A DEI plan to close schools sparks anger among San Francisco parents

A controversial San Francisco Unified School District project that resulted in the resignation of its superintendent was back in the eye of the storm in recent hours.

To cope with a drop in enrollment, superintendent Matt Wayne decided to close some schools. As a method for choosing which ones, two criteria were chosen: the number of students enrolled and the score on a scale created by a Stanford professor.

Academic Francis Pearman, created an "equity-centered’" formula for that purpose, which actually disadvantaged mostly white or Asian populations. This was revealed in an investigation from The Washington Free Beacon, which also detailed that the district would have paid $30,000 for the formula.

In addition, "equity" accounted for 50% of the weight in the final score while academic outcome was only 25%.

That DEI scale resulted in a cutback plan heavily criticized by parent communities, so much so that the pressure led to Wayne's resignation and the suspension of the project. Even London Breed, then mayor who would later lose re-election in November, openly criticized the plan.

Parents stand up against discrimination

One of the cases that generated the most uproar was that of the Sutro elementary school. That one has a predominantly Asian student body with low income and good test scores, according to the Washington Free Beacon. That its population belonged to the Asian minority, however, increased its odds of performing poorly on Pearman's barometer.

"We believe the district’s composite scoring methodology is flawed, lacks transparency, and unfairly targets Sutro," protested Elaine Kan, a parent of a student at the school, in a statement from the parent campaign Keep Sutro Open.

"We believe the district’s composite scoring methodology is flawed, lacks transparency, and unfairly targets Sutro," Elaine Kan, whose son also attends Sutro, maintained for her part.

"The school boasts above-district average test scores in reading and math, enjoys a distinguished school reputation, and has a fully-staffed faculty with exceptionally low turnover," the campaign also argued, adding that the economic situation of their families further highlighted the "inequality" of the closure plan: 60% come from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Following the protests, the district announced that it would not close any schools in the 2025-2026 period.