In San Francisco, a city with a dwindling number of children, school board elections have often been an afterthought. Not this one. A riveting pandemic sideshow is about to play out at the ballot box.
Opponents call the recall a waste of taxpayer money and a right-wing attack on liberal San Francisco that is part of a national movement to oust progressives from power. Both sides agree that San Francisco’s school board and the city itself became the focus of an embarrassing national spotlight.
The renaming effort drew swift criticism for some of its targets, but also for its timing in January 2020, when public classrooms were closed because of COVID-19 restrictions. Angry parents asked why the board was focused on changing school names rather than getting children back into classrooms. The effort was also riddled with historical inaccuracies and shoddy research that drew criticisms of political correctness gone awry.
The vote blindsided the community, and a court ultimately reversed the decision, finding in favor of a Lowell alumni group that sued the board. The group argued the board failed to place the vote on its agenda, violating California’s open meetings law. “That’s how these people got elected, because nobody was paying attention,” said Hsu. “But now, we’re paying attention.”
Collins says she is proud of trying to bring more diversity to Lowell, which dropped its admissions test for the incoming class of fall 2021 before the decision was overturned in court. The numbers of Hispanic and Black students increased this year when the change was in place, while the numbers of Asian and white students decreased.
“People want us to say we were wrong, we regret doing what we did, we’re sorry. And that will never be something I will do,” Lopez said recently on a local podcast, Latina Latino Latinx News.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
This vintage sci-fi film shows a soulless San FranciscoAlamo Square Park is ground zero for an alien invasion.
Read more »
Amid record low inventory, San Jose and San Francisco among least affordable cities to find a homeHow tough is it to afford a home in this wild housing market? A lot depends on how much you earn and how many houses are for sale where you live.
Read more »
This duo scatters native flowers around San Francisco. Here’s why.'I thought to myself, the world’s on fire, how can I make a difference?'
Read more »
Hundreds of affordable homes eyed near San Jose light rail stationPotentially hundreds of affordable homes might be developed in east San Jose under a plan being propelled by a site proposal and a property purchase of the land needed for the project.
Read more »
2-alarm fire at vacant building near San Jose State UniversityFirefighters on Tuesday responded to a 2-alarm fire in a vacant building near San Jose State University.
Read more »