SFUSD BOE Meeting Cheat Sheet – 10/14/25

SFUSD BOE Meeting Cheat Sheet – 10/14/2025

Public commenting is an important opportunity to make your powerful voice heard. 

Let the S.F. Board of Education and SFUSD Leadership know how parents and caregivers feel, how the district can do better for our city’s kids, our teachers, our schools!  
Learn more about how to attend a meeting or make a public comment here..

Please note that as SF Parents is focused on our core issues, we only do
the summary/takes on the most pertinent agenda items related to our advocacy campaigns.
If you see that something on the BOE agenda is omitted, it is likely for this reason.

10/14/2025 Regular Meeting at 6:30pm:

• Full meeting agenda on BoardDocs here. 
• Zoom Link Here – Password: 235843.
• Agenda summary from SF Parent Coalition follows below.

SF PARENT’S SUMMARY: 

SFUSD now knows how much it actually spent during FY 2024-25. Analyzing what was budgeted for FY 2024-25 vs. how much was actually spent reveals significant challenges for FY 2026-27 budget development. SFUSD is also sharing School Plans for Student Achievement (SPSAs). 

BUDGET-RELATED AGENDA ITEMS

Item F.1   Approval of  the Unaudited Financial Reports for SFUSD for Fiscal Year 2024-25 (variance report presentation link, report link)

• SFUSD is required to submit a financial report called Unaudited Actuals showing funds actually received (revenues) and spent (expenditures) during FY 2024-25. 
• Analysis of the FY 2024-25 Unaudited Actuals shows that SFUSD has a high variance (difference between what was budgeted and the actual revenues and expenditures), suggesting it has not followed best practices in how it develops its budget and how it accounts for revenue and expenditures.
  • While all budgets are estimates, SFUSD’s General Fund variances are extreme:
    • 39% variance between the General Fund budgeted ($336 million) vs. actual ($466 million) beginning fund balance 
    • 129% variance between the General Fund budgeted ($187 million) vs. actual ($429 million) ending fund balance 
  • SFUSD’s new Deputy Superintendent of Business Services and Operations, Chris Mount-Benites, has identified budgeting weaknesses that can cause such large variances:
    • Employee compensation: positions in the budget are going unfilled, additional positions are added during the FY that are unlikely to be filled, and identification of funding is made after (rather than before) new salary increases are negotiated.
    • Supplies and contracts: schools and program offices appear to be “rolling over” budget requests from the past without verifying their need. This means schools and programs are requesting much more in their budgets than they are able to spend in a fiscal year.
  • Mr. Mount-Benites has recommended several actions that will be implemented in the next two budget cycles, including:
    • Ensuring the position control system accurately reflects the number of employees that are needed
    • Ensuring department, program, and school site budget submissions truly reflect what is needed and can be acted upon in the requested FY
    • Implementing internal controls to update revenues and reconcile expenditures accurately, consistently, and timely.

Our Take: We welcome the Deputy Superintendent’s variance analysis and agree that SFUSD must urgently fix its budgeting practices to restore public trust. Large discrepancies between what’s budgeted and what’s actually spent highlight serious internal control and planning problems that have contributed to the district’s ongoing fiscal crisis.

Questions we’re asking:

• How will lessons from this variance report shape the upcoming 2025–26 budget development process?
• What’s the timeline and accountability plan for implementing internal controls and staff training to prevent future discrepancies?
• How will SFUSD communicate transparently with families to rebuild trust in the district’s financial reporting?

STUDENT OUTCOME-RELATED AGENDA ITEMS

Item H.9   Presentation of SFUSD 2025-26 School Plans for Student Achievement (item link)

CA Education Code and federal Every Student Succeeds Act requires SFUSD is required to submit annual School Plans for Student Achievement (SPSAs), a strategic document that describes each school’s planned actions and budget to improve student academic performance and other key outcomes. 

Our Take: SPSAs are key accountability documents that families should review for their children’s schools. Questions we’re asking:

• How will SFUSD monitor whether schools’ student achievement goals are being met during the year? What data will be shared publicly so families can track progress throughout the year? What are examples or bright spots across the District that review their SPSA on-going and adjust?
  

Item I.1 – Discussion: Defining Types of Board Decisions Materials here.
The Board will discuss a new framework that clarifies how decisions are made across SFUSD—whether by the Board, the Superintendent, or district staff. The goal is to improve transparency, accountability, and consistency in decision-making. This is a discussion only (no vote) item. Why it matters: Clear decision-making processes help parents and the public understand who is responsible for what and when community input can shape district priorities and actions.

Our Take: We support the Board’s efforts to define decision-making roles and expectations. Clearer governance builds trust, transparency, and accountability..

As a reminder – SF Parents’ community continues to demand from SFUSD:

AN INCREASED, DEMONSTRATED FOCUS ON STUDENTS:
We want to see the district’s clear plan and commitment to a baseline of excellence and equity across every SFUSD school. Without clarity, analysis, and follow-through on how decisions impact student outcomes, it’s impossible to know if SFUSD is truly prioritizing what matters most—student learning and success. Through our Kids Can’t Wait campaign, families continue to call for urgent improvements in literacy and math outcomes for SFUSD.

GREATER TRANSPARENCY AND COMMUNITY ACCESSIBILITY:
Families deserve open, honest communication about how decisions are made and how funds are spent. SFUSD must provide clear data and impact analysis for all major initiatives, including how they support student achievement. The Board should not approve budgets or plans without confidence in their accuracy or their impact on teaching and learning.

REAL ACCOUNTABILITY AND STRONG GOVERNANCE:

SFUSD must move beyond promises to measurable action and consistent reporting. Strong governance by the Board of Education is critical—commissioners must stay focused on student outcomes, fiscal responsibility, and transparency while ensuring that district leadership delivers results. The district committed to updating the Fiscal and Operational Health Dashboard last year but has yet to deliver. We call on the Board to reinstate that commitment and require monthly updates until the budget is solvent. Fiscal topics from the former Ad Hoc Committee should also return as standing items in all regular Board meetings to ensure transparency and accountability.