SFUSD BOE Meeting Cheat Sheet – 10/28/2025
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.
10/28/2025 Regular Meeting: Monitoring Workshop at 6:30pm:
- Full meeting agenda on BoardDocs here.
- Zoom Link Here – Password: 822636.
- Agenda summary from SF Parent Coalition follows below.
SF PARENT’S SUMMARY:
SFUSD is “off track” in delivering high quality instruction to its students, based on its progress monitoring of Interim Guardrail 3.1.
STUDENT OUTCOME-RELATED AGENDA ITEMS
Item F.2 Interim Guardrail 3.1 Progress Monitoring (report link, presentation link)
The purpose of Interim Guardrail 3.1 is to ensure high-quality Tier 1 instruction in math and language arts—a key pillar of our SF Kids Can’t Wait campaign, which calls on SFUSD to implement high-quality curriculum with integrity in every classroom.
Targets vs. Current Results (September 2025)
- Reading Foundational Skills: Goal 65% → Actual 38%
Reading Comprehension: Goal 55% → Actual 34% - Math: Goal 80% → Actual 74%
Based on September classroom walkthroughs by external contractor, The New Teachers Project TNTP, SFUSD remains off track in ensuring that all students receive standards-aligned, grade-level content, especially in TK-5 literacy..
Key Findings
- Essential Content ratings in ELA declined; no K–2 classrooms showed decodable text practice, a key fidelity indicator of curriculum implementation.
- Math instruction improved slightly but less than half of classrooms showed a strong learning culture or consistent use of adopted materials.
- Only 25% of schools submitted PD plans and many began the year understaffed, particularly in special education—conditions that directly undermine consistent curriculum use.
SFUSD plans to deliver monthly professional learning for leaders and coaches, conduct Learning Walks to analyze instructional trends, and strengthen unit and lesson internalization so teachers can plan and adjust instruction using student data while maintaining curriculum integrity.
Our Take:
Strong Tier 1 instruction depends on staffing stability and support, high quality materials, and implementation with integrity. Schools with returning principals, full teams, and consistent coaching showed stronger instruction. To meet Guardrail 3.1—and our Kids Can’t Wait goal—SFUSD must urgently work to:
- Continue to ensure all schools are fully staffed and have completed PD plans ASAP.
- Guarantee full use of adopted reading and math materials and monitor implementation across all schools,
- Report publicly each quarter on curriculum implementation, staffing, and Essential Content progress toward the June 2026 targets.
Item G.2 Formation of the Ad-Hoc Committee on Progress Monitoring (memo link)
The Board is forming an ad-hoc committee to make progress monitoring more effective in terms of internal process, content of progress monitoring reports, and alignment with best practices described by the Council of Great City Schools. The ad-hoc committee will issue a document no later than June 2026 with recommendations.
Our Take:
We support the Board’s creation of this committee and urge members to center student learning, transparency, and accountability in its work. Families need clear, consistent reporting that connects SFUSD’s actions to student progress. This committee should result in a stronger progress monitoring system that holds both the Superintendent and the Board accountable for measurable improvement—especially in literacy and math outcomes tied to SF Parents’ Kids Can’t Wait campaign.
Questions We’re Asking:
- How will families and the public be engaged or informed as part of this committee’s review?
- Will the committee’s recommendations lead to standardized, public-facing progress reports by school site and student group?
- How will the Board ensure its own monitoring culture focuses on results, not just reports?
Item G.2 – Continued discussion: Defining Types of Board Decisions (memo here)
The Board will continue its conversation from last meeting on 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.