Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Leadership topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Parents and staff at MLK tell SFUSD board they want new school leadership; dozens testify in public comment
Summary
Dozens of parents, teachers and staff spoke during public comment about Martin Luther King Middle School, accusing school administrators of poor leadership and asking the board to return authority to the community; several witnesses described safety incidents and staff morale problems and urged personnel action.
A large contingent of parents, teachers, counselors and community members addressed the San Francisco Unified School District board on Feb. 28 to press concerns about leadership and safety at Martin Luther King Middle School.
More than a dozen speakers described a pattern they said includes dismissive treatment of staff, inconsistent administrative decision-making, bullying and incidents that they say were poorly handled by the principal and assistant principal. ‘‘We need to get rid of the administrators and also the vice principal,’’ said Sandy Thompson, a parent, describing difficulty arranging meetings and a perception that leadership did not follow up on incidents.
Counselors, teachers and school staff recounted their time and investments supporting students and asked the board to ‘‘return the dream’’ to the school. Counselor Dr. Karen Green said the counseling department spends ‘‘far more hours at school than the contract calls for’’ and is seeking respect and professional treatment from administrators; security staff and deans described behavior-management failures they said hurt student learning.
Multiple speakers specifically referenced the non-reelection process and named teachers targeted for non-renewal, arguing some non-reelection actions were retaliatory or not handled through established supervisory or grievance processes. United educators and parent leaders urged the board to examine personnel decisions and to consider alternatives to non-reelection for resolving conflicts.
Board response: President Norman Yee and commissioners acknowledged the strength of testimony and sympathy for parents and staff; board members expressed divided views on district-wide personnel policy and on a separate vote to skip teachers in the superintendent zone, which some said was necessary to protect investments and others said would be divisive.
Next steps: The public-comment record was entered into the meeting transcript. Personnel matters such as non-reelection recommendations typically proceed through administrative channels; the board did not reverse personnel recommendations on the dais. Several speakers provided written letters and materials to the board.
