San Francisco School Board Recall: Why it Happened and What it Means for San Francisco

Almost a year ago, two San Francisco parents decided to launch a campaign to recall school board members Alison Collins, Gabriela López, and Faauuga Moliga. Action was taken as a response to growing dissatisfaction among San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) parents in regards to actions taken by the San Francisco school board during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly with getting children back in person. This most recent complaint has opened up the door for other criticisms and eventually led to the first recall election San Francisco has seen in years.

Many have noticed, though, that among the signs of support for various candidates are signs urging citizens not to vote for the recall. That among the growing number of parents, teachers, and students who support it, there are a substantial number who don’t. That among those who believe immediate action needs to be taken against these school board members, there are those who think it is a waste of time and money. I can’t tell you what to think, I can’t tell you how to vote, I can’t tell you who is “right.” What I can tell you, are the facts.

The Recall SF School Board campaign was launched on the grounds of three main crises, those of equity, budget, and leadership, to which school board members Collins, López, and Fa auuga were accredited.

During the school closure, the school board had prioritized renaming 44 schools that honored historical figures associated with racism and oppression, such as Jefferson, Lincoln, and even Dianne Feinstein, in an effort to make students of color feel safer, although they rescinded this decision after the board of education criticized their plan as “frivolous litigation.” However, during this same period of time, the school board neglected to reopen schools despite the fact that students had lost 1.5 years of learning. In particular, the issue was with the unequal distribution of this loss in learning. The most disadvantaged students, the very same they were trying to help with the renaming project, fell the farthest behind causing a large discrepancy on the basis of race and income.

The second concern of the Recall SF School Board campaign was the 125 million dollar budget deficit. When SFUSD schools failed to open alongside the rest of the country, many families left San Francisco to enroll their students in schools with in person learning, costing the school district millions of dollars in state funding. This crisis was continuously ignored by school board members until on September 15, 2021 state officials had to step in to oversee any decisions relating to the budget.

The final complaint was of the inadequacy of the current school board to be proper leaders and make responsible decisions. On December 4, 2016, Alison Collins tweeted a series of anti-asian tweets, which received much backlash upon being recently unearthed. School board member Collins was just as much criticized for how she handled the situation in 2021 when she protested that the tweets were taken “out of context” and subsequently sued the school board for $87 million, although she eventually dropped the lawsuit. Additionally, the superintendent is leaving due to our school board’s shortcomings, namely responsibility and unpreparedness, and will be replaced by this same school board in June.

However, this is all only one side of the story. There are equally as many arguments made as to why our school board should not be recalled, and more to the equity, budget, and leadership crises than first appear.

In response to the equity complaint, people against the recall argued that our school board is the most diverse it has ever been with people of all different races and backgrounds represented. With so many communities represented by the members, the school board has been able to accurately portray the diversity of our city and make sure that everyone has a voice.

In relation to the budget, this recall election will cost 5-7 million dollars, which will be taken from our schools. This will worsen the budget crisis even more and will take money from school programs. Many people argue that it is not worth the cost when there is already an election scheduled for November 2022.

Another argument against the recall election is that the people will be losing their voices in the same recall whose aim is to promote them. If this recall succeeds all three board members will be appointed by the mayor, taking away the voice of the people. Additionally, many worry that this recall, which is supported by the more conservative residents of San Francisco, could open up a door for conservative interest and school privatizers.

Lastly, it is important to mention COVID-19, and the fact that although school closures had led to massive learning loss and various other problems, they have also protected the schools’ students and teachers from contracting the virus. Although statistics have shown that recently schools are not having a high transmission rate of coronavirus, those first few months of school closures were proven essential in preventing the spread of the virus, even if it is argued that this has gone on too long.

Not long ago, on February 15, 2022, teachers, parents, and concerned citizens voted in the San Francisco School Board Recall election, leading to the result that all three school board members were recalled. As of today, Mayor London Breed is seeking replacements for the school board commissioners, interviewing parents from all across San Francisco. No matter who she chooses, this marks a change in education and the SFUSD school system, hopefully, for the better.