At tonight’s 5/11 Board of Education meeting, there are a few key updates and discussions worth tuning in for.

First, there is positive movement on the district’s budget. SFUSD is expected to return to a “positive” fiscal certification, reflecting significant progress after several years of financial instability. This is an important milestone and puts the district in a stronger position to plan for the future. This may be the strongest financial position the district has been in for over a decade. Kudos to the Superintendent and her team for turning this around. If you remember, it was this time last year when the state had “veto power” over SFUSD’s spending decisions — due to our negative budget status — and schools were blocked from hiring for vacant teaching positions.

The district is also continuing to build out its cabinet and leadership team, including filling a critical role, the Deputy Superintendent of Educational Services, which will be important for execution of all things literacy and math, as well as long-term planning to improve outcomes for our city’s students. We’re excited about this hire and see it as key to SFUSD’s success in implementing its math and literacy programs. Through our SF Kids Can’t Wait campaign we learned that inconsistency across schools in curriculum usage was mostly due to lack of instructional coherence and systems support from Central Office. We’re optimistic about the year ahead with this new position filled; we hear the incoming deputy has deep experience in large urban districts and in improving student outcomes. 

Tonight we’ll also hear SFUSD’s next steps on changes to the “lottery” (student enrollment system) and school portfolio planning, including its recommended timeline for the coming years to tackle everything from program expansions and enrollment policy updates to potential school closures. We know families have been calling for changes to the lottery enrollment system for years, and it sounds like SFUSD is going to finally tackle it.

Quick aside: We recently met with the Superintendent to ask her about some of the progress and challenges this year — make sure you’re following us on Instagram to get these updates.

Strong collaboration between district leadership and the Board is essential to running an effective district. That’s why we’ve been concerned this past week about escalating tensions between the Superintendent and the Board of Education.

Several board members were frustrated by the Superintendent’s revised timeline for school closures, particularly how the plan reached the press before they were fully briefed. Board members should never be surprised by a major district plan, and timely communication matters.

At the same time, this is still a draft proposal. SFUSD already held briefings with board members, some community groups including SF Parents, and UESF, the teacher’s union, in April. Details are still shifting as leadership receives feedback during these briefings and now public meetings, and the draft plan is open to discussion and revision. Tonight’s board meeting, and the months ahead, are exactly the time for board members to weigh in and shape the final outcome.

What concerns us is not disagreement over the details, but how some of it has played out publicly — press leaks, backchannel complaints, efforts to undermine district leadership. We’ve seen this movie before, and it doesn’t end well. This kind of conflict undermines public confidence at a moment when the district can least afford it. San Francisco families have already lived through board dynamics dominated by micromanagement, mistrust, and infighting instead of policy work focused on kids. We cannot go back to the school board ways of the past.

Disagreement is healthy and oversight is necessary — a strong Board should challenge leadership and push for better outcomes. But those conversations belong in public process and substantive debate, not backchannels or media battles. SFUSD is navigating declining enrollment, persistent inequities, school closures, and a long-overdue enrollment redesign. None of that gets easier when leadership is fighting itself.

Tonight is an opportunity to reset. Families look to both district and board leadership to model collaboration, seriousness, and a supportive relationship. We hope to see exactly that as these conversations and the work unfold.

You can review our full Board of Education cheat sheet here. As always, we encourage families to stay engaged — tune in to a board meeting, review materials ahead of time, or share feedback with district leadership. These decisions will shape the future of SFUSD, and parent voices matter.

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