Sudden Shakeup on San Francisco School Board Adds Another Challenge for District

San Francisco school board president Lainie Motamedi resigned abruptly on Friday due to health issues, adding another wrinkle to a difficult start to the school year for the beleaguered district.

“It’s been an honor to serve on behalf of our students and families to make much-needed and sometimes difficult decisions to improve our school district,” Motamedi said in a statement. “While there is much work ahead, I can confidently say I am leaving the district much better off than when I joined it.”

Mayor London Breed immediately appointed Phil Kim to replace Motamedi on the board.

Kim, currently the executive director of school strategy and coherence for the San Francisco Unified School District, ran unsuccessfully for the school board in 2016 and 2018. He has spent the last 12 years working as a teacher or school official at the local, state and national levels, according to a press release from Breed’s office.

“The work of building a more just, equitable and effective school system is a challenge I have been and will continue to tackle head-on, and I am so hopeful for what we can accomplish together,” Kim said at a press conference at City Hall, where Kim was sworn in.

Kim will serve the remainder of Motamedi’s term until the next citywide election in June 2026 unless a special election is called earlier.

“The District has numerous challenges ahead of it, and we need a strong, experienced voice who understands the issues the District is facing and is ready to go on Day One,” Breed said in a statement. “Phil Kim has extensive experience in education, and importantly, he has been working in the District on the very issues that we know are most challenging.”

The appointment comes at a difficult time for the district as it deals with a major budget deficit and prepares to close a number of schools.

The district has cut more than 900 positions, many of which were vacant, to alleviate its budget shortfall, and it is planning additional expenditure reductions of more than $100 million in the 2025-26 year when it will not have access to one-time federal funds it has used to cover deficit spending for years. The school board will need to make more spending reductions to balance next year’s budget or risk a state takeover.

Superintendent Matt Wayne is likely to announce a list of schools recommended for closure as soon as next month. The plan will face a school board vote likely in December, according to a district spokesperson. Campuses affected will close at the end of the academic year.

The closures will be the first in the district in 20 years despite enrollment consistently declining since 1999, leaving more than 14,000 empty seats across campuses. More than 4,000 students have left the district since the 2017-18 school year, and SFUSD could lose 4,600 more by 2032, according to the district.

KQED’s Samantha Lim and Katie DeBenedetti contributed to this report.