These school closures are not well thought out.

Update 10/19/2024: School closures are off the table and the Board of Education has appointed Department of Children Youth and Families Maria Su to Superintendent. The community efforts have been heard. Good luck to Su as she has less than 2 months to present a plan to cut $100 million without closing school. I will push for keeping cuts away from students as much as possible. The work continues. Vote for Lee!

Update 10/18/2024: Superintendent Matt Wayne’s announcement of resignation is a sign that this Board of Education leadership has got to go. They set him up for failure and they could not lead in crisis. The time is now for voters to choose new School Board members who will address the long crises facing our schools. Vote for Laurance Lee!

We gave so much community feedback to get this school closure plan? So many are not happy. There is so much wrong with this plan— the way the schools were scored, the school enrollment cutoff, the relatively small amount of money being saved, the plans to keep the communities together, and so on.

I am against this closure plan. We can do better. Let’s put the school closure plan on ice for the year and have the Superintendent focus on balancing the budget without closing schools. Between central administration cuts, less money to consultants and lawsuits, and some limited reductions in classrooms, we can balance the budget.

Here are some of my thoughts:

“Seeing this list does give the impression that certain communities are protected while others are affected significantly. Specifically, there are many more schools on the list from the southeast and northeast. That three of the schools are in (or near) Chinatown with long histories is especially alarming— Yick Wo, Jean Parker and Spring Valley.” SF Chronicle, 10/9/2024

“The Superintendent proposes to move The Academy to Raoul Wallenberg and keep Ruth Asawa School of the Arts at the half-emptied campus? How does that plan save money? Incomprehensible!" Sing Tao Daily 10/12/2024

“Poorly thought out on so many levels. As the only K-12 SFUSD graduate school board candidate, I remember so many wrongs the district has done to Asian Americans and communities of color. How do you just end schools with the names of Spring Valley, Harvey Milk and Malcolm X? The criteria are vague and the scoring a black box. Stop this closing schools effort and do a good job balancing the budget. Less money for central staff and consultants.” Mission Local 10/17/2024

"‘Yes, I live in Noe Valley and know how much this school means to this neighborhood. I will fight to keep it open,’ pledged Lee about the Milk academy.” Bay Area Reporter, 10/14/2024

My fuller opinion will be published very soon.

In the meantime, please consider signing these petitions (Asian Justice Movement and Yick Wo) and please send me your thoughts!