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San Francisco Unified Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews Delays Resignation For A Year

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews, who fought a successful court battle with city officials over his reopening plan, announced Monday he was delaying his planned resignation by a year until at least June 2022.

Matthews, who became superintendent in 2017, had announced he would step down in June 2021. But after discussions with SF Board of Education President Gabriela López, he has agreed to remain serving as superintendent for another year.

His resignation came in the midst of a legal battle with city officials and a wave of criticism from parents over the lack of a solid reopening plan.

But by the time the lawsuit reached the courtroom in March, Matthews had hammered out a deal with the teachers union that will allow preschool through fifth graders, special education students and vulnerable older groups to return to some level of in-person instruction starting April 12.

A San Francisco Superior Court judge denied the city's request for an emergency court order requiring the school district to bring all students in all grades back by the end of April.

"I strive to maintain the humility and wisdom to change direction with new information and have agreed to remain with SFUSD for another year," Matthews said in a news release announcing his decision. "I am dedicated to supporting all of our SFUSD staff as we navigate the many challenges and opportunities that lay ahead in the coming year."

SF Board of Education President Gabriela López said keeping Matthews onboard eliminates a major task for her team which faces a possible recall campaign and also court battle with board member Alison Collins.

The board is also caught up in a controversy over a 6-1 vote to rename 44 schools. That decision may be reversed at Tuesday's meeting.

"Right now, it's time for the San Francisco school board to focus," Lopez said in the release. "It's still our goal to get all of our students back to in-person learning, and stabilize our budget as soon as possible. Far from shying away from this challenge, we are ready to do this."

"SFUSD needs stability at this time. We agreed that an inclusive community process for selecting the next superintendent could take up to a year. With that in mind, I asked the superintendent to delay his retirement by another year. His commitment to the wellbeing of our young people has shone through."

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