SFUSD Superintendent Reverses Course, Says He Won't Retire This Year as Planned

In a move as surprising as a pop quiz, San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews on Monday said he plans to postpone his retirement.

Only a month after announcing he would retire in June, Matthews now says he will stay on for an additional year to lend more stability to the district while the search for his replacement is underway.

In a statement to SFUSD families, Matthews said he has agreed to remain at the helm until June 30, 2022, fulfilling what he said was a request by the head of the San Francisco Board of Education.

"SFUSD needs stability and focus at this time," Matthews said in the statement. "I am dedicated to supporting all of our SFUSD community as we navigate the many challenges and opportunities that lay ahead in the coming year."

San Francisco Board of Education President Gabriela Lopez said selecting the next superintendent through an "inclusive community process" could take up to a year, during a particularly challenging period for the district, as it works to reopen schools.

"With that in mind, I asked the superintendent to delay his retirement by another year. His commitment to the wellbeing of our young people has shone through," Lopez said in a statement.

Matthews said that the superintendent search would be a distraction from the district's goal to resume in-person instruction for all students by this fall.

"I am dedicated to supporting all of our SFUSD staff as we navigate the many challenges and opportunities that lay ahead in the coming year. I have the highest regard for the team assembled at SFUSD and am honored to continue to work together," Matthews said.

The reversal is the latest in a series of dramatic events that have marked a challenging year for the school district and the families it serves.

While simultaneously struggling to bring students back for in-person learning, the school board in January drew fire for trying to rename more than 40 of its schools. Meanwhile, the city sued the school district in February to hasten the sluggish pace of school reopenings. And just last month, Alison Collins, a school board commissioner, was stripped by the board of her leadership roles after a series of controversial tweets she wrote in 2016, sharply critical of the Asian American community, were unearthed and circulated by her critics. Collins has since sued the district and her fellow board members, to the tune of nearly $90 million.

Matthews' decision to prolong his tenure also comes just a week before many pre-K through second grade students prepare to return to their classrooms — for the first time in more than a year.

Susan Solomon, president of the United Educators of San Francisco, who also recently announced plans to step down in June, echoed the call for stability.

"We look forward to continuing to work with Superintendent Matthews over the next year," she said in a statement. "We have a lot of work to do to safely transition all of our students and families back to in-person learning, and it is our hope that consistency will move us in that direction."

Jenny Lam, a school board commissioner, said the tumultuousness of the past year, and the district's pending reopening, is exactly why the board asked Matthews to stay on for another year.

"Given that we're just one week away from returning our students to in-person learning, we're grateful to Dr. Matthews because this will allow the board to focus on a replacement and a full return of K-12 for the fall," she told KQED.

For thousands of students in the district, however, it remains unclear when in-person classes might resume. Some middle school students and the highest-risk high school students are scheduled to return to classrooms later this month. But there is still no firm date of return in place for the vast majority of high school students.

Lam said the board will take up a vote on her resolution at Tuesday's school board meeting to affirm a return to in-person classes by fall for all students in the district.

"Since May of last year I've been vocal and consistent, as a board commissioner, in our efforts to return for in-person learning, working safely and in partnership with families and staff," Lam said.

When asked why San Francisco remains behind other large school districts in its reopening timeline, Lam said, "As a large urban school district there are many considerations ... and we will continue to push until we get all our students back to in-person learning."