SFUSD releases list of schools that meet criteria for closure or merger

Here's what you should know about the proposed plan for the 2025-2026 school year

Here are the affected schools

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Merge with El Dorado on the Visitacion Valley campus

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Students attend Redding Elementary (general and special day classroom programs) and Sherman Elementary (general education).

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Merge with John O'Connell High School and move to the O'Connell campus

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• Merger with Raoul Wallenberg High School and move to the Wallenberg campus

Superintendent Dr. Matt Wayne released a statement saying:

“Dear SFUSD community:

Every student knows that solving difficult problems requires hard work and time. There are no shortcuts or easy solutions. This can be frustrating, but in the end, solving the problem is worth the persistence. The San Francisco Unified School District is currently facing the same challenge. We have many difficult problems to solve, all of which require a lot of hard work and time.

While not unique to San Francisco, declining student enrollment, the expiration of COVID relief funding, and increased operating costs have contributed to SFUSD's significant structural deficit. In recent years, decisions have been made to minimize the impact on students by relying on our reserves, which are rapidly depleting. This is not a sustainable approach to meeting the needs of our students.

Without a balanced budget and a plan to consolidate our resources, we risk a state takeover of our school district. If SFUSD falls into receivership, the State of California will assume management of the district and its financial, operational and programmatic decisions for the coming years. When this happens, parents and school communities lose their ability to shape their children's educational experience. It will further deplete the resources provided to our schools, undermine our collective decision-making power, and likely exacerbate educational disparities for our most vulnerable students.

I have to be honest about the difficult decisions we face to balance our budget. There will be significant staff reductions that will impact all of our schools. We are particularly aware of the impact of these staff reductions on schools that already face the greatest resource challenges due to their enrollment patterns and other factors. In certain circumstances we need to consider whether we can best meet the needs of students by consolidating schools.

Given our challenges, families need information, certainty and clarity. To that end, I commit to the following over the next five weeks.

First, my staff and I will hold three public town hall meetings with the SFUSD community about our budget process, challenges and suggestions for eliminating our structural deficit and maintaining local control of our schools.

Second, my team and I will meet with the staff and families of schools that meet our criteria for closure or merger. At these meetings, we will discuss what is happening with their budget next year and our initial thoughts on the future of the school, including why a closure or merger might result in a better educational experience for students. I plan to listen and hope we can solve problems together.

I know it has been a challenging start to the school year with uncertainty about the future. We are taking steps to address this and are fully committed to the schedule of budget-related activities listed below. I also provide additional information and the list of composite outcomes that will guide our consideration of school closures and mergers that will likely be part of this difficult budget process.

Thank you for your understanding. I hope you will join me in a collective effort to ensure a locally governed and sustainable future for San Francisco public schools.

Sincerely,

Dr. Matt Wayne, Superintendent”

The announcement took a long time. The district promised the list last month but then postponed it, saying it needed more time to “get it right.”

MORE: Frustration, fear brewing as SFUSD delays release of school closure list

In a video statement Monday evening, Wayne discussed plans to engage with school communities about these changes and budget stabilization efforts.

“The decisions we make in the coming months will be the difference between the state recognizing that we have made progress or feeling like it needs to intervene more,” said Superintendent Wayne. “And this budget crisis means significant cuts for the 25/26 school year. In this context, we also make decisions about school closures.”

VIDEO: How SFUSD will decide which schools to close in 2025 as families fight back amid financial crisis

So what's next?

After the list was announced on Tuesday, a virtual town hall will be held on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. where the community can voice their opinions.

Wayne will make his final recommendation on which schools to close in November, and then the school board will vote on it in December.