On October 16, school committee candidate Min Chang held a press conference alongside parents at the entrance of the school district, voicing strong opposition to the planned closure of 11 schools. This issue has escalated, with Mayor London Breed publicly opposing the closures. Both Min Chang and fellow candidate Laurance Lem Lee expressed their disapproval, arguing that shutting down schools unfairly punishes smaller educational institutions and disproportionately affects the Asian and Chinese communities.
During the press conference, Chang urged the school committee and the district superintendent to pause the school closure process. With three committee members not seeking re-election and one aiming to do so, there are 11 candidates vying for four positions. Chang suggested it’s best to wait for the newly elected committee to make such crucial decisions.
Chang pointed out that a close examination of the closure list reveals that many affected students are Asian, particularly Chinese, highlighting the unfair impact on the Chinese community. The schools identified for closure are small, already struggling with low enrollment. One of the district’s criteria for closing schools is an enrollment below 260 students, which Chang sees as targeting and punishing smaller schools.
He argued that closing these schools will not effectively address the district’s financial shortfall and called for exploring better solutions. He suggested seeking additional funding at the federal, state, and local levels while reducing the direct and indirect costs of the central office.
Chang emphasized that closing schools sends a troubling message to parents: “Even if your school survives this year, what about next year? Will we continue to decline and close more schools? This makes managing existing schools even more difficult.” He noted that many are directing their frustration at Superintendent Matt Wayne, who has become a scapegoat. While acknowledging Wayne’s complicity, Chang insisted that the committee, as the decision-makers, must also share the responsibility.
Laurance Lem Lee commented that if all 11 schools close, the Asian community, which accounts for about 35% of the population, will be significantly impacted. He criticized the district’s decision to close the schools as random and lacking a transparent process. “I don’t understand how closure criteria were established and why only small schools were targeted. They need to stop these closures. With a budget shortfall of $10 million, the focus should be on balancing the budget. If you attempt to close schools without a solid plan, people will leave San Francisco.”
Lee expressed concern that the community only had a month to communicate to the district how misguided this decision was.
