Voice of San Francisco
SFUSD and the importance of our public schools for today and tomorrow with John Rothmann
This is John Rothman. You are listening to the voice of San Francisco. A number of you have emailed me and contacted me and asked me a simple question. Why are you so concerned about the San Francisco Board of Education? And what about San Francisco schools? Why are you so concerned? And the answer, my friends, is because who I am, what I am is in large measure a result of my education in the San Francisco Unified School District. From my elementary school years at Madison School to my junior high school years at Roosevelt Junior High School, and then my high school years at George Washington High School, much of what I am, who I am, was formed by the teachers I had, the education I received, the programs I undertook, the experiences I had. And now you can say that's true with anybody who goes to school, they're all reflective of that. But the San Francisco Unified School District is in trouble. The San Francisco Chronicle editorial this morning begins with these words. The San Francisco Unified School District has arguably never faced challenges as severe as it has right now. And that's saying something. Just two years ago, its dysfunctional school board was a national punchline. And voters ousted three members in historic recall. Unfortunately, the Chronicle continues, the turbulence has continued. It's true, the turbulence is continuing. And so let's define what the issues are. First, the question of closing 11 schools. There is no question that the San Francisco Unified School District has severe financial problems. There is no question that when you close school, parents go crazy. They want those schools open. They want them available. And a lot of people, I speak as a parent of two children who went through the San Francisco Unified School District, you'd develop a certain affection, a continuing passion for those schools. In fact, my wife and I delivered just the other day, art supplies to art children's elementary school. We accumulate these art supplies through the year. And when we have a couple of boxes, we drop them off. Because we want to continue to support the school that gave our kids such a wonderful beginning. And yet we know that there are more issues than just school closure. It has to do with the San Francisco Unified School District and its leadership. And let's talk for a moment about the fact that this district does not elect a superintendent. The superintendent is hired by the school board. And frankly, a superintendent is critical because they are the quarterback of the team. They lay down what we are going to do, what we're going to try to do, what our objectives are. And so I want to reflect with you for a moment on Matt Wayne, who I believe is a good honorable, decent man, and who is now being severely tested because of frankly his two year tenure, which has not resulted in cleaning up the mess. Will he survive? Well, that brings me to point number three. It depends completely on the school board because the superintendent is hired and fired by the school board. And this election, there are four vacancies on the board of education. Now, we at the voice of San Francisco do not endorse candidates. But we have interviewed many of the candidates for the board of education. And we urge every San Franciscan to take a hard look at the candidates. You can go back into our archive under podcasts and listen to some of the interviews. You can read the editorial in the San Francisco Chronicle this morning. You can take a look at the standard and see what they recommend. You can look at the slate cards that come in and try to determine whether or not there is a consensus on the slate cards of somebody who stands out or individuals who stand out. But do you understand that in the end, the question of school closure, the question of who is superintendent, all of those issues are going to be resolved by the board of education, who we elect will make those decisions. Yep, there's another element. And that is the morale of our teachers. Nothing was more important to me than the quality of the teachers that I had in school. I recently did a podcast with Spencer Christian in which we talked about teachers who made a huge difference in our lives. And if you stop and you think, you know that there are teachers who made it for you. And by the way, teachers who were a disaster for you. But in the end, it was the staff of the school, the teachers who made a huge difference. And may I say, not just the teachers. It was the school secretary. It was the school maintenance people. It was the support staff that worked with you in the school, which made all the difference in the world. My concern is that if the state should take over the San Francisco Unified School District, and there is a real concern that that could happen, as the Chronicle pointed out, in May foreshadowing a potential state takeover, California gave state fiscal appointees veto power over the district's spending, citing its $421 million budget shortfall and poor financial decision making. And the Chronicle goes on to report a year's long payroll fiasco has left many teachers and other staffers unpaid and without medical insurance. And of course we all know, as the Chronicle points out, that in September, Mayor London Breed set a rescue team of top city leaders to help solve the district's delayed plan to close its schools amid growing concern about the superintendent's performance after multiple botched hiring's, fiasco's and well, left hundreds of legally required special education positions vacant. The Chronicle summarizes it very well. But in the end, in the end, it is we the voters who are going to determine the future of the San Francisco Unified School District. Now I know it isn't as sexy as talking about the mayor's race or a presidential campaign or a community college board or what would you name it? But it is the fact that thousands of our students, of our children, are involved in the San Francisco Unified School District. So what is my pitch today? What is my appeal today? Take a hard look at the candidates for the Board of Education. Take a hard look at the superintendent of schools. Take a hard look at your children's school. And if you have no children in the San Francisco Unified School District, visit your local school, see what the problems are, support that school. Yes, you can volunteer. You can go in with arts supplies. You can help teachers in terms of reading. You can help in the library. There are a million things, if done carefully, properly, can help support our schools. Why do I make this pitch? I make this pitch because, well, most of us spend a lot of time in our schools. At least we did when we were kids. Just think back how important those days were, and now reflect for a moment on the fact that if schools are in trouble today, what does it mean for the students when they are adults tomorrow? Now is the time for action. So think about what's going on. Exam on the candidates. And by the way, vote. Vote on November 5th. And let's hope, let's hope that the San Francisco Unified School District will recover, and that our students will benefit. There is nothing more important than what you do to prepare for life. And most of that preparation, ladies and gentlemen, comes from what you experience and learn and how you grow when you're in school. I am John Rothman, and this is the voice of San Francisco.