Family meetings to discuss the future of The Academy

Dear The Academy Community: 

I am writing to invite you to be part of initial discussions about the potential merger of The Academy next year with Raoul Wallenberg High School. Students from The Academy would come to the Wallenberg campus. As you may know, SFUSD faces significant budget cuts at the district level and a drastic reduction of student services if we do not consolidate our resources. This situation is why we would like to engage with your school about what this means.

A school closure is when a school no longer continues to operate as is, and all of the students are assigned to multiple welcoming schools. A school merger is when all of the students at one school are enrolled in one other welcoming school, and the two communities merge. 

Your voice is important in this process. This letter serves as the beginning of our conversation to help you understand why your school is being considered for merger. We will hold a meeting at your school on Thursday, Oct. 24 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. to meet with your school community to share what happens to your budget next year and our initial thinking about the future of the school, including why a merger could result in a better educational experience for students. Our plan is to listen and hope we can problem-solve together. We hope you can attend. 

 will share a final recommendation on your school’s future only after engaging with your school community. I will present my recommendation at the Nov. 12, 2024 Board of Education meeting, and the Board of Education will not take action on my recommendation until its meeting on Dec. 10, 2024. Should your school merge next year, we are committed to supporting you and your students through this change. SFUSD is prioritizing keeping students together.  We also have developed a transition plan detailing resources and next steps. You can learn more about this at SFUSD.edu. 

For more information on why The Academy is one of the schools being considered for merger, please read this update regarding our criteria and process. You are welcome to attend my virtual town hall on Thursday, Oct. 10 from 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM to learn more as well.

Please know that I am deeply committed to working with you as we navigate these challenges and move toward a brighter future for SFUSD.

Sincerely, 

Dr. Matt Wayne, Superintendent