We’re seeing the many graduation festivities take place this week around San Francisco; if your kid is one of those graduates, congratulations to you and your child! We know that the Class of ’23 had ups and downs throughout their high school experience–including extended school closures for part of their ninth grade and the entirety of their tenth grade years. They made the most out of what us adults decided for them, and here they are today–many graduating from SFUSD and moving up and on to exciting new careers or college experiences. We wish them success and joy, and we thank all of the incredible teachers, staff, and families who have supported them along the way.
To families of kids with many more years at SFUSD… some ideas for summer enrichment opportunities below:
- K-8 Math enrichment: Uncertain about how you can help your kid stay on track with math (or even catch up if there’s some room for that)? Log in to SFUSD’s Clever app on your iPad, computer or phone to access DreamBox math exercises for your kid. 20 minutes a day can go a long way!
- PK-12 Reading enrichment: Participate in SF Public Library’s Summer Stride program and read 20+ hours for a prize! Also check out their recommended reading lists for kids of all ages PK-12.
- Writing and critical thinking experience for elementary & middle: Check out June Writers Academy (www.junewriters.com), for fundamentals of writing but also sophisticated concepts normally taught only in high school and college, using humor and deep respect for the joy of young children.
- High schooler jobs: SF Parents may have some SF Kids Can’t Wait campaign canvassing and outreach opportunities for high school youth this summer. Is your high schooler looking for ~10 hours/week of public school advocacy work, talking to families and canvassing neighborhoods? Pass along our email to them and encourage them to inquire about the gig: [email protected]
- And, something for the Parents & Teachers! Attend our Summer Podcast Club! We’ll meet every other week over Zoom through the summer for a summer discussion club of podcast Sold A Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong. Final discussion will be in-person in August combined with a back-to-school parents’ night out. Email [email protected] to join the summer discussion club and get more details.
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Take action for SF’s kids this summer
SF Parents launched the SF Kids Can’t Wait campaign in May, calling on SFUSD to act with greater urgency and take bold measures to improve math and reading outcomes for our students. This spring, SFUSD reported at three separate Board of Education workshops that we are “significantly off track” for our district goals in math, reading, and college/career readiness. Yet we see no sense in urgency for addressing these challenges, only loooonnnggg 3-year timelines and more conversation than action. [Side note: Other major urban districts show what’s possible, for example, the recently launched NYC Reads].
The beauty of parent advocacy is that we can *actually* make a difference. Do you want to see SFUSD act with more urgency for its students? If you haven’t downloaded a copy of SF Kids Can’t Wait or shared it with your school community or friend group, you can do that here. And, a friendly reminder–whether you’re a parent, teacher, or community supporter–to send an email to Superintendent Wayne and the Board of Education, TODAY:
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We also sent a similar letter to the Superintendent and Board of Education outlining our six asks (including paying our teachers more!), which you can read here:
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What else are parents keeping an eye on this summer?
Where’s the LCAP? Where’s the district’s budget? June is budget season, both for SFUSD and the City. It’s been quiet on the district front, and we still haven’t seen this year’s LCAP, let alone a proposed budget. Burning the midnight oil over here in San Francisco… districts are required to adopt a budget by July 1. SF Parent Coalition appreciates all the LCAP community input opportunities this spring, but we also expect parents have time to reflect on the final product before it’s implemented in the budget. Some things we should all be looking out for when it drops:
- Alignment around literacy, math and college/career readiness goals — and where are the funds to pay for the plan to improve student outcomes?
- Clarity around district “guardrails” including what’s our baseline staffing and program offerings
- Insights as to what is considered core, supplemental, and optional
In a nutshell, our LCAP and 2023-24 budget should make very clear how SFUSD makes decisions. What is being prioritized? How are students centered in our budget and how will results be measured? We need to see from SFUSD how they will fund priority initiatives necessary to move us “on track” towards our student outcome goals.
Related to the budget, we’re already hearing about proposed cuts to district programs, most recently around high school afterschool programs with almost $750,000 of proposed reductions. We need to see a clear plan from SFUSD before they start announcing ANY cuts to school programs. How have they made these decisions? How are we ensuring that cuts are kept furthest from kids?
City budget woes. On the city front, you may also hear about ‘Baby Prop C’ on the chopping block, a critical source of funds passed by voters in 2018 to expand child care access and quality, and to increase wages of child care providers. Child care is fundamental to thriving families and thriving young learners who are kindergarten-ready. We encourage you to send a letter to ask the Mayor and Board of Supervisors to protect these funds and preserve them for the critical child care system that keeps families in our city and children supported through their birth to five years.
Prop G implementation. We have a meeting coming up with SFUSD to discuss Prop G “Student Success Fund” implementation. Their draft plan was recently presented at a Board of Supervisors hearing. Instead of 1,000 flowers blooming (especially given our district’s budget deficit), we’re hoping to see city and district leaders ensure a cohesive, coordinated plan between SFUSD and the City, aligned to SFUSD’s Vision Values Goals and Guardrails as well as individual school’s SPSAs (School Plans for Student Achievement). If you have ideas about what successful Prop G implementation would look like, email us at [email protected].
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SF Parent Coalition is HIRING! Join our growing team!
SF Parent Coalition is hiring a Community Organizer and encourage you to apply or spread the word! This position will play a crucial role in organizing parents and caregivers, supporting communications, coordinating events, and participating in key policy initiatives, ensuring that we are bringing together a diverse network of parents and caregivers to advocate for a thriving, equitable school system. Learn more here.
We’re excited about our growing team and our big plans ahead. Just last month we welcomed two new staff members, Lila Nelson (Black Family Advocacy Lead) and Nichole Gangitano (Managing Director), both with strong public school advocacy and program backgrounds.
Get to know Lila and her hopes for SFUSD:
I am hopeful that SFUSD in the near future will begin prioritizing early education, especially in schools that are composed of Black and Brown students. That SFUSD will assure that all students are reading at grade level and have wrap-around supports to encourage better academic outcomes.
Get to know Nichole and why she joined the SF Parents team:
I believe in the power of public education and parent advocacy. Public education is a vital investment in the future of our democracy and parents have a unique perspective and firsthand experience with their children’s education. By being actively involved in shaping education policies and advocating for initiatives that address systemic inequalities, I believe that parents can make a real difference. Together, our voices can bring about positive change for the benefit of all our children and the future of San Francisco.
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SF Parent Action Board Fellows Graduate with Special Guests including Mayor Breed and three Board of Ed Commissioners
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Last Thursday, our sister arm SF Parent Action graduated nine amazing public school parent leaders from its Board Fellows program. The 5-session program got them up to speed on all they need to know re: public education in CA and locally, effective board governance, what it takes to serve on the BOE, and leading for equity and excellence in education. The successful program pilot and incredible inaugural cohort blew away our expectations. We celebrated their graduation with dozens of public school parents, and the fellows received encouragement and supportive remarks from Mayor London Breed, Board of Education Commissioners Jenny Lam, Lainie Motamedi, and Lisa Weissman-Ward, and Supervisors Rafael Mandelman, Ahsha Safai, and Joel Engardio (via representative Kit Lam). We can’t wait to follow along as these incredible parents continue their education leadership journeys.
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