The union representing thousands of teachers in San Francisco Unified is urging the district to keep all of its schools open even as it looks to address a looming budget deficit.
Last week, SFUSD announced plans to consider closing several school sites as the district faces a massive budget shortfall and declining enrollment. But union leaders say that the district should look to other means to balance its budget, like consolidating managerial and administrative positions.
As enrollment has dipped, “SFUSD has increased central office administration,” United Educators of San Francisco President Cassondra Curiel said. “How can a district have fewer students but more managers in a right-sizing effort?”
Large urban school districts across the state are grappling with shifting trends in enrollment and community frustration when schools face threats of closure. In Oakland, school closures in 2022 prompted a historic teacher sit-in and hunger strike.
In San Francisco, roughly 4,000 fewer students are enrolled in the current school year compared with the 2012–13 school year, according to district data. The district projects it will lose an additional 4,600 students by 2032 based on declining birth rate trends and other demographic shifts.
California allocates funding for most schools based on the number of students in their seats, so drops in enrollment reduce funding for the district. SFUSD is also proposing additional cuts to reign in next year’s $100 million budget shortfall for the district.