The Ruth Asawa SOTA Community is asking that SFUSD immediately halt the current principal selection and expand the search.

Our community has failed to flourish under the leadership of Stella Kim. Our interim administration’s divisive and unprofessional conduct, coupled with a lack of guidance from the district, has created fear and mistrust in our community, undermining the very foundation of our school. (Link to full list of grievances.)

We urge you to take our concerns to heart and continue to search for the most qualified professional to lead our unique institution into a bright future.

An incident at Ruth Asawa School of the Arts (RASOTA) in late February leading to administrative leave for two key art instructors and its aftermath has exposed significant deficiencies in the school's current leadership. This mismanagement, evident at both the site and district levels, demonstrates administrative overreach which compromises site-based decision-making in the arts. This has deeply impacted our school community with our students bearing the brunt of the consequences.

We firmly believe that a more capable leader, with knowledge and experience specific to the needs of an arts high school, collaborating with a District cohort whose priorities align with our school's mission and operations, could have anticipated and better managed the current crisis. (Full Timeline of Events)

These signatures represent parents, students, faculty, staff, alumni, and other stakeholders in the RASOTA Community requesting the following from SFUSD:

• Immediately halt the selection of the principal of RASOTA and expand the search to actively seek a candidate whose background reflects the needs of the school
• Revisit the composition of the interview panel to ensure a diverse and representative committee including both visual and performing arts educators as well as a position for a veteran artist-in-residence
• Assign a new district administrator to oversee the RASOTA principal search
• Assign a new district administrator to facilitate direct communication between RASOTA and the District Central Office

We demand a robust leadership team that effectively champions the distinctive essence of our school, enabling our students to flourish and empowering our teachers to excel in their roles as educators.