Greetings Board of Education Commissioners,
We want to start by saying that we are proud partners in this work together towards reaching our shared vision for SFUSD to become a district where every student thrives, regardless of background or abilities. We appreciate the recent opportunity to partner with the district and school board to raise an important message to the community regarding the strides SFUSD is taking towards fixing its budget. We were glad we were able to also add our message to the state–more carrot, less stick, and please lift the hiring restrictions ASAP so we can get teachers in every classroom by this fall.
It is also our role to hold you, the Board of Education, accountable to effective leadership on behalf of our schools, teachers, and students. With that, we must raise a new concern:
SF Parent Coalition has been hearing from families and teachers since your Tuesday (5/13) meeting their increasing alarm about the Board of Education’s approach to fiscal oversight. Specifically, when presented with the information that SFUSD still faces a large structural deficit for the 2025-26 school year and a continued negative budget certification from the state, many commissioners appeared to lack understanding of and minimize the urgency of addressing the remaining high-risk FCMAT indicators that keep us under state oversight. We saw and heard a lot of pointing fingers; we did not see or hear a lot of deep understanding of the challenges before us from a majority of the Board.
Since 2021, SF Parents have advocated for SFUSD to take more seriously the threat of state takeover and fix the structural budget deficit. While we’re happy to see the Board’s recent focus on following an effective governance framework, we are concerned that fiscal health oversight has not received the same level of attention. Districts like Long Beach Unified have demonstrated that strong board fiscal oversight paired with transparent financial reporting tools can successfully navigate similar challenges while maintaining local control.
Tuesday evening’s meeting portrayed a worrisome lack of understanding of where SFUSD is at with regard to our financial health.
Our city’s public school students are directly impacted by the district’s financial health. When fiscal management improves, more resources reach our classrooms, teacher vacancies are filled more quickly, and key programs remain funded. These impacts are not abstract – they represent real differences in our children’s daily educational experiences. A troubling example we are hearing right now: These fiscal challenges with state oversight are unevenly impacting our high-priority schools and student populations. Principals from schools with 80%+ low-income student populations are telling us they have more vacancies than other schools as a result of the SERP and transfer process, and are having an impossible time filling remaining vacancies.
Therefore, we respectfully request that by your next meeting on May 27th, the Board of Education:
1. Comes prepared having thoroughly reviewed the 2024 FCMAT Analysis (our summary prepared for you here and attached) with specific questions for SFUSD on high-risk areas
2. Directs the Superintendent to reinstate the monthly Fiscal Health Dashboard to track progress on each FCMAT indicator
3. Establishes at the minimum quarterly deep-dive sessions (whether reviving the Ad Hoc committee or including in regular meetings) focused exclusively on fiscal health progress, starting with taking up CDE on their offer to provide a training
4. Request a specific timeline from district leadership for addressing each remaining high-risk indicator from the FCMAT analysis
We are ready to continue our partnership in this important work. Local control equals local power, which allows for kids-first decision-making. Our community stands ready to support efforts that prioritize fiscal responsibility as a means to educational excellence.
Sincerely,
Meredith Dodson, on behalf of SF Parent Coalition
CC: Superintendent Su & Budget/HR/Operations Leadership Staff, SF Parents Board, SF Parents Leadership Committee, SF Parents Budget Team