By Tali Woodward

Eric Mar didn't waste any time before trying to set a new tone for the San Francisco Board of Education. Just seconds after his selection as board president Jan. 11, Mar said that because of budget cuts coming from the state, "I believe we have this urgency that requires the board to do everything possible to treat each other with respect and work closely together.... I know I will put differences aside – no bad feelings from the previous year or years."

Mar and allies Mark Sanchez and Sarah Lipson have been in a running battle with the other three board veterans and the district superintendent Arlene Ackerman for the past few years. It's a struggle that long ago outgrew policy disagreements and became a clash of personalities.

Although Mar and his allies often praise Ackerman for her accomplishments, they sometimes take issue with her proposals, or more frequently, with the way she makes major decisions before seeking community input. As a result, they've often been cast by the media and their political opponents as rabid antagonists of the superintendent who want her out of the San Francisco Unified School District.

Lipson, Sanchez, and Mar maintain they've never wanted to force Ackerman out, and it's true that Ackerman has usually been the one to hint at her departure, telling reporters and others that she would rather resign than navigate a contentious relationship with the board.

Now, with a key swing vote from new member Norman Yee, Mar will lead the school board. What does it mean for a body that's seen so much acrimony that its so-called rabble-rousers are now in control?

Mar and company certainly haven't forgotten what they've consistently described as a systematic effort to freeze them out of decision making. But they seem to be making an honest pitch to turn things around.

Mar spent the days after his election making calls to community leaders, even those he's tangled with, and arranging meetings with Ackerman. He told the Bay Guardian he plans to focus his presidency on mending relationships and restructuring the way the board conducts business. But Mar emphasized that the change in leadership will not mean that the other side – board veterans Jill Wynns, Eddie Chin, and Dan Kelly – will be marginalized. With the budget cuts the board is going to face, Mar said, it will be absolutely crucial to tap into the expertise of each and every board member.

Yet he does have some changes in mind. Mar told us he'd like to adopt a more grassroots approach to policy making that seeks community opinion and goes from there, rather than merely grapple with the fallout after a decision has been announced.

"We can't please everyone, but at least we can weigh their opinions," he said. Mar hopes to kick that off with a series of community forums on educational reform models, bilingual education, and racial justice, among other issues. And he'd like to keep it up by sharing information and resources with students, parents, and teachers. More effective outreach is a must, he said: "It's all part of changing the culture and trying to be an open board that listens."

Sanchez, the most outspoken of the former minority, agrees that conciliation must be a top priority for the new board leadership, but he says it's unclear if anything will keep the superintendent around. "Right now the ball's in her court," he said. "She has to decide."

Many are speculating Ackerman will indeed leave soon, particularly after she was absent from both the Jan. 7 swearing-in of the recently elected commissioners and the Jan. 11 board meeting, the first of the year. But the superintendent, who has returned from a vacation in Hawaii, isn't granting interviews or commenting about Mar's election or her future with the district.

No matter who's in the superintendent's office, Mar and his allies are preparing to reopen issues they say haven't been adequately addressed in recent years, many of which reach into the classrooms.

Lipson told us she can't wait for the board to hold a meeting about reforming the district's County Community schools, which serve at-risk students who haven't been successful in ordinary public schools. She's also anxious to pursue a thorough open-government policy. Her proposal to put the district under the city's Sunshine Ordinance was gutted last October, and the ad hoc committee that was created to look into the possibility has yet to be appointed.

"I want to hold a number of town hall meetings and hopefully bring the original back [for another vote]," she said.

Another priority is opening up the budgeting process and ensuring that budget information is comprehensible to the average person. Lipson thinks it's time for the board to alert the community that the budget crisis might force them to close city schools, something that other insiders say is a hot topic these days at the SFUSD office. Lipson said that she's not in favor of school closures but that the board should prepare for the worst in a thoughtful and intentional way.

"If we have to do this, we have to have a process set up," she said, suggesting that criteria for closure and safeguards for the students should be established.

Sanchez told us he'll continue his focus on teachers' salaries. "I think we should be very aggressive [about] pursuing a parcel tax or a transfer tax," he added. He's also committed to sunshine, open budgeting, and increased community input. Sanchez will likely look for ways the SFUSD can challenge national policies on standardized testing and military recruitment.

Yee told us that on a personal level, he wants to work on increasing the high school graduation rate, bringing language instruction to younger kids, and expanding preschool.

Yee – the newest member of the board, who was elected vice president by acclamation – said he intends to stay independent of the two defined factions. "I'll vote on each issue according to the facts I have and my beliefs," he told us.

But Yee acknowledged that his interest in improving board relations influenced his vote for Mar, "who I felt was going to do that better.... We have enough roadblocks on education without wasting time on our internal issues."

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