San Fran will close schools due to dramatic drops in enrollment

Now is the time to do right by the taxpayers, parents and students in SFUSD.  Close unneeded schools.

““Demographic trends, such as declining birth rates, indicate that SFUSD could lose 4,600 additional students by 2032,” district administrators wrote.

The population drop has spread resources thin across school sites. SFUSD has the capacity to serve 14,000 more students than it actually has. Many elementary schools only have enough students to fill one classroom per grade level.”

Taxes are financing the facilities and staff for the unused 14,000 students.  In private industry facilities would be closed—but this is government—it wastes money just for the hell of it.

San Francisco will close schools due to dramatic drops in enrollment

by: Amy Larson, Sara Stinson, KRON,  8/27/24  https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/san-francisco-will-close-schools-due-to-dramatic-drops-in-enrollment/SHARE

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — San Francisco is poised to close some of its public schools in the 2025-2026 school year. The San Francisco Unified School District’s enrollment dropped by 4,000 children within the past decade. Looking forward, student enrollment will continue plummeting, according to data released by district officials on Tuesday.

“Demographic trends, such as declining birth rates, indicate that SFUSD could lose 4,600 additional students by 2032,” district administrators wrote.

The population drop has spread resources thin across school sites. SFUSD has the capacity to serve 14,000 more students than it actually has. Many elementary schools only have enough students to fill one classroom per grade level.

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At Tuesday’s school board meeting, Superintendent Matt Wayne will provide an update on the district’s process for developing a “new school portfolio” for the 2025-26 school year, which includes closures, officials said.

A portfolio showing which schools will remain open, close, or merge, will be revealed to the public on September 18, according to SFUSD.

SFUSD created multiple draft scenarios for which schools will remain open and which will close using a composite score for each school as a starting point. Composite scores were calculated based on three criteria: equity, excellence, and effective use of resources.

“We are putting the highest level of care and sensitivity into this process, and SFUSD is one of the only school districts in the country to name equity as a key factor when changing its school portfolio,” Wayne said.

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“We know this process will be difficult, but we need to stay focused on creating a district set up for long-term stability where all schools are fully enrolled, fully resourced, and provide every student with a strong and supportive learning environment,” the superintendent said.

SFUSD administrators wrote, “Staffing shortages significantly affect the day-to-day operations of schools. In 2022-23 and at the start of 2023-24, at least 15% of classrooms were staffed by substitute teachers or teachers on special assignment, which is also expected to be the case on the first day of the 2024-25 school year on Aug. 19. When SFUSD has fewer classrooms, the district will have a much better chance of ensuring every classroom has a qualified teacher.”

The board of education will vote to finalize the portfolio plan in December, and the changes will take effect in the 2025-26 school year.

KRON4 reached out to SFUSD, the California Department of Education and the UESF Teacher’s Union for comment and received the following responses:

SFUSD: SFUSD continues to work collaboratively with our fiscal advisors and labor partners to hire for vacant positions. The escalated state oversight has further highlighted the need for SFUSD to take corrective action to eliminate deficit spending and implement sustainable financial practices. We all share the goal of returning SFUSD’s budget to local control.

California Department of Education: The advisors appointed by the California Department of Education are not preventing the hiring of any fully funded student-facing positions. CDE advisors have not exercised stay-and-rescind authority to prevent the hiring of any position. 

The role of the CDE advisors is to ensure that all educators and staff hired by SFUSD can be paid for the full course of the school year. To that end, CDE advisors have been working in partnership with SFUSD throughout the summer to verify the funding of all positions so that employees can be hired and paid. 

Throughout this process, CDE advisors and SFUSD leadership have prioritized verifying classroom-facing positions first to minimize any impact on students and student learning. Following conversation with UESF leadership, SFUSD and CDE advisors are also accelerating the verification of special education paraprofessionals to support the full staffing of special education classrooms with UESF members. 

CDE will continue to work with SFUSD to support the district’s improvement of systems for managing budget and personnel so that San Francisco’s students and educators have the stability that a healthy learning environment requires. 

UESF Teacher’s Union: The CDE is currently blocking the hiring of critical school staff, including counselors, nurses, social workers, and psychologists, despite budget allocations already in place for these positions.

Many SFUSD schools are grappling with severe staffing shortages, leaving students without essential support services. These delays are exacerbating the challenges faced by students, particularly in the wake of the ongoing mental health crisis following the pandemic. Educators are committed to ensuring that schools are fully staffed to meet the needs of every student, and they are calling on the CDE to remove the bureaucratic barriers preventing these necessary hires.

With over 100 classroom vacancies at the start of the school year, delaying the hiring of critical support staff is unacceptable and detrimental to student well-being. The press conference will highlight the urgent need for action and provide a platform for educators to voice their concerns.