Final efforts in San Francisco school board recall before Tuesday's election

SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco voters will decide whether to recall three members of the city's school board in an election on Tuesday.

Supporters gathered over the weekend for a final push in their effort to recall the board members.

"This school board is incompetent," said volunteer Joel Engardio. "It drove our schools into a financial ditch. More families keep leaving, and less enrollment means even less funding. It's a cycle to the bottom, but we can fix it."

The board members facing a recall are San Francisco School Board President Gabriela Lopez, Commissioner Allison Collins, and School Board Vice President Faauuga Moliga.

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In most years, the members of the board are flying under the radar. But through a series of controversies concerning the public school system, attention has been ratcheted up on the officials who are fighting to hold onto their positions.

Opponents of the recall say it's a poor use of taxpayer resources, and argue voters should wait until November, when the next school board election is scheduled.

"This is a waste of money and it's anti-democratic," said opponent Julie Roberts-Phung.

"This set of school board members who are from Black, Latina, and Pacific Islander communities hit hardest by COVID have really worked hard," said Roberts-Phung. "They understand what communities are going through and worked hard to make sure our schools are open as safely as possible."

Mayor Breed has supported recall efforts. Should the members be recalled, it will be up to Breed to find temporary replacements.

Mail-in ballots will need to be post-marked by Feb. 15, and the polls will stay open until 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday.

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