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, and 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.
4/28/2026 Regular Meeting: Monitoring Workshop at 6:30pm:
- Full meeting agenda on BoardDocs here.
- Zoom link here – Password: 411036.
- Agenda summary from SF Parent Coalition follows below.
SF PARENT’S SUMMARY:
- SFUSD is “partially off track” on Guardrail 2–Serving the Whole Child. Chronic absenteeism remains a major problem and African American students continue to be disproportionately suspended.
- Budget: SFUSD will be increasing employee salaries and benefits for 3 unions and unrepresented management but has not identified new recurring revenue to cover the $5 million in this additional cost
Item F.1 Progress Monitoring–Guardrail 2: Serving the Whole Child (presentation here and report here)
What is Guardrail 2?
Guardrail 2 ensures SFUSD supports the whole child, not just academics. Students are more likely to succeed when they are in school, feel connected, and experience fair and supportive environments. This is measured through attendance, belonging, and discipline.
Where does SFUSD stand?
SFUSD is partially off track overall.
- Chronic Absenteeism — OFF TRACK
- Target: 20% | Current: 23.6%
- Sense of Belonging — ON TRACK
- Target: 80% | Current: 80%
- Disproportionate Discipline — PARTIALLY OFF TRACK
- Target: 6.6% | Current: 9.13%
Our Take
Students cannot learn if they are not in school. SFUSD’s chronic absenteeism remains too high and above the state average (21.6% vs. 17.1%), yet accountability for improvement is still limited.
- Key supports are not in place at every school. Some schools still have not submitted Coordinated Care Team (CCT) Plans, even though these are linked to lower absenteeism.
- Approaches to attendance are inconsistent. Some schools work with families to remove barriers; others rely on punitive responses. SFUSD should ensure all schools use strategies that actually improve attendance.
- Discipline disparities persist. African American students continue to be suspended at disproportionately high rates.
- Restorative Practices are not consistently implemented. Many schools still lack training, despite evidence that it improves school climate and reduces suspensions.
SFUSD should ensure consistent implementation of effective attendance strategies and make Restorative Practices a district-wide priority with clear accountability (see Item E.1).
Item G.1 Instructional Materials Adoption: Elementary and High School History/Social Studies Curriculum (presentation here)
SFUSD is recommending new History/Social Studies curriculum after a multi-year evaluation and pilot (2022–2026):
- K–5: InquirEd
- 9–12: McGraw-Hill (core subjects + AP) and Gibbs-Smith (Ethnic Studies – Voices, already in use this school year)
- No new curriculum is being adopted for grades 6–8 at this time. A separate process will happen in the future.
Estimated cost: ~$7.3M over 5 years, including materials and digital access.
This aligns with Guardrail 3, which requires curriculum to be high-quality, engaging, and accessible to all students.
What did the pilots show?
Strengths:
- Engaging, relevant content
- Strong inquiry and critical thinking
- Clear structure that supports teachers
Areas for growth:
- More support needed for diverse learners
- Teachers will need strong training and guidance to implement well
Our Take Kudos to the district for finally updating history and social studies curriculum after two decades. This is long overdue. When materials feel outdated, it is harder for students to engage. This update is an important step toward making learning more relevant. At the same time, adoption is just the first step. SFUSD needs a clear plan to ensure these materials are used consistently across classrooms, with strong support for teachers.
We also hope the district is thoughtful about the path forward on ethnic studies. All students can benefit academically and socially from learning about other cultures and backgrounds. Getting this right really matters for our kids.
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 SF 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 consistent, measurable action. Strong governance from the Board of Education is essential to restoring trust and delivering results for students. Commissioners must remain focused on student outcomes, fiscal responsibility, and transparency, and hold district leadership accountable for following through on commitments and delivering measurable progress.