11/18/25 BOE Meeting Headlines:
- Public comment: Many contentious public comments regarding school closures, superintendent’s contract extension, some TK classrooms without teachers still.
- Literacy outcomes: 3rd grade literacy scores increased from 49.7% to 53.1% meeting grade level, from Fall 2024 to Fall 2025. STAR data suggests that the gains may not be even, though, as some focal populations appear to be improving, but not at the same rate. The district pointed to their instructional coaching model and teacher supports that led to these positive outcomes.
- Math outcomes: No significant gains in math outcomes yet, but new program implementation just started this year. Given the success of instructional coaches in ensuring strong literacy adoption, the Board of Education pointed out the importance of bringing instructional coaches to middle schools so school principals are not on their own with rolling out the program and supporting teachers to learn and use the new materials.
- Superintendent contract: Extension of Maria Su’s contract was approved through June 2028. Our take: Leadership stability matters, especially with so much multi-year work and herculean projects ahead for SFUSD (structural budget fixes, math and literacy program adoptions, consideration of school closures, lottery/assignment system changes, etc.). Extending Dr. Su’s contract prevents the chaos and uncertainty that would destabilize the district’s focus on important projects moving SFUSD towards fixing the budget, raising the bar, and closing the gap.
- Ad Hoc Committee on Public Engagement: is being established, led by Commissioner Gupta and starting in January. The goal is to reestablish trust in the Board of Education.
- School closures: Discussed after midnight, the conversation not surprisingly got a bit heated. The Board was not presenting their own plan, but authorizing the superintendent to create a plan to consider changes to SFUSD’s school portfolio, including closures but also enrollment increases elsewhere, following demand patterns. The board’s direction to the superintendent is to develop a plan that ensures every school becomes a high achievement school, and that we have a school in every neighborhood.
Meeting Summary
After a few quiet recent meetings, Tuesday night’s public comment was the most contentious in months; there was backlash over the spectre of school closures, longtime substitute teachers unhappy with teacher ‘overhiring’ and their difficulty getting enough sub jobs via Red Rover, and students and parents asking why SFUSD is the only school district without JV soccer, excluding many kids from the opportunity to play sports. Reverend Brown also spoke up strongly in favor of keeping Dr. Su as Superintendent, warning “don’t change horses in the middle of the stream!” Perhaps the most emotional pleas of the night were from parents whose kids were enrolled in Pre-K or TK classrooms that lack a consistent classroom teacher, and, in the case of Mission Educational Center families, a principal.
In some ways the TK staffing shortage was inevitable; this is both a) the year that SFUSD expanded TK dramatically and b) the first year the state enforced rigid Early Childhood Education requirements for TK teachers. That said, as President Kim stated, we knew these things were coming and “we weren’t prepared. We need to be a system that anticipates what needs to be done when we know what is coming at the state level.” We applaud President Kim for owning that the BOE and District did not get ahead of this properly, and are hopeful that the districts pipeline programs with local schools will bear fruit for next year.
3rd Grade Literacy Progress Monitoring
(report link, presentation link)
The good news here is that, for the first time in years, literacy numbers have gone up. Specifically, Grade 3 Fall SBAC ELA scores have increased from 49.7% to 53.1% meeting grade level, comparing Fall 2024 to Fall 2025 data. Star data suggests that the gains may not be even, as some focal populations appear to be improving, but not at the same rate.
As with past meetings on this subject, district staff point a lot of the success to proper implementation of instructional coaching, and for this year district efforts are focused on:
- Coaching Logs – improve the fidelity of them to give better data, help ensure consistent implementation of coaching
- Teacher Collaboration Support – make sure each site has enough time built in for frequent collaboration
- Tiered Coaching Model – help coaches balance 1:1 coaching with grade-level collaboration
The conversation wandered for a long time, and we appreciate Commissioner Alexander for reminding the board twice to stay focused on giving strategic direction.
8th Grade Math Progress Monitoring
(report link, presentation link)
Math scores did not increase as much, which makes sense, as this is the first year of the new curriculum, and adoption is still happening; for example, last year was the first of the new ELA curriculum and scores went down.
There are very few middle school instructional coaches, so site leaders need to be leading implementation. Commissioner Weissman Ward asked, “if instructional coaches are being identified as a large part of the success behind elementary school gains, should we be thinking about using them in middle school?”
Compounding the import of this (existential?) question is the looming budget tradeoffs that will have to be made in the months ahead.
Superintendent Contract
(contract link)
Reiterating our take from our Cheat Sheet this week: Families have been clear that leadership stability matters, especially with so much multi-year work ahead. Extending Dr. Su’s contract would provide needed continuity to support academic improvement and meaningful engagement with families and communities.
Commissioner Ray stated that she would have liked to have real community engagement on this matter, though she will vote in favor. Commissioner Alexander seconded what Commissioner Ray said, and also stated that when hiring Dr. Su the BOE knew she wasn’t an educator, and he doesn’t think she needs to be an educator. As Commissioner Weissman-Ward added, she appreciates all of Dr. Su’s efforts, as she has “an impossible job.”
The board voted 7-0 to approve her contract.
Formation of the Ad-Hoc Committee on Public Engagement
(memo link)
- Commissioner Gupta leading
- First meeting in January
- Goal is to rebuild public trust in BOE
First Reading: Strong Schools Resolution
(draft here)
The board stated that this resolution is not a plan in itself – it is an ask for the Superintendent to develop a strategic plan. As Commissioner Huling stated, It is not authorizing anything specific, including school closures.
- The strategic plan should deliver how to make every school a high achievement school, and have one available in each neighborhood.
- When the BOE gets that strategic plan, they (and the public) will be able to react to it.
Commissioner Alexander asked why we need the resolution, and Dr. Su asked the BOE to create alignment and clear expectations around it.