New S.F. Schools Chief Demotes 30 Officials
San Francisco’s new schools superintendent, Arlene Ackerman, has quickly made her presence known, demoting 30 district workers from coveted office positions to teaching jobs and removing the district’s chief financial officer.
Ackerman took over as superintendent Aug. 1 and said she is making good on her vow to “streamline central operations.”
“I’m beginning with a reorganization of the most critical positions in the district,” she said.
“Fiscal issues are a top priority for me. This is not the only change. There are other changes coming fairly soon.”
The personnel changes are expected to save the San Francisco Unified School District about $1.4 million yearly. Ackerman is expected to recommend the changes at a Board of Education meeting Tuesday.
Ackerman was hired from the District of Columbia, where she was widely praised for turning that troubled school district around and cutting office spending by 9%.
The sweeping changes follow a similar move in nearby Oakland. Supt. Dennis Chaconas announced in June that he would replace four of Oakland’s six high school principals as well as campus leaders at five middle schools and 20 elementary schools. Those changes took effect July 1.
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