Board advances broad school‑renaming plan after hour of public debate; concerns over process and cost voiced

The San Francisco Board of Education opened an extended public hearing on an amendment to its 2018 renaming resolution and a proposed list of 44 schools eligible for new names. The renaming advisory committee presented criteria and an online portal for public suggestions; committee members said they sought community input from principals, school site councils, parent advisory groups, student bodies and alumni before compiling the recommendations.

Public comment filled an hour allotted by the board. Supporters said renaming offers a teaching moment and a chance to lift historically marginalized leaders — for example, replacing names tied to colonialism or racism with local civil‑rights figures, Native leaders and community activists (callers suggested names including John Harris, Mamie Tate, William Leidesdorff, Ruth Asawa, Tupofia (Tupofia) Carlos Valentino and Michelle/Barack Obama). Several speakers described renaming as symbolic but consequential for representation in schools whose student bodies are largely people of color.

Opponents asked for a more granular process (individual votes on controversial names), better historical scholarship and full cost estimates before proceeding. At least two callers urged separate consideration of Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s namesake school, arguing records cited by the advisory panel were incomplete and asking that the school community vote individually. Others worried about implementation costs and timing while the district confronts pandemic‑era budget shortfalls.

Committee facilitators said the panel used explicit criteria when assembling the list, kept an open public submission portal and invited schools to propose names. They urged local communities to use the submission portal and for school site groups to propose and vet candidate names; they also committed to publish FAQs and guidance to reduce confusion.

Board members debated speed versus care. Some commissioners urged accelerated engagement and reassurances about school‑level participation; others raised concerns about naming living politicians or elected officials and urged more emphasis on people whose lives reflect district values. The board carried an omnibus motion to introduce the package; subsequent votes at the meeting recorded the roll call and recorded a passing measure on the omnibus introduction (vote recorded with dissenting and abstaining votes noted in the official minutes).

Next steps: schools have a deadline (April 19, 2021) to submit proposed names through the committee portal; the renaming committee will vet submissions and return final recommendations to the board for individual ratification. The board asked staff and committee chairs to prepare clearer FAQs, outreach to school sites and transparent budget estimates for any adopted changes.