SFUSD has a massive loss of students. It will continue for several more years. They are running a massive deficit, and that is getting worse. So, they highest paid need to go—and those are the teachers with seniority.
“SFUSD Superintendent Maria Su and the San Francisco Board of Education are looking to cut $113 million — roughly 10% — from the school district’s $1.3 billion operating budget.
Nearly 1,400 San Francisco Unified School District employees are eligible for voluntary buyouts the school board approved this week in an effort to stave off the bankruptcy — and subsequent state takeover — of The City’s public-school system.
The San Francisco Board of Education on Tuesday approved a benefits package aimed to incentivize early retirement for employees 55 and older who have worked for at least five consecutive years in the district.”
Nearly 1,400 SFUSD workers eligible for early-retirement buyouts
By Allyson Aleksey, SF Examiner, 12/11/24 https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/education/sfusd-offers-early-retirement-buyouts-amid-budget-crunch/article_e2db4d46-b80e-11ef-9f06-c78b58261650.html
SFUSD Superintendent Maria Su and the San Francisco Board of Education are looking to cut $113 million — roughly 10% — from the school district’s $1.3 billion operating budget.
Nearly 1,400 San Francisco Unified School District employees are eligible for voluntary buyouts the school board approved this week in an effort to stave off the bankruptcy — and subsequent state takeover — of The City’s public-school system.
The San Francisco Board of Education on Tuesday approved a benefits package aimed to incentivize early retirement for employees 55 and older who have worked for at least five consecutive years in the district.
In total, 1,372 employees are eligible for early retirement, according to a district presentation. SFUSD had 8,643 total employees in the 2023-24 school year, according to the district, leaving around 17% of the public-school system’s workforce eligible.
The move comes as the San Francisco Unified School District, under new Superintendent Maria Su and a transitioning school board, seeks $113 million in budget cuts to fend off potential school closures. Although the plan introduced by former Superintendent Matt Wayne has been tabled, the new board and superintendent could revisit shuttering schools if planned staff reductions, budget cuts and incentivizing early retirement don’t collectively reach the cost-cutting goal.
District employees who choose early retirement must officially retire no later than June 30, submitting irrevocable letters of participation by Feb. 21. The Supplemental Employee Retirement Plan, as the package is known, provides a one-time payment totaling 60% of their salary in their final year of employment and continued retirement benefits.
SFUSD can “rescind the plan” if the total number of accepted buyouts do “not meet the operational and financial goals of the District,” according to the text of the resolution passed Tuesday.
A presentation issued to the school board that night indicated 314 district staffers must accept buyouts for the initiative to be financially viable.
Outgoing educators who choose the early retirement package might have their positions eliminated altogether or be replaced by a lower-paid educators or staff members.
United Educators of San Francisco President Cassondra Curiel, who leads the union representing teachers in the district, said understaffing at schools remains an issue even halfway through the academic year. Parents voiced concerns at Tuesday’s meeting that some classes have been staffed by temporary or noncertified teachers for the entirety of the current school year.
“When we have understaffed classrooms, [students] aren’t able to come to school safe,” Curiel said. “I’m watching issues happen. My members are taking care of their students as much as they can, and we know there aren’t enough people.”
Superintendent Su said Tuesday that this is the first year SFUSD is staffing based on its student population. The California Department of Education, which is currently advising the district on fiscal reductions, recommended that SFUSD continue to assess and adjust staffing needs and facilities planning for the upcoming years based on the projected — and currently declining — rate of enrollment.
The district is currently in the process of mapping out enrollment projections, but it will need to revise its staffing model when Gov. Gavin Newsom’s draft state budget is published next month.
“We are trying to align the needs of a school with the amount of money we have,” Su said.
SFUSD will need to send state education officials a plan next week on how it will cut roughly 10% of its $1.3 billion operating budget. Su’s balanced-budget plan includes upcoming staff reductions — totaling more than 500 positions — a non-essential staff hiring freeze, and the newly approved retirement-incentive package.
While the teachers union and parents on Tuesday pressed against upcoming staff cuts, UESF Vice President Frank Lara said the district’s transparency under new leadership is a welcome change.
“For the first time, we feel we’re actually seeing the numbers in the budget,” he said. “We don’t like what we see, but we’re seeing it.”
In a statement after the board meeting, Su said the district is “making the difficult choices now,” so that SFUSD will be fiscally solvent within two years.
“While no decisions have been made yet regarding specific staffing reductions, I recognize the impact this has on people’s lives,” she said. “I am committed to ensuring these changes are made with compassion, honesty, and clarity, so that we can continue to deliver on our mission of providing students with the quality education and equitable support required to thrive in the 21st century.”
