Sutro Elementary parents decry 'chaos' at SF Unified over school closures

SAN FRANCISCO - Parents and families at Sutro Elementary in San Francisco say they’re ready to do anything to convince the district their school shouldn't close. Sutro is one of 13 schools listed for possible closure next year, according to a list released by the San Francisco Unified School District.

San Francisco Unified School District Supt. Matt Wayne held a "listening session" at the school on Wednesday, giving parents the opportunity to hear directly from him about the decision to include the school on the closure list.

Parents and students at Sutro Elementary are prepared to make their message clear before the meeting begins.

Chanting "Save Sutro! Save Sutro!" students arrived at school on Wednesday with homemade signs, and banners bearing the same message decorated the school grounds. The PTA and community members are determined to make their case to Wayne.

"We don’t need to be listened to at this point. We want answers," said Kaitlin Solimine, secretary of Sutro Elementary PTA. "We want transparency in this process. Why is a hugely successful school, with a predominantly low-income student body, on the closure list? We are 94% enrolled."

San Francisco Unified is under pressure from the California Department of Education to get its budget in order or face a possible state takeover. 

The district has until December to present a plan to close a $100 million budget deficit.

Parent Dan Coleman said: "I think the school district is in a tough spot... if this is really an emergency, I'd start with cuts at the [Central Office] first, and only after then should you start looking at closing schools."

Both San Francisco Board of Education President Matt Alexander and Mayor London Breed, who are up for re-election next month, have distanced themselves from the superintendent's actions regarding the closure list. 

Alexander said the superintendent should focus on staff cuts rather than school closures and mergers.

Breed, who sent a team from her office to assist with the district's budget decisions, released a statement criticizing Wayne, saying: "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."

Meredith Dodson, executive director of SF Parent Action, said, "It’s almost a situation where we’ve got too many cooks in the kitchen, messing with too many different parts of the plan. Parents need to see less chaos from all levels of leadership."

Not only are the school board president and the mayor on the ballot in San Francisco’s November election, but there are also three other school board seats at stake. 

This raises the possibility that the board members making decisions about school closures now may not be in their roles next year to implement them.