SF Parents Community,

For over one year, SF Parent Coalition has been working with parents, teachers, community organizations, and SFUSD leadership to understand the literacy crisis impacting many of our 50,000 students. We’ve been equipping families with the information they need to advocate for their children at the school and district level; however, this is not enough. SF Unified is still struggling to make progress; by one measure, we are among the bottom 10% of CA districts in teaching our students to read.

We’re asking you to take urgent action TODAY, to sign our literacy petition calling on San Francisco Unified district leaders to commit immediately to the changes necessary to support all of our students to read at grade level.

Literacy is a civil right. For too long we’ve failed our students. Please take two minutes and sign for our students today:

We also invite you to join us this Saturday, October 22nd at 4 pm, at the SF Public Library Koret Auditorium to learn more about the literacy crisis. Following the rough-cut private screening of a new documentary film, The Right to Read, we’ll hear from a live panel moderated by the film’s director, Jenny Mackenzie, and which will include School Board President Jenny Lam, SFUSD educators and administrators, and the star of the film, Kareem Weaver. We are so thrilled to host this important event and to learn more with you, together, on Saturday:

SF Parent Coalition has been busy this fall. From welcoming in new families who are applying to enroll at SFUSD this year, to equipping existing SFParents members with tools to support their child’s learning and advocate within their schools, to getting parents informed about the upcoming School Board election this November… busy is perhaps an understatement!

And now… for a quick trivia break to get up-to-speed on one of our latest endeavors:

Q: Who can vote in the upcoming

election for School Board? 

. . .

A: ALL San Francisco parents and guardians

with children under age 19, regardless of citizenship status.

(Yes, it is true!)

SF Parent Coalition is proud of our progressive city for offering all parents this right–regardless of citizenship status–to vote for the School Board leaders who make decisions impacting their child’s education. However, this important right is currently being challenged in San Francisco by an outside group.

We’ve teamed up with SF Department of Elections to bring information to parents at four SFUSD elementary schools this month, equipping them with important information about their right to vote. The voter registration deadline is Oct 24th.

Community advocacy organizations like Chinese for Affirmative Action have been doing this work for years, and we encourage you to check out and support their important work if you have a moment to learn more about this topic! They lead a group of organizations doing this work through the Immigrant Parent Voting Coalition, including: African Advocacy Network; Arab Resource and Organizing Center; Central American Resource Center; Chinese for Affirmative Action; Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth; La Raza Community Resource Center; Mission Economic Development Agency; Mission Graduates.

Join the SF Parent Coalition as well as these incredible community-based organizations in ensuring that SFUSD School Board commissioners listen to all parent voices!

• 6% salary increase for our teachers. SF Unified and United Educators of San Francisco (UESF), the union that represents teachers, reached an agreement last month on a 6% salary increase and additional classroom preparation time. Salary increases had been postponed during Covid-19. As parents, we believe teachers are among the most important partners in our children’s education, and teachers deserve to be valued, respected, and properly compensated for their work. Studies show that increasing public school teacher salaries can benefit students. We also acknowledge that salary and benefits–including retirement costs–represent the largest component of District expenditures and need to be responsibly monitored to ensure that the structural debt is not worsened nor state control over the District’s operations triggered due to deficit spending.
• School Board unanimously approves CBOC nominees despite contentious public comment. Last week’s School Board meeting (10/11) really brought us back. The public “took sides” in contentious public commenting on who and how nominees should be appointed to the Citizen’s Bond Oversight Committee, a committee which had been chaired by Commissioner Ann Hsu before she was appointed by Mayor Breed to the School Board. The important committee just received a state award for its good work. We were happy to see the School Board not “take sides” in either direction, but rather, focus on the functioning and governance of our district, and to allow the CBOC to continue the good work it is doing.
• The BOE finished their listening tour for their Vision, Values, Guardrails planning. Their final plan is expected to be released on October 25th. Draft goals focus on increasing the percentage of third-grade students reading at grade level, eighth-grade students performing math at grade level, and high school 12th graders who are “college and career ready.”
• SF Parents October Meeting with Superintendent Dr. Wayne. Earlier this month, thirty of our parent leaders met with the new superintendent, Dr. Wayne. We shared with him our parent advocacy priorities, and heard his reflections on our how our priorities match with his plans and vision for the district. It was satisfying to get our parent voices heard, and we’re looking forward to following up with Dr. Wayne over coming months to hear about his and the district’s progress. Are you interested in joining our monthly member meetings? Email us at [email protected]
• Election year. Did you get your ballot in the mail last week? Why does the Board of Education matter? Read this Ed100 article about the importance of our School Board, and don’t forget to VOTE!

We enjoyed these articles and thought you might, too.

• Meet San Francisco’s School Board Candidates Running Post-Recall, SF Standard
• SF School Board Candidates Try to Distance Themselves From ‘Performative Politics’ of Recalled Commissioners, KQED
• Nearly 90% of kids at one S.F. school were chronically absent last year. What is SFUSD doing about it?, SF Chronicle
• Teacher shortages are real, but not for the reason you heard, Hechingerr Report
• ‘Wake-up Calls’: New Parent Survey Shows 9% Enrollment Drop in District Schools, The 74 Million
• Meet The Teachers: What is known about educators in San Francisco and how they compare to other districts, SFEDup
• S.F. school board gets worst ratings among city’s elected officials, new Chronicle poll finds, SF Chronicle
• State delays public release of English, math and science test score results to later this year, EdSource

SF Parent Coalition centers the needs of children and youth in San Francisco public schools by bringing together a diverse network of parents and caregivers to advocate for a thriving, equitable school system. Join as a member, volunteer, or donate to support our work! 

SF Parent Action is our affiliate organization that empowers public school parents in San Francisco to advocate for policy change and local candidates who support public school families and students. (www.sfparentaction.org)  

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