SFUSD public hearing sees waves of testimony urging higher pay and more paraeducators

The San Francisco Board of Education heard hours of public testimony calling for higher pay and immediate action to fill vacancies affecting classroom safety and special‑education services.

Union leaders and principals presenting under the banner of the United Administrators of San Francisco (UASF) told the board that administrators and site leaders are covering classrooms and working excessive hours because of vacancies, problems with the district's Empower timekeeping/payroll system, and what they described as last‑place wages for city work. UASF president Michael Essien said, “We can't be a first class city with last place wages,” and urged competitive compensation to retain site leaders and supervisors.

Principals reading anonymous testimonials described large increases in duties and frequent substituting in classrooms, which they said prevents them from performing core administrative tasks such as observations, evaluations and planning. Grattan Elementary principal Kate Walter told the board that a lack of correct pay and benefits has forced administrators to spend additional evenings and weekends catching up on work.

Parents and paraeducators added that the shortage of paraprofessionals is leaving students with IEPs without legally required supports. Parent Lillian Lim said the district currently has “over 100 para position openings,” and other speakers described days when students were kept home because their para support was unavailable.

The board's superintendent and staff acknowledged the staffing shortfall and said wage and hiring strategies are part of ongoing bargaining and budget work. The public hearing served as the statutory "sunshine" sharing of initial bargaining proposals between SFUSD and UASF; the board took the proposals into the public record and accepted public comment on them.

The meeting included numerous calls for the district to prioritize funding for retention and recruitment of paraeducators and to expedite fixes to Empower‑related payroll problems that have delayed or reduced pay for some employees. Members of other labor groups (including SEIU Local 1021) and parents said they stand in solidarity with administrators and paras in seeking wage increases and better implementation of payroll systems.

The board did not take immediate action on the bargaining proposals at the meeting; the presentation, public comments and the union's initial proposals are part of the formal negotiation record that will continue in subsequent bargaining sessions.