU.

Additionally, Breed created a school stabilization team on Sept. 23 to help create a plan and announced she lost confidence in Wayne's ability to manage the current process in an earlier statement.

"I have lost confidence in the Superintendent's ability to manage the current process and do not believe this current plan will lead to an outcome that will benefit students and the School District in the long term," Breed said.

In a September emergency meeting with the board, parents, students, and teachers shared their frustration, bearing signs such as "Matthew Wayne you can't hide!"

That same day, Wayne penned an open letter about how he planned to get the school district "back on track."

"We recognize that the last few months have been filled with uncertainty and doubt. There have been instances when SFUSD has fallen short and this is not acceptable. We are writing to share the next steps to get the district back on track," Wayne said in his letter.

The letter outlined Wayne's priorities, including balancing the budget and eliminating the structural deficit, rehabilitating the fiscal and operation systems, extending the longevity of the school bond program, and rightsizing SFUSD's school portfolio with "fewer but better schools."