Stabilizing special education is one of the San Francisco Unified School District’s top priorities, and it’s a key area of focus in the race for four Board of Education seats on Election Day.
Nine of the 11 candidates qualified for the ballot spoke Thursday at a town hall organized by the district Community Advisory Committee for Special Education. It took on additional significance following the resignation of former Superintendent Matt Wayne the previous Friday and the revelation last month that, under his watch, SFUSD opened the school year with more than 250 special-education vacancies.
The district is working with Mayor London Breed’s school-stabilization team to prioritize special-education hiring. Despite The City’s support, affected families and special-education advocates said they’ve seen little improvement.
“I would like to know about our vacant positions, what levels they are at,” said Vanessa Marerro, executive director of Parents for Public Schools. “I’m hearing that we’re still not where we need to be, and it’s [the end of] October.”