Maria Su, the director of the San Francisco Department of Children, Youth, and Their Families and a Vietnamese American, has been appointed to replace Matt Wayne as the new superintendent of the San Francisco school district following Wayne’s resignation on October 18. The school board voted 6-1 to accept Wayne’s resignation and take decisive action to halt the controversial school closure process.

Su was one of several high-ranking city officials deployed by Mayor London Breed to assist the school district during its ongoing crisis. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, she will remain a city employee while the school district will pay her salary as superintendent until June 2026. The school board is expected to approve the details of this agreement in their regular meeting on Tuesday.

The school district’s challenges came to a head with Wayne’s resignation, leaving many concerned Chinese American parents unsure about the future. “Wayne resigning doesn’t guarantee that the school board will cancel the closures; we need to keep fighting and voicing our concerns through protests and other means,” said Janice Lee, a parent at Yick Wo Elementary School, which was named in honor of civil rights pioneer Lee Yick by the city government in 1983.

Lee expressed mixed feelings about Wayne’s departure, saying, “I’m both happy and worried. I’m glad there’s movement, but I’m worried about the uncertainty ahead. We don’t know if his resignation means the school board will cancel the closures, who will take his place, or if this could lead to state intervention due to the severe financial crisis. There’s just so much uncertainty.”

Spring Valley Elementary parent Lisa Xiao echoed these sentiments, expressing concerns over the district’s lack of transparency and community engagement in the decision-making process. “We just don’t know the next steps,” she said. “They need to address the financial crisis, or we could face asset seizure. My hope is that they won’t close any schools at all.”

Xiao warned of severe consequences if the state were to take over the district, stating that the government would only provide the most basic services, which could lead to schools losing essential support staff such as social workers and counselors. “We want our schools to be run by people who understand our community and culture, not by those in Sacramento making decisions from afar,” she emphasized.

Parents remain committed to their cause, planning to protest on November 22 at the school district’s office located at 555 Franklin St. “We hope more people will join us in voicing our concerns,” Xiao added, drawing attention to the community’s ongoing struggles against the proposed school closures that previously targeted 13 schools and had ignited significant protests.