SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — The San Francisco Unified School District’s superintendent is retiring this year.
Dr. Vincent Matthews said he plans to retire on June 30, 2021.
“I am sharing this news just as soon as my family and I made the decision,” said Matthews. “For the remainder of my time as superintendent I remain committed to the critical work in front of us: Bringing students back to in-person learning, continuing to provide distance learning and planning for the summer and fall. I am not going to discuss my decision in more detail at this time as I want to support our sustained focus on this challenging task.”
The announcement comes after a rough couple of months for the school district, facing pressure from the city to reopen in-person learning through a lawsuit filed by city attorney Dennis Hererra.
“Yes, I support the lawsuit. And if the possibility of getting schools open sooner without this lawsuit were in sight, if we thought this possible, there is no way we would pursue legal action. Unfortunately, this is where we are, and that’s where we are headed,” Mayor London Breed had said in February.
On Friday, Matthews and Board of Education President Gabriela Lopez announced schools for the district’s youngest students will return starting April 12.
Lopez did not share any information about hiring a replacement for Matthews as of Wednesday.