Students, teachers and parents urge San Francisco school board to rescind staffing cuts; superintendent outlines adjustments and next steps

Dozens of students, teachers and parents told the San Francisco Board of Education on Tuesday that proposed budget changes and a revised staffing allocation threaten electives, newcomer programs and support staff at multiple middle schools. The board heard repeated appeals to preserve assistant principals, counselors, security staff and elective teachers — and to avoid forcing newcomers to transfer across the city.

"When I first heard about the budget cuts, I was sad," said Amelia Cook, a seventh grader at James Denman Middle School, one of many students who spoke during the public‑comment hour about the consequences of the district's proposed staffing model. Students described larger classes, the loss of electives such as band and art, and the loss of coaches who run school teams.

The testimony came amid a wider community pushback that included teachers and union leaders. Cassandra Curiel, president of United Educators of San Francisco, said bargaining is stalled and warned a lack of progress will hurt students: "We are at a stalemate in this negotiations and the clock is ticking," she said. Teachers and parents described cuts that, they said, disproportionately affect historically marginalized schools.

Superintendent Dr. Lamont Hsu and Deputy Superintendent Chris Mompanitis responded with a detailed fiscal and operational update. Mompanitis said a lower‑than‑expected state cost‑of‑living adjustment (COLA) will reduce ongoing revenues and that some of the governor's announced funding is one‑time only. "Our current costs in San Francisco Unified go up between 6 and 8 percent a year," he said, noting the statewide COLA calculation uses a national index and therefore understates local cost pressures. He estimated a roughly $9.8 million annual reduction tied to lowered COLA projections, offset in part by a projected $2.4 million increase in special education funding and about $15.5 million in one‑time state/discretionary funds.

Hsu said staff have already revised elements of the December staffing model after school‑level discussions. "As of December to where we are now, I have made some adjustments to the December staffing model allocation," she said, and added that social‑work positions were restored and the district found restricted funds to avoid complete elimination of security at any school.

Board members pressed for clear, site‑level impact analyses and more direct communication with families and principals. Several commissioners said they would require written impact assessments — showing how proposed staffing changes affect instructional minutes, program continuity and equity across schools — before supporting any layoff notices. Commissioner Fisher and others repeatedly asked staff to document differences between the December fiscal‑stabilization presentation and the January staffing allocations.

Superintendent Hsu and her team said they would pursue a series of next steps: continue line‑by‑line reconciliation of position control data, hold additional meetings with principals (Hsu proposed meeting all middle‑school principals within about 10 days), publish a budget‑development timeline and continue outreach through school‑site councils and other forums. Staff also outlined operational upgrades — including a new procurement system, electronic payments and a position‑control reconciliation scheduled before February — that the district says will improve transparency over time.

The board did not vote on the staffing model during the meeting. Several commissioners emphasized the difference between the board's governance role and the superintendent's operational authority, but said stronger documentation and community engagement are required before the board would approve layoffs or final budget decisions. President Phil Kim thanked the many students and families who showed up and said the district would continue the conversation during the budget development process.

The board extended the meeting past 10 p.m. to allow further discussion; no final layoffs or budget adoptions were approved at this session.