San Francisco votes on city’s scandal-plagued school board

A new chapter opened in the saga of San Francisco’s scandal-plagued school board Tuesday as voters appeared to back the recall of three members after a year of controversy that captured national attention.

Initial returns from mailed-in ballots — about 24% of registered voters — showed voters overwhelmingly supporting the recall of the board president and two other members. However, it was too early to confirm the outcome.

For many parents, the special municipal election is a referendum on how the city’s school board managed the pandemic.

The recall effort stemmed from frustration felt by parents who say the board wasted its time on matters unrelated to the coronavirus instead of focusing on reopening public schools. But organizers and many residents say the effort also tapped into a wider feeling of discontent in San Francisco, where rising crime and attacks on Asian Americans during the pandemic added to a perception of a city in turmoil.

“It seems to have catalyzed a broader general public awareness in San Francisco. Many people are seeing what’s happening in the school board as a reflection of a broader failure,” said Siva Raj, a father of two who helped launch the recall effort. “Here we are living in one of the wealthiest cities in the world and we are not getting the basics right.”