Newsletter November 19, 2021 (English)

By meredith | November 19, 2021

Dear Community,

We’re publishing a short newsletter this week because we know everyone is exhausted, including us. The holiday season is right around the corner, and the to-do lists are almost as long as your average school board meeting 😉 We’re happy to bring you some good SFUSD budget news this week.

If you look forward to receiving these newsletters every week, please make a donation now to support the important work of San Francisco Parent Coalition. Our organization is focused on grassroots advocacy and organizing dedicated to raising public school parent and family voices to center SFUSD decision making and administration on its students.

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And/or… if you are feeling more politically inclined, please donate to SF Parent Action which now engages in political advocacy activities including working towards policy change and electing candidates who support public school families and students.

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We remain a scrappy, grassroots organization that depends heavily on volunteer help and generous donations from parents & supporters like you to keep this important work moving forward. Thank you for your continued support, and for fighting for excellent public education for all kids in San Francisco!

Sincerely,

Meredith

Co-Founder & Parent Leader

School News

Budget good news! San Francisco. SFUSD will receive $123 million from Prop. G, which was passed by voters in 2018 but held up in court for the last few years. The Prop G win is big and helps with the budget in the near term, but since it’s a one-time gain, there’s still a structural deficit that the school board must address asap. Namely, a $146 million deficit in 2023. In addition, the state of California appears poised to release a significant new infusion of cash into the education budget. This pot of funding also won’t magically wipe away the SFUSD structural deficit. So, hopefully the Board of Education will use these funds to bridge the district to financial sustainability and not kick the can down the road, again.
Superintendent search process timeline. The school board has released a process and calendar for hiring the next SFUSD superintendent. Check out the schedule here.
Literacy program improvements with SFUSD. Thanks to everyone who came out on Wednesday night to learn more about literacy instruction at SFUSD and the plans underway to improve student reading outcomes, including an upcoming consultant audit of SFUSD’s literacy curriculum and materials. You asked excellent questions and we are all pleased that Dr. Priestly and Deputy Ford-Morthel from SFUSD’s leadership team are open to additional conversations with parents and educators on the topic. If you weren’t able to attend on Wednesday, click here to watch.
New Lowell admissions change court ruling. In a ruling released on Thursday, a judge found that the Board of Education violated meeting rules in the way it went about changing the admissions policy for Lowell High School. The judge ordered the school board to rescind its decision to make Lowell admissions a lottery system, so as of right now, the Lowell admission policy will revert to a selective testing system for the 2022-23 school year. However, the school board will have the power to make lottery policy again; it just has to do it properly. Read the full ruling here.
How to stop more people being killed and injured by vehicular violence. Like many, we’re upset by the senseless killing of a beloved educator in front of Sherman Elementary last week. If you want to help be part of the solution to stopping more deadly traffic violence in San Francisco, learn more about the ongoing Vision Zero effort, and support Vision Zero policies in your neighborhood. 💔