Remembering Vicki Symonds, A Champion of Public Schools and Essential to the Fabric of PPS-SF

Vicki Symonds, who was an integral part of PPS-SF for 10 years and supported countless families in our SFUSD schools, passed away earlier this month. We will miss her and never forget her energy, passion, and many contributions she made to our organization, the staff she worked with, and the many people she touched through her work with us.

Note: We published this article originally when Vicki left PPS-SF in 2017, after ten years of dedicated service. After leaving PPS-SF, Vicki continued to offer support and guidance to our organization and staff, even as she pursued new passions, poured her zest and curiosity into learning new things, and explored the world.

In her time at PPS-SF, Vicki Symonds served as enrollment program manager, communications and operations manager, and director of finance and operations, effectively having a hand in most aspects of PPS-SF.

"It is with mixed feelings that I am leaving. I am deeply grateful to have had the opportunity to work alongside dedicated, passionate, and hard working parents and staff members for over 10 years. I am so proud of all the work that we have done and the struggles we have faced together," says Vicki. 

Known and beloved as one of the more public faces of PPS-SF, Vicki has led the organization through changes that have mirrored shifts in local and national education. School funding crises, district leadership transitions, and gentrifying local schools: she has seen it all. 

Her many accomplishments include the expansion and refinement of the enrollment program, which has helped thousands of parents understand SFUSD school enrollment. Vicki has strengthened bonds between families and schools across the district, and she has established partnerships with countless community organizations and funders. 

"I remember my first enrollment presentation like it was yesterday and since then the many different roles and the people I have met within this wonderful organization.  But all chapters must come to an end and I feel it is my time to leave. I will miss you all," says Vicki.

Present and former colleagues know Vicki as the go-to person at the heart of the organization and a key possessor of institutional memory.

"I've had the pleasure of working with Vicki at PPS in many ways over the last 10 years: as a volunteer, as a board member, and twice as interim executive director. Her dedication to the organization is admirable, and I have learned a great deal from her over the years," says Annie Bauccio, interim executive director of PPS-SF. 

Vicki Symonds passion and dedication for our public schools will be missed by everyone.