With voters recalling three school board members during Tuesday's elections, Mayor London Breed said the next day that he will seek three new San Francisco school board commissioners, who will be appointed in the coming weeks.
According to the most recent results from the San Francisco Department of Elections, voters overwhelmingly agreed to recall Board of Education Commissioner Alison Collins, Board President Gabriela Lopez and Board Vice President Faauuga Moliga.
Thus, 79 percent voted to recall Collin; 75 percent voted to recall Lopez and 72 percent voted to recall Moliga.
During a briefing Wednesday at City Hall, Breed said that after all the votes are counted, the city's Board of Supervisors will certify the results. Thus, in three to four weeks the recalled commissioners will be required to vacate their seats within 10 days.
During this process, Breed will interview potential candidates to replace the new San Francisco school board commissioners.
"In selecting new school board members, we will be asking a lot of very tough questions," he said. "We're going to be looking for full school board members who are focused on the schools. Who are focused on our children and their success. Who are focused on collaboration and working together. Who are focused on wanting to hear from different perspectives, whether they agree with those perspectives or not."
Breed stressed that he has been talking with parents, as well as with the United Educators of San Francisco, the union representing teachers in the Unified School District, as he prepares to schedule his appointments.
The recall campaign was comprised of more than 1,000 volunteers including parents, educators and other residents.
The recall effort gained support, in part, because of dissatisfaction due to the prolonged closure of San Francisco School District schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.
United Educators of San Francisco (UESF) officials alleged Wednesday that the recall effort was funded by outside sources as part of a political move. Breed denied the allegations.
"It's not about politics," he said. "We're not saying that what was happening in the schools wasn't an important conversation. I definitely think changing the name of the schools and looking at the history of some of these names is important, but the issue was clear communication about when the schools would open and the distance learning process."
"This came from parents who were upset, frustrated and stressed, and in many cases trying to work two or three jobs to care for their children. Single mothers, grandmothers and grandfathers. This, from my perspective, is not about politics," he added.
Breed also said he disagreed with a separate June ballot initiative approved Tuesday by the city Board of Supervisors that would ask voters to extend the time frame in which elected officials are ineligible for recall from six months in office to 12 months, among other provisions related to the agreements.
"I think it's the wrong message at this point," he noted. "These people (recall organizers) worked very hard. This was a grassroots effort. I think people, if they have any concerns with any elected leader, should have the right to bring a recall effort to a vote."
Although UESF advocated against the recall, in a statement, the organization's president, Cassandra Curiel, said the union will work with Breed as he makes his appointments to new San Francisco school board commissioners.
"Although billionaires and wealthy venture capitalists poured nearly $2 million into the recall campaign, San Francisco voters have always supported public schools and expressed great admiration for our public educators," Curiel said.
"These are big shoes to fill, and they will be responsible for determining how much our schools will gain or lose, what programs will be saved or lost, and how these decisions will affect our students and their education," he stressed.
The recall comes as the district faces a budget shortfall of more than $100 million for the upcoming fiscal year, prompting intervention by the California Department of Education.
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