Maria Su expected to be confirmed as new SFUSD Superintendent

San Francisco's school board will vote on Tuesday to confirm Maria Su as the district's new superintendent after Matt Wayne abruptly stepped down Friday. On Monday, she picked up a vote of confidence from the head of California's Department of Education.

State and city leaders showed their support for Su, the head of San Francisco's Department of Children, Youth and their Families, as the likely next superintendent of San Francisco schools. 

Mayor London Breed pushed for Su following the abrupt departure of Matt Wayne as superintendent on Friday.

Su, said her priority list as superintendent is clear. 

"One is that we deliver a balanced budget," said Su. "So that we can retain and maintain local control. The other one is really to repair and heal the relationship that we have with our families and staff and number three is to ensure that we build up our operational capacity."

Su is stepping into a district facing a structural budget crisis that could require state oversight.

The head of the state department of education said this latest choice appears to be a step in the right direction. 

"Let me be clear, there will not be a state takeover in San Francisco," said State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Thurmond. "Let me be clear about that."

Su has worked in the Department of Children Youth and their Families for 18 years through various political administrations, and city leaders say, although she's never worked as a superintendent of schools she has earned a reputation as a smart and capable leader; able to create and stick to a budget. 

"We now have a clear leader to help get us to a place where we can come together and be provided with accurate information that will help us produce the results needed to save the school district," said Mayor Breed.

President of San Francisco's school board, Matt Alexander, said he hopes that Su's experience managing a large city bureaucracy will help break up the logjams that have stood in the way of progress for San Francisco schools. "Some of these dysfunctional fiscal and operational systems have been allowed to continue for years on end," said Alexander. "So, that's what we really need to interrupt."

Wendy Neikirk Rhodes is the executive director for Support For Families, aimed at supporting families of children with disabilities, and is also the parent of a child at Harvey Milk, one of the schools that had been on the possible list of schools to close or merge.

Those plans have now been put on hold for at least a year, and she says she sees signs of hope for San Francisco families. 

"They have to find a way quickly to balance predictability and build trust," said Neikirk Rhodes. "I think that things have been very chaotic now for quite some time."

Su and state and city leaders have all said that there are still difficult decisions ahead, but haven't given any timetable when they may revisit the idea of closing or consolidating schools. They say the long term plan is to take this moment to rebuild trust with San Francisco families and increase enrollment at San Francisco public schools, which will increase their funding.

The school board meets Tuesday night where Su is expected to be officially confirmed as the district's newest superintendent of schools. If she is confirmed, she will serve until June 2026.