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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 10 a.m. Wednesday\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>’s school board unanimously rejected a petition on Tuesday to open a kindergarten-through-eighth-grade Mandarin Immersion school in the city next fall, citing concerns with the parent-led effort’s educational model and the new school’s financial impact on the cash-strapped district.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After two hours of debate, the board voted 7-0 to deny the charter, following the recommendation of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sfusd\">San Francisco Unified School District\u003c/a> staff, which said they didn’t believe the plan was “workable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to concerns about the educational model and feasibility of the plan, staff also wrote in a report earlier this month that the school could siphon away funding the district can’t stand to lose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At full scale, Dragon Gate Academy would serve approximately 396 students and could lead to a loss of funding in excess of $5 million annually,” the report reads. “SFUSD … is not positioned to absorb the impact of the proposed charter school.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rejection isn’t the end of the road for the charter petitioners — they can still appeal to the state, and seem prepared to do so. Here’s what’s happened in the saga so far and what could be coming next.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12036911\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12036911\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The San Francisco Unified School District Administrative Offices in San Francisco on April 18, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Catch up fast:\u003c/strong> In June, a group of parents, led by Brian Hollinger, submitted a petition to the San Francisco Board of Education, seeking a charter to open and operate \u003ca href=\"https://www.dragongateacademy.org/\">Dragon Gate Academy\u003c/a> starting next fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The proposal argued that SFUSD has long lacked enough seats in Mandarin immersion classrooms and that the current model, which separates elementary and middle school students, makes commuting a challenge for families. Currently, the district offers just 66 seats across two elementary schools to incoming kindergarteners each year, with two-thirds reserved for native speakers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new school would nearly double that number in the next five years, opening to an estimated 154 students in grades K-4 next fall and expanding to 396 students in K-8 by the 2030-2031 school year.[aside postID=news_12048313 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/SanFranciscoK8SchoolGetty.jpg']The new school would teach students in both English and Mandarin, introducing some Cantonese “as a cultural feature” in fourth grade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What’s new: \u003c/strong>The school board held a public hearing to gauge support for the school in July, and issued a scathing staff report panning the application on Aug. 11.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That report urged the school board to deny the charter, citing concerns with its proposed methods to measure student achievement, ensure proper staffing, recruit a diverse student body and support special education students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Dragon Gate’s petition has about 200 signatures from parents of elementary-age children, the report also questions how broad their reach is.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It appears at most 16 members of the public, including some of the named petitioners, voiced support for the charter school,” at the public hearing, the report says. “Staff do not consider 16 members of the public as representing significant community support.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During Tuesday’s meeting, Hollinger said that some of the criticisms felt hypocritical because they stemmed from policies modeled by the district. He defended the school’s proposal and questioned whether some board members’ preconceived opinions of charter schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12053776\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12053776\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250818-SFUSDFirstDay-01_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250818-SFUSDFirstDay-01_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250818-SFUSDFirstDay-01_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250818-SFUSDFirstDay-01_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Students at Sanchez Elementary School in San Francisco arrive for their first day of the school year on Aug. 18, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The context: \u003c/strong>In the months since Dragon Gate submitted its proposal, SFUSD also unexpectedly announced plans to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12048313/san-francisco-unified-plans-new-mandarin-immersion-school-amid-charter-push\">launch its own K-8 Mandarin immersion school\u003c/a> by 2027, aided by an anonymous benefactor and led by former principal Liana Szeto.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Superintendent Maria Su said the move was part of her effort to expand specialized programs to meet a growing need for language immersion education and attract families to the district, but Hollinger believes the announcement was a direct response to Dragon Gate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery,” he said last week, speaking with reporters outside the district’s headquarters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some experts agree the district’s plan could strengthen the argument to deny the petition, but Hollinger said the news only energized his group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We didn’t slow down, we just felt incredibly validated,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What’s next: \u003c/strong>Charter school petitioners have a robust appeals process in California, and Dragon Gate is expected to take advantage of it now that the board has denied its proposal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under most jurisdictions, Dragon Gate would be required to appeal to a county board of education that oversees the petitioned school district, but since the school board in San Francisco — as a city and county — oversees both SFUSD and the county office of education, there is no independent county board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dragon Gate can appeal directly to the state Board of Education, which typically reviews charters as a last resort and can only reverse a local decision if it was erroneous or unreasonable. In this case, however, the state board will review the petition independently and decide whether to approve the school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That could work in Dragon Gate’s favor, since the state board has historically been more likely to grant charters than local boards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If Dragon Gate is approved by the state board of education, it would technically be the school’s oversight. But that doesn’t mean SFUSD would be off the hook financially — the district’s estimate that Dragon Gate could increase costs and intensify competition for students and staff still stands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"headline": "SF School Board Unanimously Denies Mandarin Immersion Charter",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 10 a.m. Wednesday\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>’s school board unanimously rejected a petition on Tuesday to open a kindergarten-through-eighth-grade Mandarin Immersion school in the city next fall, citing concerns with the parent-led effort’s educational model and the new school’s financial impact on the cash-strapped district.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After two hours of debate, the board voted 7-0 to deny the charter, following the recommendation of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sfusd\">San Francisco Unified School District\u003c/a> staff, which said they didn’t believe the plan was “workable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to concerns about the educational model and feasibility of the plan, staff also wrote in a report earlier this month that the school could siphon away funding the district can’t stand to lose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At full scale, Dragon Gate Academy would serve approximately 396 students and could lead to a loss of funding in excess of $5 million annually,” the report reads. “SFUSD … is not positioned to absorb the impact of the proposed charter school.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rejection isn’t the end of the road for the charter petitioners — they can still appeal to the state, and seem prepared to do so. Here’s what’s happened in the saga so far and what could be coming next.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12036911\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12036911\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The San Francisco Unified School District Administrative Offices in San Francisco on April 18, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Catch up fast:\u003c/strong> In June, a group of parents, led by Brian Hollinger, submitted a petition to the San Francisco Board of Education, seeking a charter to open and operate \u003ca href=\"https://www.dragongateacademy.org/\">Dragon Gate Academy\u003c/a> starting next fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The proposal argued that SFUSD has long lacked enough seats in Mandarin immersion classrooms and that the current model, which separates elementary and middle school students, makes commuting a challenge for families. Currently, the district offers just 66 seats across two elementary schools to incoming kindergarteners each year, with two-thirds reserved for native speakers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new school would nearly double that number in the next five years, opening to an estimated 154 students in grades K-4 next fall and expanding to 396 students in K-8 by the 2030-2031 school year.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The new school would teach students in both English and Mandarin, introducing some Cantonese “as a cultural feature” in fourth grade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What’s new: \u003c/strong>The school board held a public hearing to gauge support for the school in July, and issued a scathing staff report panning the application on Aug. 11.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That report urged the school board to deny the charter, citing concerns with its proposed methods to measure student achievement, ensure proper staffing, recruit a diverse student body and support special education students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Dragon Gate’s petition has about 200 signatures from parents of elementary-age children, the report also questions how broad their reach is.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It appears at most 16 members of the public, including some of the named petitioners, voiced support for the charter school,” at the public hearing, the report says. “Staff do not consider 16 members of the public as representing significant community support.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During Tuesday’s meeting, Hollinger said that some of the criticisms felt hypocritical because they stemmed from policies modeled by the district. He defended the school’s proposal and questioned whether some board members’ preconceived opinions of charter schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12053776\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12053776\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250818-SFUSDFirstDay-01_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250818-SFUSDFirstDay-01_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250818-SFUSDFirstDay-01_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250818-SFUSDFirstDay-01_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Students at Sanchez Elementary School in San Francisco arrive for their first day of the school year on Aug. 18, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The context: \u003c/strong>In the months since Dragon Gate submitted its proposal, SFUSD also unexpectedly announced plans to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12048313/san-francisco-unified-plans-new-mandarin-immersion-school-amid-charter-push\">launch its own K-8 Mandarin immersion school\u003c/a> by 2027, aided by an anonymous benefactor and led by former principal Liana Szeto.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Superintendent Maria Su said the move was part of her effort to expand specialized programs to meet a growing need for language immersion education and attract families to the district, but Hollinger believes the announcement was a direct response to Dragon Gate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery,” he said last week, speaking with reporters outside the district’s headquarters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some experts agree the district’s plan could strengthen the argument to deny the petition, but Hollinger said the news only energized his group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We didn’t slow down, we just felt incredibly validated,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What’s next: \u003c/strong>Charter school petitioners have a robust appeals process in California, and Dragon Gate is expected to take advantage of it now that the board has denied its proposal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under most jurisdictions, Dragon Gate would be required to appeal to a county board of education that oversees the petitioned school district, but since the school board in San Francisco — as a city and county — oversees both SFUSD and the county office of education, there is no independent county board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dragon Gate can appeal directly to the state Board of Education, which typically reviews charters as a last resort and can only reverse a local decision if it was erroneous or unreasonable. In this case, however, the state board will review the petition independently and decide whether to approve the school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That could work in Dragon Gate’s favor, since the state board has historically been more likely to grant charters than local boards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If Dragon Gate is approved by the state board of education, it would technically be the school’s oversight. But that doesn’t mean SFUSD would be off the hook financially — the district’s estimate that Dragon Gate could increase costs and intensify competition for students and staff still stands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated at 6:30 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On its \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12052399/a-new-school-year-begins-in-san-francisco-with-new-possibilities-and-problems\">first day of school last week\u003c/a>, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sfusd\">San Francisco Unified School District\u003c/a> announced that it had fully staffed schools — albeit some with substitute teachers — and was prepared for a year of smooth sailing, focused on the “basics.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that was far from the scene at Mission Education Center, a campus serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade for newly arrived Spanish-speaking immigrants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was just kind of a cacophony of catastrophe that first morning, because as the conversations unfolded throughout the morning, we realized to what extent the school was just severely understaffed,” said Jeremiah Mayfield, whose daughter started transitional kindergarten last week. The school recently expanded to add Spanish-immersion transitional kindergarten classrooms for the district’s youngest students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mayfield and a coalition of 13 other parents wrote in a letter to the district on Wednesday that when they and their 4-year-olds arrived on campus that morning, there was no smiling principal waiting to greet them. That role remains vacant, along with three classroom teaching positions and multiple paraeducator jobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are writing to raise urgent concerns about the unsafe and unacceptable conditions at Mission Education Center,” the letter reads. “We love SFUSD. We believe in public education. We trusted the system — and the system failed us and our children.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SFUSD said in a message to families Monday afternoon that it had offered the principal and pre-kindergarten teacher roles to candidates, and extended offers for instructional aide positions to three other people. It said it was still looking for two TK teachers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Please know that we see and understand these challenges, and we are truly grateful for your patience and partnership during this time,” the message, which the district shared with KQED, reads. “We are fully committed to providing the very best care and quality education to each of the 76 students enrolled at MEC.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12053561\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12053561\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250825-SFUSDMISSIONEDCENTER-08-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250825-SFUSDMISSIONEDCENTER-08-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250825-SFUSDMISSIONEDCENTER-08-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250825-SFUSDMISSIONEDCENTER-08-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Mission Education Center, a bilingual elementary school in the San Francisco Unified School District, in San Francisco’s Noe Valley neighborhood, on Aug. 25, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>After the children lined up and were led to their classrooms, the site’s interim principal — who himself has been teaching one of the classes, according to Mayfield — corralled worried parents in the cafeteria.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t have teachers. We don’t have staff. We are scrambling to try to get resources here the rest of the week,” Mayfield recalled the interim leader saying. “It’s going to be pretty chaotic and pretty much adjusting targets every day.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mayfield said before the school year started, his daughter’s class had been assigned a teacher, a longtime bilingual educator in SFUSD who taught older classes prior to this year. He met her during a back-to-school event the previous week, but on the first day, she wasn’t there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The parents showed up and we’re being told, ‘[This teacher’s] class line up here,’” Mayfield said. “We’re lined up, and this woman is in the front of the line, and I said, ‘Well, that’s not [our teacher]. I met her on Friday. Who is this?’[aside postID=news_12052579 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/teacher-with-a-little-girl-with-glasses.jpg']“That’s when we found out, oh, this is a substitute,” he continued.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mayfield said the school later told him and other parents that the teacher who was assigned to the classroom didn’t have the necessary early education training, and that they were working all week to “get her credentialed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, his daughter has had three substitutes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She’s progressively gotten worse and worse about wanting to go in after they line up in the morning — crying, hugging me, saying to me, ‘I don’t know who those people are,’” Mayfield said. “It’s hard to see your kid … you want them to have a great educational experience. You want her to love school. You want her to feel safe at school. And literally she’s showing up every day, and she doesn’t know who’s going to be her teacher.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mission Education Center has operated for years as a small pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade campus meant to serve as a transitional school for newly arrived immigrant students, helping them get up to speed with the district’s grade-level learning standards and move into general education classrooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SFUSD announced \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppssf.org/news/the-sfusd-transitional-kindergarten-program-is-opening-six-new-sites-in-2022-2023\">it would introduce\u003c/a> Spanish immersion TK at MEC for the 2022–23 school year, and last year, the site had \u003ca href=\"https://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/dqcensus/enrgrdlevels.aspx?cds=38684786089585&agglevel=School&year=2024-25&ro=y\">47 TK students\u003c/a>, according to state data. Mayfield explained the site as almost containing two separate schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12051869\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12051869\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250418-SFUSD-04-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250418-SFUSD-04-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250418-SFUSD-04-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250418-SFUSD-04-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The San Francisco Unified School District Administrative Offices in San Francisco on April 18, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The early education expansion appears to be where most of MEC’s staffing issues are.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As of Friday, two of the three TK classes and the pre-kindergarten didn’t have permanent teachers, according to parents. All but one paraeducator position across those classrooms — since state staffing rules say each group of 20 TKers should have two supervising adults — were still vacant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Mayfield said he and other parents were assured that a principal had been hired in June and was being onboarded over the summer, the interim principal said last week that the position hadn’t been filled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The letter from concerned parents to the district said that on the first day, one paraeducator floated between three rooms. By Wednesday, the district had sent in central office employees as support, Mayfield said.[aside postID=news_12052609 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/240520-TKParentsDilemma-32-BL_qed.jpg']The letter also said that on the first day, parents anxiously lingering around the school until midmorning saw one child go to the bathroom alone, while others were left in the halls. They say they had to step in to lead early morning circle time for a group of TK kids. Substitute staff sent to teach the Spanish immersion classes, which include some children who only speak Spanish fluently, don’t have the necessary language skills, according to multiple parents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These conditions are unsafe, inequitable, and a violation of the state’s expectations for early education,” the parents wrote in their letter. “On-site staff have been transparent and honest about these challenges to us and are doing their best — and for this, we are grateful, we applaud them — but this clearly needs immediate support from the district.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lucia Gonzalezz Ippolito’s daughter, who started TK last week, had been in a Spanish Immersion preschool for the last two years. She said that the program was great, and her daughter could have continued there for one more year before enrolling in kindergarten, but she felt pressure to put her in TK at SFUSD so she would have a better chance of getting one of the district’s competitive Spanish immersion spots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If I want her in a Spanish immersion program, I have to stay in MEC,” Gonzalez Ippolito said. “If you go to a regular TK or if you stay in preschool, then you’ll probably be like number 50 on the wait list.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since she took the helm as superintendent last year, Maria Su has said that one of her goals is to expand the district’s TK offerings, first \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12052609/as-transitional-kindergarten-opens-to-all-4-year-olds-sf-parents-compete-for-seats\">adding 16 classrooms this year\u003c/a>, and looking at potential locations for more early education programs in the future to meet enrollment demands. This fall, an influx of applications to the grade level, which California now guarantees access to for all students, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12031802/san-francisco-public-schools-see-surge-applications-thanks-transitional-kindergarten-demand\">boosted the district’s struggling enrollment\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, “if you’re going to focus and make this an early education hub and have multiple classes of TKs there, you need to give it the attention that it deserves,” Mayfield said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the parents’ letter, a follow-up message on Friday morning, and more individual emails asking district leaders for information throughout the week, Mayfield said parents finally got a response from SFUSD’s assistant superintendent of early education late Friday morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are working closely with HR to address the staffing needs at MEC, and by end of day Monday, we will be able to share additional updates regarding staffing plans and next steps,” Christie Herrera wrote in the message shared with KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While parents wait to see what those updates will be, Mayfield said it feels like too little, too late.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If this is the way that the district acts and carries itself and works with parents, then I understand why parents don’t trust the district,” he told KQED. “I understand why the district has the reputation that they do for being very mismanaged and chaotic and disorganized and probably wasteful. It just feels like the district is there to try to protect the district, and nobody’s thinking about the kids.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated at 6:30 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On its \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12052399/a-new-school-year-begins-in-san-francisco-with-new-possibilities-and-problems\">first day of school last week\u003c/a>, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sfusd\">San Francisco Unified School District\u003c/a> announced that it had fully staffed schools — albeit some with substitute teachers — and was prepared for a year of smooth sailing, focused on the “basics.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that was far from the scene at Mission Education Center, a campus serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade for newly arrived Spanish-speaking immigrants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was just kind of a cacophony of catastrophe that first morning, because as the conversations unfolded throughout the morning, we realized to what extent the school was just severely understaffed,” said Jeremiah Mayfield, whose daughter started transitional kindergarten last week. The school recently expanded to add Spanish-immersion transitional kindergarten classrooms for the district’s youngest students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mayfield and a coalition of 13 other parents wrote in a letter to the district on Wednesday that when they and their 4-year-olds arrived on campus that morning, there was no smiling principal waiting to greet them. That role remains vacant, along with three classroom teaching positions and multiple paraeducator jobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are writing to raise urgent concerns about the unsafe and unacceptable conditions at Mission Education Center,” the letter reads. “We love SFUSD. We believe in public education. We trusted the system — and the system failed us and our children.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SFUSD said in a message to families Monday afternoon that it had offered the principal and pre-kindergarten teacher roles to candidates, and extended offers for instructional aide positions to three other people. It said it was still looking for two TK teachers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Please know that we see and understand these challenges, and we are truly grateful for your patience and partnership during this time,” the message, which the district shared with KQED, reads. “We are fully committed to providing the very best care and quality education to each of the 76 students enrolled at MEC.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12053561\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12053561\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250825-SFUSDMISSIONEDCENTER-08-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250825-SFUSDMISSIONEDCENTER-08-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250825-SFUSDMISSIONEDCENTER-08-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250825-SFUSDMISSIONEDCENTER-08-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Mission Education Center, a bilingual elementary school in the San Francisco Unified School District, in San Francisco’s Noe Valley neighborhood, on Aug. 25, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>After the children lined up and were led to their classrooms, the site’s interim principal — who himself has been teaching one of the classes, according to Mayfield — corralled worried parents in the cafeteria.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t have teachers. We don’t have staff. We are scrambling to try to get resources here the rest of the week,” Mayfield recalled the interim leader saying. “It’s going to be pretty chaotic and pretty much adjusting targets every day.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mayfield said before the school year started, his daughter’s class had been assigned a teacher, a longtime bilingual educator in SFUSD who taught older classes prior to this year. He met her during a back-to-school event the previous week, but on the first day, she wasn’t there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The parents showed up and we’re being told, ‘[This teacher’s] class line up here,’” Mayfield said. “We’re lined up, and this woman is in the front of the line, and I said, ‘Well, that’s not [our teacher]. I met her on Friday. Who is this?’\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“That’s when we found out, oh, this is a substitute,” he continued.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mayfield said the school later told him and other parents that the teacher who was assigned to the classroom didn’t have the necessary early education training, and that they were working all week to “get her credentialed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, his daughter has had three substitutes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She’s progressively gotten worse and worse about wanting to go in after they line up in the morning — crying, hugging me, saying to me, ‘I don’t know who those people are,’” Mayfield said. “It’s hard to see your kid … you want them to have a great educational experience. You want her to love school. You want her to feel safe at school. And literally she’s showing up every day, and she doesn’t know who’s going to be her teacher.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mission Education Center has operated for years as a small pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade campus meant to serve as a transitional school for newly arrived immigrant students, helping them get up to speed with the district’s grade-level learning standards and move into general education classrooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SFUSD announced \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppssf.org/news/the-sfusd-transitional-kindergarten-program-is-opening-six-new-sites-in-2022-2023\">it would introduce\u003c/a> Spanish immersion TK at MEC for the 2022–23 school year, and last year, the site had \u003ca href=\"https://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/dqcensus/enrgrdlevels.aspx?cds=38684786089585&agglevel=School&year=2024-25&ro=y\">47 TK students\u003c/a>, according to state data. Mayfield explained the site as almost containing two separate schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12051869\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12051869\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250418-SFUSD-04-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250418-SFUSD-04-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250418-SFUSD-04-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250418-SFUSD-04-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The San Francisco Unified School District Administrative Offices in San Francisco on April 18, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The early education expansion appears to be where most of MEC’s staffing issues are.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As of Friday, two of the three TK classes and the pre-kindergarten didn’t have permanent teachers, according to parents. All but one paraeducator position across those classrooms — since state staffing rules say each group of 20 TKers should have two supervising adults — were still vacant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Mayfield said he and other parents were assured that a principal had been hired in June and was being onboarded over the summer, the interim principal said last week that the position hadn’t been filled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The letter from concerned parents to the district said that on the first day, one paraeducator floated between three rooms. By Wednesday, the district had sent in central office employees as support, Mayfield said.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The letter also said that on the first day, parents anxiously lingering around the school until midmorning saw one child go to the bathroom alone, while others were left in the halls. They say they had to step in to lead early morning circle time for a group of TK kids. Substitute staff sent to teach the Spanish immersion classes, which include some children who only speak Spanish fluently, don’t have the necessary language skills, according to multiple parents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These conditions are unsafe, inequitable, and a violation of the state’s expectations for early education,” the parents wrote in their letter. “On-site staff have been transparent and honest about these challenges to us and are doing their best — and for this, we are grateful, we applaud them — but this clearly needs immediate support from the district.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lucia Gonzalezz Ippolito’s daughter, who started TK last week, had been in a Spanish Immersion preschool for the last two years. She said that the program was great, and her daughter could have continued there for one more year before enrolling in kindergarten, but she felt pressure to put her in TK at SFUSD so she would have a better chance of getting one of the district’s competitive Spanish immersion spots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If I want her in a Spanish immersion program, I have to stay in MEC,” Gonzalez Ippolito said. “If you go to a regular TK or if you stay in preschool, then you’ll probably be like number 50 on the wait list.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since she took the helm as superintendent last year, Maria Su has said that one of her goals is to expand the district’s TK offerings, first \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12052609/as-transitional-kindergarten-opens-to-all-4-year-olds-sf-parents-compete-for-seats\">adding 16 classrooms this year\u003c/a>, and looking at potential locations for more early education programs in the future to meet enrollment demands. This fall, an influx of applications to the grade level, which California now guarantees access to for all students, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12031802/san-francisco-public-schools-see-surge-applications-thanks-transitional-kindergarten-demand\">boosted the district’s struggling enrollment\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, “if you’re going to focus and make this an early education hub and have multiple classes of TKs there, you need to give it the attention that it deserves,” Mayfield said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the parents’ letter, a follow-up message on Friday morning, and more individual emails asking district leaders for information throughout the week, Mayfield said parents finally got a response from SFUSD’s assistant superintendent of early education late Friday morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are working closely with HR to address the staffing needs at MEC, and by end of day Monday, we will be able to share additional updates regarding staffing plans and next steps,” Christie Herrera wrote in the message shared with KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While parents wait to see what those updates will be, Mayfield said it feels like too little, too late.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If this is the way that the district acts and carries itself and works with parents, then I understand why parents don’t trust the district,” he told KQED. “I understand why the district has the reputation that they do for being very mismanaged and chaotic and disorganized and probably wasteful. It just feels like the district is there to try to protect the district, and nobody’s thinking about the kids.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12052399/a-new-school-year-begins-in-san-francisco-with-new-possibilities-and-problems\">first day of school was in full swing\u003c/a> in San Francisco on Monday morning — packed buses squeezed down neighborhood streets, parents walked hand in hand with kids loaded down by new backpacks, and music and excited chatter poured out of the schoolyard at Sanchez Elementary in the Mission District.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fourth-grader Leilani stood by the school’s front door, eager to begin all of the learning in store in math class this year, while third-graders Miles and Miguel reunited on the play yard, their moms hoping they’d run out the first-day jitters before the morning bell rang.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Get it all out before class,” they yelled to the boys as they sped across the turf-covered blacktop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These kids have all been in the same cohort together going all the way through, so they’re really excited to be back with their friends,” said Miles’ mom, Lindsey Husband. “We have a really strong community here, and our principal really holds things together. Everyone that works at Sanchez is just so great. We’re lucky to be a part of it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From the familiar greetings that teachers and Principal Ann Marin — joined by Superintendent Maria Su and Mayor Daniel Lurie — gave nearly 300 transitional kindergarten through fifth grade students streaming onto the well-loved campus, it didn’t look like much had changed within the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sfusd\">San Francisco Unified School District\u003c/a> since this time last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12052661\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12052661\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250818-SFUSDFIRSTDAY-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250818-SFUSDFIRSTDAY-02-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250818-SFUSDFIRSTDAY-02-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250818-SFUSDFIRSTDAY-02-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Students at Sanchez Elementary School in San Francisco arrive for their first day of the school year on Aug. 18, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>That’s how Su seems to want it. On the heels of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12044768/sf-school-district-unveils-balanced-budget-after-cutting-over-110-million-in-spending\">major budget concerns\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12010008/sf-schools-crisis-is-spiraling-with-top-official-to-resign-heres-all-thats-happened\">leadership changes\u003c/a>, and as a new set of unpredictable challenges from the federal government loomed, she assured students and parents that their school would be safe and stable this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Over the last several months, your principal, your teachers, your social worker, your counselor have all been working to make sure that we start the school year great,” she told the families gathered for a morning meeting just after 8 a.m. “We come together to make sure that we continue on the wonderful thing that we already started last year.”[aside postID=news_12052399 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/241023-SFUSDSuperintendent-12-BL_qed-1.jpg']While the energy was high, SFUSD is emerging from a challenging few years since the COVID-19 pandemic. Funding shortfalls, declining enrollment, and strife between educators and leadership have plagued the district.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last fall, then-Superintendent Matt Wayne resigned after a poorly executed attempt to close schools, and in the spring, the district cut 400 staff positions to balance a $114 million budget deficit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After related \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12017631/embattled-sf-school-district-offer-hundreds-buyouts-potential-layoffs\">employee buyouts\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040756/sfusd-reverses-over-150-layoffs-but-hiring-teachers-may-still-be-an-uphill-battle\">layoffs\u003c/a>, there won’t be quite as many adults on campuses this fall, but Su told reporters that there will be more permanent classroom teachers on Monday than there have been on the first day in recent years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly 95% of district classrooms have a permanent, certificated teacher, leaving just about 50 with substitutes. Last year, nearly 100 classrooms were without permanent educators, and in 2023, it was more than 140.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Su also said kinks in the district’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12051862/sf-teachers-are-yet-again-having-payroll-issues-just-after-launch-of-costly-new-system\">new payroll system\u003c/a> were under control after more than 100 educators reported struggles to get proper payment since it launched last month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12052663\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12052663\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250818-SFUSDFIRSTDAY-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250818-SFUSDFIRSTDAY-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250818-SFUSDFIRSTDAY-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250818-SFUSDFIRSTDAY-04-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Superintendent Maria Su speaks to students at Sanchez Elementary School on the first day of classes for the new school year in San Francisco on Aug. 18, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As for threats from outside the district, including growing fears among the large immigrant community in SFUSD that federal enforcement officers could target schools, Su said she is collaborating with city and state leaders to protect campuses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“SFUSD is a sanctuary district that is within a sanctuary city, that is within a sanctuary state,” she said. “We also have policies and procedures in place that will protect our students once they are inside our school building. [We will] continue to work with all of our community partners, like our Rapid Response Network, like the city-funded S.F. legal services community.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lurie told those gathered at Sanchez Elementary that his top priority for city schools was keeping students and their parents safe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We as your city leaders have your back,” he said. “We’re going to look out for you; we’re going to protect you and keep you safe. Focus on your reading and your math and your writing, and get stronger and better each and every day.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12052660\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12052660\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250818-SFUSDFIRSTDAY-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250818-SFUSDFIRSTDAY-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250818-SFUSDFIRSTDAY-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250818-SFUSDFIRSTDAY-01-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Students at Sanchez Elementary School in San Francisco arrive for their first day of the school year on Aug. 18, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>All focus was on families and encouraging them to buy into their school communities this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district launched a new campaign, “Be Here,” to decrease absenteeism on campuses, is expanding transitional kindergarten classes, and is eyeing an expansion of its Mandarin immersion program in the next two years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to building up some families’ tenuous relationships with the district after a rocky few years, the efforts could also help shore up much-needed funding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite last year’s budget cuts, SFUSD still has a tough financial road ahead due to\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12027218/how-trumps-drastic-k-12-plans-will-and-wont-change-california-schools\"> federal threats\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11989857/how-will-californias-budget-deficit-impact-schools\">state budget constraints\u003c/a> and a new\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12048313/san-francisco-unified-plans-new-mandarin-immersion-school-amid-charter-push\"> campaign to open a charter school\u003c/a> in the city, which could siphon more money away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The right thing to do [is] when we center our students in all the decisions that we make,” Su said. “And that is what I commit to continuing to do.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12052399/a-new-school-year-begins-in-san-francisco-with-new-possibilities-and-problems\">first day of school was in full swing\u003c/a> in San Francisco on Monday morning — packed buses squeezed down neighborhood streets, parents walked hand in hand with kids loaded down by new backpacks, and music and excited chatter poured out of the schoolyard at Sanchez Elementary in the Mission District.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fourth-grader Leilani stood by the school’s front door, eager to begin all of the learning in store in math class this year, while third-graders Miles and Miguel reunited on the play yard, their moms hoping they’d run out the first-day jitters before the morning bell rang.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Get it all out before class,” they yelled to the boys as they sped across the turf-covered blacktop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These kids have all been in the same cohort together going all the way through, so they’re really excited to be back with their friends,” said Miles’ mom, Lindsey Husband. “We have a really strong community here, and our principal really holds things together. Everyone that works at Sanchez is just so great. We’re lucky to be a part of it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From the familiar greetings that teachers and Principal Ann Marin — joined by Superintendent Maria Su and Mayor Daniel Lurie — gave nearly 300 transitional kindergarten through fifth grade students streaming onto the well-loved campus, it didn’t look like much had changed within the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sfusd\">San Francisco Unified School District\u003c/a> since this time last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12052661\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12052661\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250818-SFUSDFIRSTDAY-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250818-SFUSDFIRSTDAY-02-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250818-SFUSDFIRSTDAY-02-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250818-SFUSDFIRSTDAY-02-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Students at Sanchez Elementary School in San Francisco arrive for their first day of the school year on Aug. 18, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>That’s how Su seems to want it. On the heels of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12044768/sf-school-district-unveils-balanced-budget-after-cutting-over-110-million-in-spending\">major budget concerns\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12010008/sf-schools-crisis-is-spiraling-with-top-official-to-resign-heres-all-thats-happened\">leadership changes\u003c/a>, and as a new set of unpredictable challenges from the federal government loomed, she assured students and parents that their school would be safe and stable this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Over the last several months, your principal, your teachers, your social worker, your counselor have all been working to make sure that we start the school year great,” she told the families gathered for a morning meeting just after 8 a.m. “We come together to make sure that we continue on the wonderful thing that we already started last year.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>While the energy was high, SFUSD is emerging from a challenging few years since the COVID-19 pandemic. Funding shortfalls, declining enrollment, and strife between educators and leadership have plagued the district.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last fall, then-Superintendent Matt Wayne resigned after a poorly executed attempt to close schools, and in the spring, the district cut 400 staff positions to balance a $114 million budget deficit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After related \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12017631/embattled-sf-school-district-offer-hundreds-buyouts-potential-layoffs\">employee buyouts\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040756/sfusd-reverses-over-150-layoffs-but-hiring-teachers-may-still-be-an-uphill-battle\">layoffs\u003c/a>, there won’t be quite as many adults on campuses this fall, but Su told reporters that there will be more permanent classroom teachers on Monday than there have been on the first day in recent years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly 95% of district classrooms have a permanent, certificated teacher, leaving just about 50 with substitutes. Last year, nearly 100 classrooms were without permanent educators, and in 2023, it was more than 140.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Su also said kinks in the district’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12051862/sf-teachers-are-yet-again-having-payroll-issues-just-after-launch-of-costly-new-system\">new payroll system\u003c/a> were under control after more than 100 educators reported struggles to get proper payment since it launched last month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12052663\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12052663\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250818-SFUSDFIRSTDAY-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250818-SFUSDFIRSTDAY-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250818-SFUSDFIRSTDAY-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250818-SFUSDFIRSTDAY-04-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Superintendent Maria Su speaks to students at Sanchez Elementary School on the first day of classes for the new school year in San Francisco on Aug. 18, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As for threats from outside the district, including growing fears among the large immigrant community in SFUSD that federal enforcement officers could target schools, Su said she is collaborating with city and state leaders to protect campuses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“SFUSD is a sanctuary district that is within a sanctuary city, that is within a sanctuary state,” she said. “We also have policies and procedures in place that will protect our students once they are inside our school building. [We will] continue to work with all of our community partners, like our Rapid Response Network, like the city-funded S.F. legal services community.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lurie told those gathered at Sanchez Elementary that his top priority for city schools was keeping students and their parents safe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We as your city leaders have your back,” he said. “We’re going to look out for you; we’re going to protect you and keep you safe. Focus on your reading and your math and your writing, and get stronger and better each and every day.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12052660\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12052660\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250818-SFUSDFIRSTDAY-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250818-SFUSDFIRSTDAY-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250818-SFUSDFIRSTDAY-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250818-SFUSDFIRSTDAY-01-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Students at Sanchez Elementary School in San Francisco arrive for their first day of the school year on Aug. 18, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>All focus was on families and encouraging them to buy into their school communities this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district launched a new campaign, “Be Here,” to decrease absenteeism on campuses, is expanding transitional kindergarten classes, and is eyeing an expansion of its Mandarin immersion program in the next two years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to building up some families’ tenuous relationships with the district after a rocky few years, the efforts could also help shore up much-needed funding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite last year’s budget cuts, SFUSD still has a tough financial road ahead due to\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12027218/how-trumps-drastic-k-12-plans-will-and-wont-change-california-schools\"> federal threats\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11989857/how-will-californias-budget-deficit-impact-schools\">state budget constraints\u003c/a> and a new\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12048313/san-francisco-unified-plans-new-mandarin-immersion-school-amid-charter-push\"> campaign to open a charter school\u003c/a> in the city, which could siphon more money away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The right thing to do [is] when we center our students in all the decisions that we make,” Su said. “And that is what I commit to continuing to do.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "A New School Year Begins in San Francisco, With New Possibilities and Problems",
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"content": "\u003cp>Class is back in session for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sfusd\">San Francisco Unified School District\u003c/a>, and the new school year promises lots of change for the nearly 50,000 students and thousands more staffers headed back to campuses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12008405/these-san-francisco-schools-could-close-list-isnt-final\">list of closing schools\u003c/a> is no longer looming overhead, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12010008/sf-schools-crisis-is-spiraling-with-top-official-to-resign-heres-all-thats-happened\">leadership feels more stable \u003c/a>without the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12005932/sf-mayor-sends-team-to-address-crisis-at-school-district-but-dont-call-it-a-takeover\">flurry of major city elections\u003c/a>, SFUSD is teed up for plenty of changes and growing pains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s what we’re watching heading into the fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Slimmed down staffing\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>To close a record-high budget deficit projected for the 2025–26 school year, SFUSD last spring \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12044768/sf-school-district-unveils-balanced-budget-after-cutting-over-110-million-in-spending\">laid off 109 members of its staff\u003c/a> and offered \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12017631/embattled-sf-school-district-offer-hundreds-buyouts-potential-layoffs\">early retirement packages\u003c/a> to another 345 who agreed to leave their positions in June.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco’s school board \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12028317/sf-schools-brace-hundreds-layoffs-including-teachers-librarians-counselors\">approved much higher layoff projections\u003c/a> in March, totalling more than 500 across school sites and the district’s administrative office, but was able to\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040756/sfusd-reverses-over-150-layoffs-but-hiring-teachers-may-still-be-an-uphill-battle\"> rescind most preliminary pink slips\u003c/a> thanks to high participation in the voluntary buyout.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12046126\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12046126\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250418-SFUSD-01-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250418-SFUSD-01-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250418-SFUSD-01-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250418-SFUSD-01-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The San Francisco Unified School District Administrative Offices in San Francisco on April 18, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Even though the final layoff numbers ended up being relatively low, especially for student-facing positions, campuses are going to have noticeably fewer staff members this fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district eliminated 400 positions in schools and across its administration, shifting many educators working in specialized roles, like curriculum development or reading support, into classroom positions vacated by buyout recipients.[aside postID=news_12044768 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-07-BL_qed.jpg']Schools will operate this fall according to a new bare-bones staffing model, which guarantees a principal, classroom teachers, a clerk and custodial staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other professionals, however, who families have grown accustomed to having around — like additional teachers who help keep class sizes small, or support English language learners — will only work in schools that have discretionary budgets available.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SFUSD has publicly shared a supplementary staffing guide explaining how those roles could be filled, but how much funding individual schools have, and what they’re using it for, will start coming into view in the first few weeks of the year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It also remains to be seen how many classes will start the year without a permanent teacher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district did not provide data on how many teacher vacancies it had on Friday, but in May, principals indicated that they were falling behind in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040756/sfusd-reverses-over-150-layoffs-but-hiring-teachers-may-still-be-an-uphill-battle\">trying to fill the positions\u003c/a> of those retiring or leaving the district.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Curriculum changes\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The district is also introducing some pretty significant curriculum changes — both planned and unplanned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This week, kindergarten through eighth-grade math classes will begin using new lesson plans focused on problem-based learning and real-world applications. Both Imagine Learning and Amplify Desmos Math lessons were piloted in some SFUSD elementary and middle schools, respectively, last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008414\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12008414\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/SFUSDStudentsGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1336\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/SFUSDStudentsGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/SFUSDStudentsGetty-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/SFUSDStudentsGetty-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/SFUSDStudentsGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/SFUSDStudentsGetty-1536x1026.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/SFUSDStudentsGetty-1920x1283.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Students from the San Francisco Unified School District return to their buses after a field trip in San Francisco, California, on Sept. 13, 2012. \u003ccite>(Liz Hafalia/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The new curriculum will cost the district a total of $11.6 million — to fund new textbooks, digital licenses and professional development over the next five years in elementary grades and one year in middle school classes, according to SFUSD’s adoption \u003ca href=\"https://go.boarddocs.com/ca/sfusd/Board.nsf/files/DEYNRV60952B/%24file/K-8%20Math%20Curriculum%20Adoption%20-%20Mar.%202025.pdf\">documents\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the district has been working toward acquiring new math materials for multiple years, it also decided to make a last-minute change to another course curriculum: ninth-grade ethnic studies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After parents and a \u003ca href=\"https://defendinged.org/map/\">national education organization\u003c/a> with a record of efforts to \u003ca href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20250521190020/https:/www.bostonglobe.com/2022/11/14/metro/right-leaning-nonprofit-increasingly-targets-massachusetts-teaching-gender-race-sex-education/\">curtail education\u003c/a> about gender, race and sexual orientation in public schools expressed \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12046122/sfusd-was-a-pioneer-in-ethnic-studies-now-the-program-could-be-put-on-pause\">concerns with SFUSD’s longstanding Ethnic Studies curriculum\u003c/a>, Superintendent Maria Su decided to swap it out for a more regulated curriculum used by other districts across the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She told school leaders and families in June that SFUSD would\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12046580/sf-school-district-wont-cancel-ethnic-studies-but-pauses-its-homegrown-curriculum\"> pause instruction of its homegrown curriculum\u003c/a>, developed by educators over more than 15 years, to audit course materials. Throughout the 2025–26 school year, she said the district will work on a more regulated internal curriculum to bring to the school board for approval ahead of fall 2026.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Payroll problems persist\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As teachers returned to classrooms last week, some dealt with what has become a fairly typical point of tension in recent years: \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12051862/sf-teachers-are-yet-again-having-payroll-issues-just-after-launch-of-costly-new-system\">getting paid\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After two years and more than $30 million trying to make a payroll system operated by EMPower work, the district ditched it last year, shelling out even more money to purchase new software from companies Frontline and Red Rover to manage paychecks and employee benefits.[aside postID=news_12051862 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250418-SFUSD-04-BL_qed.jpg']That program launched in July, but in its first few weeks, some educators are already experiencing familiar issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>United Educators of San Francisco said some of its members’ dues haven’t been properly deducted from their summer paychecks, while other employees have reported being paid at the wrong rate or missing money for clocked vacation and sick days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district said that kinks are expected, and some of the issues are byproducts of the EMPower system, since a lot of data had to be transferred over from that software.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Marin Trujillo, SFUSD’s head of staff, assured board members last week that, unlike issues that arose in EMPower, he’s confident the district can identify and fix the root causes quickly.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Declining enrollment and … a new school?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>While many of the problems SFUSD has been dealing with for years — long-term enrollment decline, funding shortfalls and teacher retention — persist, Su looks to be betting on new programs to draw in more students and resources.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SFUSD saw an uptick in interest for this fall, thanks to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12031802/san-francisco-public-schools-see-surge-applications-thanks-transitional-kindergarten-demand\">expanding transitional kindergarten\u003c/a> offerings. Total applications were up 10%, led by families looking to enroll their 4-year-olds in district schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12046127\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12046127\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-09-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-09-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-09-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-09-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Maria Su speaks during a press conference at the school district offices in San Francisco on April 21, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>While Su and San Francisco’s Board of Education President Phil Kim have both left the door open to the possibility of school closures in the coming years, Su said in the spring that she’s most interested in transforming SFUSD sites for more TK classes and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12044978/sfusd-pays-millions-for-special-ed-this-change-could-save-money-and-help-families\">expanded special education \u003c/a>offerings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One such site might also become the home of a new kindergarten through eighth-grade \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12048313/san-francisco-unified-plans-new-mandarin-immersion-school-amid-charter-push\">Mandarin immersion school\u003c/a> announced in July.[aside postID=news_12048313 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/SanFranciscoK8SchoolGetty.jpg']Su previously said the move follows years of growing interest in a new dual language program. Currently, SFUSD only has 66 seats across two kindergarten Mandarin immersion programs, more than half of which are reserved for Mandarin speakers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the announcement this summer also came as support grew for a parent-led effort to launch a charter school offering a similar program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In June, leaders of the proposed Dragon Gate Academy, also a K–8 Mandarin immersion school, submitted a petition to the city’s school board asking for a charter to open next fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week, district staff urged the board to reject the proposal, citing educational and legal issues, and saying SFUSD “is not positioned to absorb the financial impact of the charter school.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>School districts have been generally wary of new charters, which can hurt their enrollment and siphon their per-pupil funding. The board will vote on the proposal Aug. 26.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "As 50,000 students return to San Francisco Unified School District schools, families can anticipate slimmed-down staffing, a new ethnic studies curriculum and a chance for kindergarteners to learn Mandarin.",
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"title": "A New School Year Begins in San Francisco, With New Possibilities and Problems | KQED",
"description": "As 50,000 students return to San Francisco Unified School District schools, families can anticipate slimmed-down staffing, a new ethnic studies curriculum and a chance for kindergarteners to learn Mandarin.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Class is back in session for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sfusd\">San Francisco Unified School District\u003c/a>, and the new school year promises lots of change for the nearly 50,000 students and thousands more staffers headed back to campuses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12008405/these-san-francisco-schools-could-close-list-isnt-final\">list of closing schools\u003c/a> is no longer looming overhead, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12010008/sf-schools-crisis-is-spiraling-with-top-official-to-resign-heres-all-thats-happened\">leadership feels more stable \u003c/a>without the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12005932/sf-mayor-sends-team-to-address-crisis-at-school-district-but-dont-call-it-a-takeover\">flurry of major city elections\u003c/a>, SFUSD is teed up for plenty of changes and growing pains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s what we’re watching heading into the fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Slimmed down staffing\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>To close a record-high budget deficit projected for the 2025–26 school year, SFUSD last spring \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12044768/sf-school-district-unveils-balanced-budget-after-cutting-over-110-million-in-spending\">laid off 109 members of its staff\u003c/a> and offered \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12017631/embattled-sf-school-district-offer-hundreds-buyouts-potential-layoffs\">early retirement packages\u003c/a> to another 345 who agreed to leave their positions in June.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco’s school board \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12028317/sf-schools-brace-hundreds-layoffs-including-teachers-librarians-counselors\">approved much higher layoff projections\u003c/a> in March, totalling more than 500 across school sites and the district’s administrative office, but was able to\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040756/sfusd-reverses-over-150-layoffs-but-hiring-teachers-may-still-be-an-uphill-battle\"> rescind most preliminary pink slips\u003c/a> thanks to high participation in the voluntary buyout.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12046126\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12046126\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250418-SFUSD-01-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250418-SFUSD-01-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250418-SFUSD-01-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250418-SFUSD-01-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The San Francisco Unified School District Administrative Offices in San Francisco on April 18, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Even though the final layoff numbers ended up being relatively low, especially for student-facing positions, campuses are going to have noticeably fewer staff members this fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district eliminated 400 positions in schools and across its administration, shifting many educators working in specialized roles, like curriculum development or reading support, into classroom positions vacated by buyout recipients.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Schools will operate this fall according to a new bare-bones staffing model, which guarantees a principal, classroom teachers, a clerk and custodial staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other professionals, however, who families have grown accustomed to having around — like additional teachers who help keep class sizes small, or support English language learners — will only work in schools that have discretionary budgets available.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SFUSD has publicly shared a supplementary staffing guide explaining how those roles could be filled, but how much funding individual schools have, and what they’re using it for, will start coming into view in the first few weeks of the year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It also remains to be seen how many classes will start the year without a permanent teacher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district did not provide data on how many teacher vacancies it had on Friday, but in May, principals indicated that they were falling behind in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040756/sfusd-reverses-over-150-layoffs-but-hiring-teachers-may-still-be-an-uphill-battle\">trying to fill the positions\u003c/a> of those retiring or leaving the district.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Curriculum changes\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The district is also introducing some pretty significant curriculum changes — both planned and unplanned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This week, kindergarten through eighth-grade math classes will begin using new lesson plans focused on problem-based learning and real-world applications. Both Imagine Learning and Amplify Desmos Math lessons were piloted in some SFUSD elementary and middle schools, respectively, last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008414\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12008414\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/SFUSDStudentsGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1336\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/SFUSDStudentsGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/SFUSDStudentsGetty-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/SFUSDStudentsGetty-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/SFUSDStudentsGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/SFUSDStudentsGetty-1536x1026.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/SFUSDStudentsGetty-1920x1283.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Students from the San Francisco Unified School District return to their buses after a field trip in San Francisco, California, on Sept. 13, 2012. \u003ccite>(Liz Hafalia/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The new curriculum will cost the district a total of $11.6 million — to fund new textbooks, digital licenses and professional development over the next five years in elementary grades and one year in middle school classes, according to SFUSD’s adoption \u003ca href=\"https://go.boarddocs.com/ca/sfusd/Board.nsf/files/DEYNRV60952B/%24file/K-8%20Math%20Curriculum%20Adoption%20-%20Mar.%202025.pdf\">documents\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the district has been working toward acquiring new math materials for multiple years, it also decided to make a last-minute change to another course curriculum: ninth-grade ethnic studies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After parents and a \u003ca href=\"https://defendinged.org/map/\">national education organization\u003c/a> with a record of efforts to \u003ca href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20250521190020/https:/www.bostonglobe.com/2022/11/14/metro/right-leaning-nonprofit-increasingly-targets-massachusetts-teaching-gender-race-sex-education/\">curtail education\u003c/a> about gender, race and sexual orientation in public schools expressed \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12046122/sfusd-was-a-pioneer-in-ethnic-studies-now-the-program-could-be-put-on-pause\">concerns with SFUSD’s longstanding Ethnic Studies curriculum\u003c/a>, Superintendent Maria Su decided to swap it out for a more regulated curriculum used by other districts across the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She told school leaders and families in June that SFUSD would\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12046580/sf-school-district-wont-cancel-ethnic-studies-but-pauses-its-homegrown-curriculum\"> pause instruction of its homegrown curriculum\u003c/a>, developed by educators over more than 15 years, to audit course materials. Throughout the 2025–26 school year, she said the district will work on a more regulated internal curriculum to bring to the school board for approval ahead of fall 2026.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Payroll problems persist\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As teachers returned to classrooms last week, some dealt with what has become a fairly typical point of tension in recent years: \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12051862/sf-teachers-are-yet-again-having-payroll-issues-just-after-launch-of-costly-new-system\">getting paid\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After two years and more than $30 million trying to make a payroll system operated by EMPower work, the district ditched it last year, shelling out even more money to purchase new software from companies Frontline and Red Rover to manage paychecks and employee benefits.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>That program launched in July, but in its first few weeks, some educators are already experiencing familiar issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>United Educators of San Francisco said some of its members’ dues haven’t been properly deducted from their summer paychecks, while other employees have reported being paid at the wrong rate or missing money for clocked vacation and sick days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district said that kinks are expected, and some of the issues are byproducts of the EMPower system, since a lot of data had to be transferred over from that software.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Marin Trujillo, SFUSD’s head of staff, assured board members last week that, unlike issues that arose in EMPower, he’s confident the district can identify and fix the root causes quickly.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Declining enrollment and … a new school?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>While many of the problems SFUSD has been dealing with for years — long-term enrollment decline, funding shortfalls and teacher retention — persist, Su looks to be betting on new programs to draw in more students and resources.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SFUSD saw an uptick in interest for this fall, thanks to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12031802/san-francisco-public-schools-see-surge-applications-thanks-transitional-kindergarten-demand\">expanding transitional kindergarten\u003c/a> offerings. Total applications were up 10%, led by families looking to enroll their 4-year-olds in district schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12046127\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12046127\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-09-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-09-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-09-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-09-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Maria Su speaks during a press conference at the school district offices in San Francisco on April 21, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>While Su and San Francisco’s Board of Education President Phil Kim have both left the door open to the possibility of school closures in the coming years, Su said in the spring that she’s most interested in transforming SFUSD sites for more TK classes and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12044978/sfusd-pays-millions-for-special-ed-this-change-could-save-money-and-help-families\">expanded special education \u003c/a>offerings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One such site might also become the home of a new kindergarten through eighth-grade \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12048313/san-francisco-unified-plans-new-mandarin-immersion-school-amid-charter-push\">Mandarin immersion school\u003c/a> announced in July.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Su previously said the move follows years of growing interest in a new dual language program. Currently, SFUSD only has 66 seats across two kindergarten Mandarin immersion programs, more than half of which are reserved for Mandarin speakers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the announcement this summer also came as support grew for a parent-led effort to launch a charter school offering a similar program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In June, leaders of the proposed Dragon Gate Academy, also a K–8 Mandarin immersion school, submitted a petition to the city’s school board asking for a charter to open next fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week, district staff urged the board to reject the proposal, citing educational and legal issues, and saying SFUSD “is not positioned to absorb the financial impact of the charter school.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>School districts have been generally wary of new charters, which can hurt their enrollment and siphon their per-pupil funding. The board will vote on the proposal Aug. 26.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>More than 100 \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a> public school employees haven’t been properly paid for their summer work, union leaders said as teachers return to their classrooms this week, just over a month after the district rolled out a replacement for its \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11908196/sfusd-teachers-protest-missed-paychecks-and-payroll-glitches-at-headquarters-overnight\">faulty payroll system\u003c/a> at a cost of tens of millions of dollars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the teachers’ union’s state labor complaint filed Monday against the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco-unified-school-district\">San Francisco Unified School District\u003c/a>, some members’ paychecks were delayed or missing, their hours were miscalculated or their union dues went undeducted in the first six weeks since the new system launched.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As they processed the first couple of checks for maybe a couple hundred employees who had worked over summer, many of the same excuses started to emerge, which was, ‘We didn’t account for these unique circumstances,’ and all of a sudden, people were not receiving their full pay,” said Frank Lara, the executive vice president of United Educators of San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Payroll has been \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11922273/as-new-school-year-begins-some-s-f-teachers-still-havent-been-paid-what-theyre-owed-sfusd\">a thorn in the district’s side\u003c/a> since 2022, when it implemented the costly EMPower system that left some employees with incorrect paychecks, and others without pay at all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over two years, the district tried to resolve issues with the buggy software, spending more than $30 million and ultimately angering thousands of educators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In total, Lara estimated that at least 3,000 of the union’s members had issues getting paid through EMPower and filed more than 10,000 issue tickets with district staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12042992\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12042992\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250605-TREASUREISLANDJOBCORPS-21-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250605-TREASUREISLANDJOBCORPS-21-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250605-TREASUREISLANDJOBCORPS-21-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250605-TREASUREISLANDJOBCORPS-21-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Frank Lara, executive vice president of United Educators of San Francisco, speaks during a rally outside the Treasure Island Job Corps Center in San Francisco on June 5, 2025, protesting the facility’s upcoming closure, which they say could leave at-risk youth homeless. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Over the summer, the district rolled out a new system, operated by Frontline and Red Rover, that Superintendent Maria Su assured the school board and district employees would operate more smoothly and reliably. That software cost the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12044768/sf-school-district-unveils-balanced-budget-after-cutting-over-110-million-in-spending\">cash-strapped district\u003c/a> $20 million more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“After careful deliberation with our teams, I am pleased to announce that we will be able to proceed with the transition to Frontline as scheduled on July 1,” Su told reporters in June. “And we’ve done all the due diligence to make sure we are going to be able to do it and not have the hiccups of last time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But since July, Lara said about 150 of the union’s 500 or so members who worked over the summer have had payroll issues.[aside postID=news_12048313 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/SanFranciscoK8SchoolGetty.jpg']Some teachers who worked at district-sponsored enrichment programs over the summer didn’t receive pay at all; others never had union dues deducted from their paychecks like they were supposed to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other employees were paid at the incorrect rate or had their paychecks delayed for weeks, among other issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We knew that going into the implementation of Frontline, there were going to be challenges. … with the implementation of any software and program, especially built on top of a system that we know struggled and did not work for our school district,” said Phil Kim, the president of San Francisco’s Board of Education. “The question I think that I’ve been posing to staff and making sure that the superintendent prioritizes is: ‘How fast are we able to resolve these issues?’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So far, the union has been especially disappointed by how the district is handling the problems, Lara said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When we raised the alarm, we were shocked at how dismissive the staff was in terms of the very real concerns,” he told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When a problem arises, everybody starts blaming each other. When we talk to the executive director of payroll … they go, ‘That’s probably an HR thing or a labor relations thing.’ So then we go over to the executive director of HR, and they’re like, ‘We raised these concerns a year ago and they didn’t include that into the system,’” he said. “Then who’s managing the system?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12046127\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12046127\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-09-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-09-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-09-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-09-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Maria Su speaks during a press conference at the school district offices in San Francisco on April 21, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Last week, the union sent a cease and desist letter to district leaders, including Su and Kim, detailing the issues employees had been dealing with since July, and informing the district it would file a state labor complaint if the issues were not resolved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Monday, UESF sent that complaint to California’s Public Employment Relations Board, writing that after spending a year preparing for the transition to Frontline, “the system cannot actually do the things we need it to do.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“UESF’s expectation is that SFUSD is paying all of our members exactly what they are owed exactly when it is owed, that our member’s benefits are fully and completely available … without delay,” the unfair-practice charge reads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a statement, the district said it is working quickly to resolve any issues that arise and has created a website for employees with information and a way to report payroll concerns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As teachers return to their classrooms on Tuesday before the first day of school next week, union leaders plan to rally outside the district’s office, urging officials to resolve the issues quickly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re really concerned now that 6,000 of our members are coming back, especially substitute teachers, that this is going to be a problem,” Lara said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The San Francisco Unified School District spent tens of millions of dollars on a replacement for its faulty payroll system. It’s already having major problems, the teachers union says.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>More than 100 \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a> public school employees haven’t been properly paid for their summer work, union leaders said as teachers return to their classrooms this week, just over a month after the district rolled out a replacement for its \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11908196/sfusd-teachers-protest-missed-paychecks-and-payroll-glitches-at-headquarters-overnight\">faulty payroll system\u003c/a> at a cost of tens of millions of dollars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the teachers’ union’s state labor complaint filed Monday against the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco-unified-school-district\">San Francisco Unified School District\u003c/a>, some members’ paychecks were delayed or missing, their hours were miscalculated or their union dues went undeducted in the first six weeks since the new system launched.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As they processed the first couple of checks for maybe a couple hundred employees who had worked over summer, many of the same excuses started to emerge, which was, ‘We didn’t account for these unique circumstances,’ and all of a sudden, people were not receiving their full pay,” said Frank Lara, the executive vice president of United Educators of San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Payroll has been \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11922273/as-new-school-year-begins-some-s-f-teachers-still-havent-been-paid-what-theyre-owed-sfusd\">a thorn in the district’s side\u003c/a> since 2022, when it implemented the costly EMPower system that left some employees with incorrect paychecks, and others without pay at all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over two years, the district tried to resolve issues with the buggy software, spending more than $30 million and ultimately angering thousands of educators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In total, Lara estimated that at least 3,000 of the union’s members had issues getting paid through EMPower and filed more than 10,000 issue tickets with district staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12042992\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12042992\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250605-TREASUREISLANDJOBCORPS-21-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250605-TREASUREISLANDJOBCORPS-21-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250605-TREASUREISLANDJOBCORPS-21-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250605-TREASUREISLANDJOBCORPS-21-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Frank Lara, executive vice president of United Educators of San Francisco, speaks during a rally outside the Treasure Island Job Corps Center in San Francisco on June 5, 2025, protesting the facility’s upcoming closure, which they say could leave at-risk youth homeless. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Over the summer, the district rolled out a new system, operated by Frontline and Red Rover, that Superintendent Maria Su assured the school board and district employees would operate more smoothly and reliably. That software cost the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12044768/sf-school-district-unveils-balanced-budget-after-cutting-over-110-million-in-spending\">cash-strapped district\u003c/a> $20 million more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“After careful deliberation with our teams, I am pleased to announce that we will be able to proceed with the transition to Frontline as scheduled on July 1,” Su told reporters in June. “And we’ve done all the due diligence to make sure we are going to be able to do it and not have the hiccups of last time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But since July, Lara said about 150 of the union’s 500 or so members who worked over the summer have had payroll issues.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Some teachers who worked at district-sponsored enrichment programs over the summer didn’t receive pay at all; others never had union dues deducted from their paychecks like they were supposed to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other employees were paid at the incorrect rate or had their paychecks delayed for weeks, among other issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We knew that going into the implementation of Frontline, there were going to be challenges. … with the implementation of any software and program, especially built on top of a system that we know struggled and did not work for our school district,” said Phil Kim, the president of San Francisco’s Board of Education. “The question I think that I’ve been posing to staff and making sure that the superintendent prioritizes is: ‘How fast are we able to resolve these issues?’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So far, the union has been especially disappointed by how the district is handling the problems, Lara said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When we raised the alarm, we were shocked at how dismissive the staff was in terms of the very real concerns,” he told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When a problem arises, everybody starts blaming each other. When we talk to the executive director of payroll … they go, ‘That’s probably an HR thing or a labor relations thing.’ So then we go over to the executive director of HR, and they’re like, ‘We raised these concerns a year ago and they didn’t include that into the system,’” he said. “Then who’s managing the system?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12046127\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12046127\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-09-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-09-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-09-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-09-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Maria Su speaks during a press conference at the school district offices in San Francisco on April 21, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Last week, the union sent a cease and desist letter to district leaders, including Su and Kim, detailing the issues employees had been dealing with since July, and informing the district it would file a state labor complaint if the issues were not resolved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Monday, UESF sent that complaint to California’s Public Employment Relations Board, writing that after spending a year preparing for the transition to Frontline, “the system cannot actually do the things we need it to do.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“UESF’s expectation is that SFUSD is paying all of our members exactly what they are owed exactly when it is owed, that our member’s benefits are fully and completely available … without delay,” the unfair-practice charge reads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a statement, the district said it is working quickly to resolve any issues that arise and has created a website for employees with information and a way to report payroll concerns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As teachers return to their classrooms on Tuesday before the first day of school next week, union leaders plan to rally outside the district’s office, urging officials to resolve the issues quickly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re really concerned now that 6,000 of our members are coming back, especially substitute teachers, that this is going to be a problem,” Lara said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "san-francisco-unified-plans-new-mandarin-immersion-school-amid-charter-push",
"title": "San Francisco Unified Plans New Mandarin Immersion School Amid Charter Push",
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"headTitle": "San Francisco Unified Plans New Mandarin Immersion School Amid Charter Push | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sfusd\">San Francisco’s school district\u003c/a> is planning to open a new kindergarten through eighth-grade Mandarin immersion school in the fall of 2027, Superintendent Maria Su announced Wednesday, citing a need for more seats in multilingual classrooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since taking over as superintendent in October, Su said she’s “consistently heard from families the need for more Mandarin immersion programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“San Francisco is an international city, and we need to do all that we can to produce global citizens,” she told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The announcement — which was sparse on details — comes as the district faces enrollment decline and an ongoing budget deficit threatening to force school consolidations. It also comes as the school board prepares to vote on a parent-led effort to open a \u003ca href=\"https://www.dragongateacademy.org/\">new K–8 Mandarin Immersion charter school\u003c/a>, which could siphon more funding away from the district if approved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s probably not a coincidence,” Bruce Fuller, a professor emeritus in UC Berkeley’s education department, said of the timing for both school proposals. “I’ve seen a similar dynamic where there’s budget concerns by the school board, there’s sort of recalcitrance around, ‘This is going to be challenging to do. What do we find the teachers?’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12037008\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12037008\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Maria Su speaks during a press conference at the school district offices in San Francisco on April 21, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He continued: “And then there’s charter pressure and, suddenly, the school board and the [superintendent] feel they have more flexibility than they did before.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Su said the city’s public schools have not met demand for Chinese bilingual education. While private options have expanded in recent years, SFUSD has not launched a new Mandarin immersion program since the 2007–08 school year. In that time, multiple new independent schools have begun offering Cantonese dual immersion tracks, and existing private Mandarin immersion schools have increased capacity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.presidioknolls.org/about/mission\">Presidio Knolls School\u003c/a> graduated its first class of eighth graders in 2021, and Chinese American International School \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_nwt9avYNs/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=8022a21f-9e34-4d93-9d4e-3bb1a1b997f6\">moved to a new campus\u003c/a> last fall to accommodate more students.[aside postID=news_12046580 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-06-BL_qed-1.jpg']Currently, SFUSD has just 66 seats per grade across two elementary schools for students interested in Mandarin immersion — at Starr King Elementary School in Potrero Hill and Jose Ortega Elementary in Ingleside — operating since 2006 and 2007, respectively.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 80 families are on the waitlist for a kindergarten spot at Jose Ortega this August, with both campuses maintaining \u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PcBKOb19PDWglhEEkuUrkBLdzCGUv6dcu_Jkl1ZtWS8/edit?gid=0#gid=0\">waitlists\u003c/a> through fifth grade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Details about where the new school will be located, how many students it will serve, and what the enrollment process will look like are all undetermined, spokesperson Laura Dudnick said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Su said that the expansion will begin with expanding pathways to train and hire qualified teachers. Some of the district’s existing Mandarin immersion classrooms are already struggling to maintain full-time teachers, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/first-k-8-mandarin-immersion-school-20341735.php\">\u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle \u003c/em>reported\u003c/a> in May.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To address that, the district is partnering with San Francisco State University and the associations of Asian American Administrators and Chinese Teachers to create new training programs and expand certification opportunities for bilingual educators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This work will begin with a focus on building out the teacher pipeline first before specifics of the school are established,” Dudnick said in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12046126\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12046126\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250418-SFUSD-01-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250418-SFUSD-01-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250418-SFUSD-01-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250418-SFUSD-01-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The San Francisco Unified School District Administrative Offices in San Francisco on April 18, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The district has tapped Liana Szeto, who founded the nation’s first Chinese Immersion public school — Alice Fong Yu K–8 — in San Francisco. She will lead the school’s development as a special advisor to Su beginning in January. Szeto retired after 30 years as Alice Fong Yu K–8’s principal this spring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I cannot think of someone better to lead this work,” Su told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Board of Education President Phil Kim said he supports the venture, which aligns with the district’s goal of expanding multilingual education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Families have been asking for expanded offerings for immersion programs, and so this very well could be an opportunity for families to choose SFUSD, knowing the great history that we have with our multilingual pathways,” he said.[aside postID=news_12044911 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250618-NEWTEACHERHOUSING-09-BL-KQED.jpg']But it’s unclear how the district’s announcement could affect a separate, parent-led effort already in motion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The announcement comes just a few weeks before the board votes on another new immersion school — the parent-led proposal for a K–8 Mandarin immersion charter school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The so-called \u003ca href=\"https://www.dragongateacademy.org/charter-petition\">Dragon Gate Academy\u003c/a>, which hopes to gain a charter to open in the 2026–27 school year, is asking SFUSD to approve its application for a school that it said aimed to fill a lack of access to tuition-free Mandarin Immersion programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Parents have shared their struggles: crushing rejections from oversubscribed programs, long commutes tearing families apart, or private school costs that feel like a betrayal of hope,” the proposed school’s website reads. “Dragon Gate Academy is our answer — a school where kids learn Mandarin and English side by side, celebrating our city’s vibrant heritage and preparing them for a boundless future.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fuller said SFUSD’s announcement could give the board reason to reject the charter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think the board members might argue, ‘Well, we’re going to serve that excess demand for dual language immersion … maybe we’ll look at the charter applications later,’” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Districts are often wary of approving new charter schools, especially when they face enrollment declines and funding shortfalls, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Public school funding is tied to student enrollment, so if students leave SFUSD for a charter, the district stands to lose a significant amount of money.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Certainly, this initiation of two new schools gets the board a rationale to deny the charter application,” Fuller said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In California, school boards can deny a charter application if they believe the school would be fiscally detrimental to the district, find the school’s educational program unsound or think the petitioners are unlikely to successfully implement the program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Kim said the board is focused on “building a sustainable and thriving school system within SFUSD, and we’re willing to partner with whomever to make sure that it happens.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The board is expected to consider Dragon Gate’s application on July 29.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "San Francisco Unified plans to open a new Mandarin immersion K–8 school by 2027, as demand for bilingual education surges and a competing charter school proposal nears a key vote.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sfusd\">San Francisco’s school district\u003c/a> is planning to open a new kindergarten through eighth-grade Mandarin immersion school in the fall of 2027, Superintendent Maria Su announced Wednesday, citing a need for more seats in multilingual classrooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since taking over as superintendent in October, Su said she’s “consistently heard from families the need for more Mandarin immersion programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“San Francisco is an international city, and we need to do all that we can to produce global citizens,” she told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The announcement — which was sparse on details — comes as the district faces enrollment decline and an ongoing budget deficit threatening to force school consolidations. It also comes as the school board prepares to vote on a parent-led effort to open a \u003ca href=\"https://www.dragongateacademy.org/\">new K–8 Mandarin Immersion charter school\u003c/a>, which could siphon more funding away from the district if approved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s probably not a coincidence,” Bruce Fuller, a professor emeritus in UC Berkeley’s education department, said of the timing for both school proposals. “I’ve seen a similar dynamic where there’s budget concerns by the school board, there’s sort of recalcitrance around, ‘This is going to be challenging to do. What do we find the teachers?’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12037008\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12037008\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Maria Su speaks during a press conference at the school district offices in San Francisco on April 21, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He continued: “And then there’s charter pressure and, suddenly, the school board and the [superintendent] feel they have more flexibility than they did before.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Su said the city’s public schools have not met demand for Chinese bilingual education. While private options have expanded in recent years, SFUSD has not launched a new Mandarin immersion program since the 2007–08 school year. In that time, multiple new independent schools have begun offering Cantonese dual immersion tracks, and existing private Mandarin immersion schools have increased capacity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.presidioknolls.org/about/mission\">Presidio Knolls School\u003c/a> graduated its first class of eighth graders in 2021, and Chinese American International School \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_nwt9avYNs/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=8022a21f-9e34-4d93-9d4e-3bb1a1b997f6\">moved to a new campus\u003c/a> last fall to accommodate more students.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Currently, SFUSD has just 66 seats per grade across two elementary schools for students interested in Mandarin immersion — at Starr King Elementary School in Potrero Hill and Jose Ortega Elementary in Ingleside — operating since 2006 and 2007, respectively.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 80 families are on the waitlist for a kindergarten spot at Jose Ortega this August, with both campuses maintaining \u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PcBKOb19PDWglhEEkuUrkBLdzCGUv6dcu_Jkl1ZtWS8/edit?gid=0#gid=0\">waitlists\u003c/a> through fifth grade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Details about where the new school will be located, how many students it will serve, and what the enrollment process will look like are all undetermined, spokesperson Laura Dudnick said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Su said that the expansion will begin with expanding pathways to train and hire qualified teachers. Some of the district’s existing Mandarin immersion classrooms are already struggling to maintain full-time teachers, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/first-k-8-mandarin-immersion-school-20341735.php\">\u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle \u003c/em>reported\u003c/a> in May.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To address that, the district is partnering with San Francisco State University and the associations of Asian American Administrators and Chinese Teachers to create new training programs and expand certification opportunities for bilingual educators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This work will begin with a focus on building out the teacher pipeline first before specifics of the school are established,” Dudnick said in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12046126\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12046126\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250418-SFUSD-01-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250418-SFUSD-01-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250418-SFUSD-01-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250418-SFUSD-01-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The San Francisco Unified School District Administrative Offices in San Francisco on April 18, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The district has tapped Liana Szeto, who founded the nation’s first Chinese Immersion public school — Alice Fong Yu K–8 — in San Francisco. She will lead the school’s development as a special advisor to Su beginning in January. Szeto retired after 30 years as Alice Fong Yu K–8’s principal this spring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I cannot think of someone better to lead this work,” Su told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Board of Education President Phil Kim said he supports the venture, which aligns with the district’s goal of expanding multilingual education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Families have been asking for expanded offerings for immersion programs, and so this very well could be an opportunity for families to choose SFUSD, knowing the great history that we have with our multilingual pathways,” he said.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>But it’s unclear how the district’s announcement could affect a separate, parent-led effort already in motion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The announcement comes just a few weeks before the board votes on another new immersion school — the parent-led proposal for a K–8 Mandarin immersion charter school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The so-called \u003ca href=\"https://www.dragongateacademy.org/charter-petition\">Dragon Gate Academy\u003c/a>, which hopes to gain a charter to open in the 2026–27 school year, is asking SFUSD to approve its application for a school that it said aimed to fill a lack of access to tuition-free Mandarin Immersion programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Parents have shared their struggles: crushing rejections from oversubscribed programs, long commutes tearing families apart, or private school costs that feel like a betrayal of hope,” the proposed school’s website reads. “Dragon Gate Academy is our answer — a school where kids learn Mandarin and English side by side, celebrating our city’s vibrant heritage and preparing them for a boundless future.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fuller said SFUSD’s announcement could give the board reason to reject the charter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think the board members might argue, ‘Well, we’re going to serve that excess demand for dual language immersion … maybe we’ll look at the charter applications later,’” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Districts are often wary of approving new charter schools, especially when they face enrollment declines and funding shortfalls, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Public school funding is tied to student enrollment, so if students leave SFUSD for a charter, the district stands to lose a significant amount of money.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Certainly, this initiation of two new schools gets the board a rationale to deny the charter application,” Fuller said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In California, school boards can deny a charter application if they believe the school would be fiscally detrimental to the district, find the school’s educational program unsound or think the petitioners are unlikely to successfully implement the program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Kim said the board is focused on “building a sustainable and thriving school system within SFUSD, and we’re willing to partner with whomever to make sure that it happens.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The board is expected to consider Dragon Gate’s application on July 29.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "sf-school-district-wont-cancel-ethnic-studies-but-pauses-its-homegrown-curriculum",
"title": "SF School District Won’t Cancel Ethnic Studies, But Pauses Its Homegrown Curriculum",
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"headTitle": "SF School District Won’t Cancel Ethnic Studies, But Pauses Its Homegrown Curriculum | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>After \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12046122/sfusd-was-a-pioneer-in-ethnic-studies-now-the-program-could-be-put-on-pause\">controversy over its ethnic studies program\u003c/a>, San Francisco’s school district announced Monday that it would continue teaching the class but put a pause on its homegrown curriculum to audit course materials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week, ethnic studies teachers, district employees and a school board member raised alarms after they said Superintendent Maria Su met with school leaders to discuss a possible plan to pause the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco-unified-school-district\">San Francisco Unified School District\u003c/a>’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/ethnic-studies\">ethnic studies\u003c/a> program entirely. For months, the course had come under fire from some parents who found it biased and “activist-driven.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district said Monday that it plans to keep ninth graders enrolled in ethnic studies this fall, but it will pilot a new interim curriculum used by other California school districts that meets state board of education guidelines as it reviews its own program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the next year, SFUSD will conduct an audit of the ethnic studies curriculum that teachers have developed and taught since the district was among the first in the U.S. to introduce such a course in 2010. District officials said they aim to develop a curriculum to bring to the city’s board of education for approval during that time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I remain deeply committed to the importance of Ethnic Studies in developing critical thinking, cultural understanding, and civic engagement among our students,” Su said in a statement. “As we prepare for a successful start to the school year, my goal is for SFUSD to offer Ethnic Studies with intention, quality, and shared purpose.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12046596\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12046596\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/018_KQED_MichaelRosenbergBalboaHS_04202023_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/018_KQED_MichaelRosenbergBalboaHS_04202023_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/018_KQED_MichaelRosenbergBalboaHS_04202023_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/018_KQED_MichaelRosenbergBalboaHS_04202023_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A student works on a written assignment at Balboa High School in San Francisco on April 20, 2023. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The class came under fire this spring after a national education group published an “incident report” criticizing curriculum focused on “white supremacy culture,” gender ideology and support for undocumented immigrants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A flurry of articles weeks later found lesson plans asking students to role-play as Israeli soldiers and Palestinian refugees, and noting the Chinese youth militants known as the Red Guards among social movements that have “pushed for change and justice.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ethnic studies teachers in the district told KQED they had never used those course materials or heard of their colleagues teaching them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The course has “been in the district for a decade and has never been an issue,” said Sam Aguirre, who has taught the course since 2015.[aside postID=news_12046122 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-09-BL_qed.jpg']After SFUSD launched its ethnic studies pilot program in 2010, it has had the course available as an elective for all high school students since the 2015–16 school year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It became a graduation requirement for ninth graders last fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re teaching the same units that have always been around, the same core values, the same mission statement for a decade,” Aguirre said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A 2021 study from Stanford’s Graduate School of Education found that low-achieving students in the SFUSD class were more likely to attend and be engaged in school, graduate and go to college. New research from UC Irvine shows that taking the course in ninth grade boosted GPAs, especially among Black and Latino students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aguirre and other district teachers worried a pause to the class could turn into a repeal, as momentum surrounding the expansion of ethnic studies wanes more broadly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California’s state budget, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom over the weekend, excludes funding to implement a state mandate for ethnic studies in public schools, which was set to go into effect this fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other districts in the Bay Area have also faced \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/palo-alto-ethnic-studies-19588959.php\">legal pushback\u003c/a> to plans to expand the course, many of which have stemmed from Israel’s war in Gaza and concerns over allegations of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12008739/sfusd-antisemitism-training-sparks-controversy-as-some-educators-opt-for-alternative\">antisemitism in schools\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to the audit, SFUSD plans to introduce a new administrative regulation on supplemental instructional materials in response to the backlash.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rule will require that resources teachers plan to use in their classrooms be reviewed to ensure they are “aligned with district curriculum objectives,” directly related to the course they’re used in and age-appropriate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"title": "SF School District Won’t Cancel Ethnic Studies, But Pauses Its Homegrown Curriculum | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>After \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12046122/sfusd-was-a-pioneer-in-ethnic-studies-now-the-program-could-be-put-on-pause\">controversy over its ethnic studies program\u003c/a>, San Francisco’s school district announced Monday that it would continue teaching the class but put a pause on its homegrown curriculum to audit course materials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week, ethnic studies teachers, district employees and a school board member raised alarms after they said Superintendent Maria Su met with school leaders to discuss a possible plan to pause the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco-unified-school-district\">San Francisco Unified School District\u003c/a>’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/ethnic-studies\">ethnic studies\u003c/a> program entirely. For months, the course had come under fire from some parents who found it biased and “activist-driven.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district said Monday that it plans to keep ninth graders enrolled in ethnic studies this fall, but it will pilot a new interim curriculum used by other California school districts that meets state board of education guidelines as it reviews its own program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the next year, SFUSD will conduct an audit of the ethnic studies curriculum that teachers have developed and taught since the district was among the first in the U.S. to introduce such a course in 2010. District officials said they aim to develop a curriculum to bring to the city’s board of education for approval during that time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I remain deeply committed to the importance of Ethnic Studies in developing critical thinking, cultural understanding, and civic engagement among our students,” Su said in a statement. “As we prepare for a successful start to the school year, my goal is for SFUSD to offer Ethnic Studies with intention, quality, and shared purpose.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12046596\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12046596\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/018_KQED_MichaelRosenbergBalboaHS_04202023_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/018_KQED_MichaelRosenbergBalboaHS_04202023_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/018_KQED_MichaelRosenbergBalboaHS_04202023_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/018_KQED_MichaelRosenbergBalboaHS_04202023_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A student works on a written assignment at Balboa High School in San Francisco on April 20, 2023. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The class came under fire this spring after a national education group published an “incident report” criticizing curriculum focused on “white supremacy culture,” gender ideology and support for undocumented immigrants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A flurry of articles weeks later found lesson plans asking students to role-play as Israeli soldiers and Palestinian refugees, and noting the Chinese youth militants known as the Red Guards among social movements that have “pushed for change and justice.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ethnic studies teachers in the district told KQED they had never used those course materials or heard of their colleagues teaching them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The course has “been in the district for a decade and has never been an issue,” said Sam Aguirre, who has taught the course since 2015.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>After SFUSD launched its ethnic studies pilot program in 2010, it has had the course available as an elective for all high school students since the 2015–16 school year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It became a graduation requirement for ninth graders last fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re teaching the same units that have always been around, the same core values, the same mission statement for a decade,” Aguirre said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A 2021 study from Stanford’s Graduate School of Education found that low-achieving students in the SFUSD class were more likely to attend and be engaged in school, graduate and go to college. New research from UC Irvine shows that taking the course in ninth grade boosted GPAs, especially among Black and Latino students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aguirre and other district teachers worried a pause to the class could turn into a repeal, as momentum surrounding the expansion of ethnic studies wanes more broadly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California’s state budget, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom over the weekend, excludes funding to implement a state mandate for ethnic studies in public schools, which was set to go into effect this fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other districts in the Bay Area have also faced \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/palo-alto-ethnic-studies-19588959.php\">legal pushback\u003c/a> to plans to expand the course, many of which have stemmed from Israel’s war in Gaza and concerns over allegations of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12008739/sfusd-antisemitism-training-sparks-controversy-as-some-educators-opt-for-alternative\">antisemitism in schools\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to the audit, SFUSD plans to introduce a new administrative regulation on supplemental instructional materials in response to the backlash.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rule will require that resources teachers plan to use in their classrooms be reviewed to ensure they are “aligned with district curriculum objectives,” directly related to the course they’re used in and age-appropriate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "sfusd-pays-millions-for-special-ed-this-change-could-save-money-and-help-families",
"title": "SFUSD Pays Millions for Special Ed. This Change Could Save Money — and Help Families",
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"headTitle": "SFUSD Pays Millions for Special Ed. This Change Could Save Money — and Help Families | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>As the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco-unified-school-district\">San Francisco Unified School District\u003c/a> still has a long-term budget problem despite widespread cuts, it could look to save money by revisiting the way it handles special education — an idea that many families are hesitant to get their hopes up for but desperately want to believe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Amid dwindling enrollment and state funding, SFUSD is still hemorrhaging cash, spending outside its means this year, and expecting to run another deficit of nearly $60 million next year without restoring \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12044768/sf-school-district-unveils-balanced-budget-after-cutting-over-110-million-in-spending\">cut positions and services\u003c/a>. Superintendent Maria Su told reporters last month that one of the drivers of the district’s annual shortfalls is the ballooning cost of special education, particularly for the 12% or so of special education students who require services the district has opted to outsource.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SFUSD is federally mandated to be responsible for all students’ special education within its geographical region, or SELPA, but the district alone cannot provide all services. It has about 200 students in private school programs that enroll students with individualized learning plans (IEPs) whose needs cannot be met by their public school district.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Next year, SFUSD estimates that it will pay $42.1 million to these non-public school programs, along with other independent agencies and consultants that provide special education services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Su believes that expanding the district’s internal special education services could recoup some of this funding. It could also improve the learning experience for students who require nontraditional services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If SFUSD could find more options for kids like my son, families like [ours] would take it in a heartbeat,” said Havah Kelley, whose child has been in a non-public school program for three years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11969382\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11969382\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/11132022_apmreports_soldastory312-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1709\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/11132022_apmreports_soldastory312-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/11132022_apmreports_soldastory312-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/11132022_apmreports_soldastory312-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/11132022_apmreports_soldastory312-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/11132022_apmreports_soldastory312-1536x1026.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/11132022_apmreports_soldastory312-2048x1367.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/11132022_apmreports_soldastory312-1920x1282.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Havah Kelley poses for a portrait on Nov. 13, 2022, near McLaren Park in San Francisco.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I want my son to go to a local public school,” she told KQED. “I want to be a part of that community. I want my son to be part of the community. I want him to meet friends who actually live in San Francisco and aren’t spread out, so he can never connect.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kelley’s son, who is entering ninth grade in the fall, has had an IEP since he was 3. He attended elementary school in a regular SFUSD classroom, but as he was gearing up for middle school, Kelley noticed him falling behind, despite the extra resources he had already received through the district’s special education department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He was just not making progress,” she said. “COVID hit, and that really, really derailed us further. Staffing shortages hit, it was a culmination of many different things happening at once, but by … the beginning of sixth grade, I was very gravely concerned.”[aside postID=news_12044768 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-07-BL_qed.jpg']That summer, Kelley, who is a member of the district’s community advisory commission for special education, said she initiated the long, stressful process of moving her son into a non-public school program (NPS).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She requested a meeting with the special education team who’d worked with her family throughout her son’s education, and said she had to prove that the district couldn’t provide legally mandated resources, she told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once SFUSD officials agreed that Kelley’s son needed an NPS placement, the district referred her to one program, where she and her son went through an application process similar to a private school — written questionnaire, interviews and a school tour — before hearing whether he would be offered a spot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parents don’t get much choice in which NPS their child attends, which can also stir up frustration and sometimes lead to costly lawsuits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead, Kelley said, SFUSD refers families to one school at a time, and at the end of the application process, the parent can only decide whether to accept or reject the placement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If they feel it’s the wrong fit, they start again from square one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s very rarely a straight shot,” Kelley said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A difficult path back to SFUSD\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>California has 265 certified NPS programs. Some, like the one Kelley’s son attends, provide smaller student-to-teacher ratios and more individualized attention than SFUSD’s general education classrooms can offer, but less extensive services than some of its internal special day classes, which Kelley said would be too restrictive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Others, such as Edgewood Community School, are geared toward students who need significant mental health support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008414\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12008414\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/SFUSDStudentsGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1336\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/SFUSDStudentsGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/SFUSDStudentsGetty-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/SFUSDStudentsGetty-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/SFUSDStudentsGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/SFUSDStudentsGetty-1536x1026.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/SFUSDStudentsGetty-1920x1283.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Students from the San Francisco Unified School District return to their buses after a field trip in San Francisco on Sept. 13, 2012. \u003ccite>(Liz Hafalia/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The San Francisco campus serves high school students who have been diagnosed with anxiety, depression, PTSD and other mental health conditions, according to program director Roberto Orozco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The class schedule that we create for the students is individualized to make sure that they’re able to make up for the lost credit that they may have not accrued throughout their high school careers,” he said, adding that when they come to Edgewood, “a lot of the students have been out of school for anywhere from months to sometimes years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Academic courses, coupled with in-house individual, group and family therapy and case management, are geared toward two tracks — one to graduate from Edgewood, and another to move to a general education classroom in SFUSD.[aside postID=news_12044911 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250618-NEWTEACHERHOUSING-09-BL-KQED.jpg']Orozco said that while seven students graduated from Edgewood last month, many are working toward returning to general education classrooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Once progress has been made and maintained, we’re able to start having [students] go to a general education setting, where they’ll be there for about an hour,” he said. “They’ll come back, and then if it all goes well, after a month we increase the time … until finally the student is able to return to the least restrictive setting in their general education high school.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year though, no students were able to step down from Edgewood’s program, which isn’t a unique problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When [my son] started, I was hopeful that he would go back to San Francisco for high school,” Kelley said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She initially thought he would be out of the district for one to two years while he caught up after distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and got some targeted support. But next year will be her son’s fourth in an NPS.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s really, really hard,” she told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Outside services pose a major cost\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>To get to his school, Kelley’s son travels three hours round-trip each day. She said that in addition to isolating them from other SFUSD families, the commute has affected her son’s attendance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He’s exhausted having to get up at 5:30 [or] 5:45 in the morning and not getting home until almost 5 o’clock,” she said. That’s without participating in any extracurriculars or hanging around after school with friends.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Long travel days are also a strain on the district.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12046126\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12046126\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250418-SFUSD-01-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250418-SFUSD-01-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250418-SFUSD-01-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250418-SFUSD-01-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The San Francisco Unified School District Administrative Offices in San Francisco on April 18, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>SFUSD is required to pay for transportation for students at NPS programs, which are spread throughout the state, often hours away from San Francisco. Only two of the state-approved programs are within city limits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Transportation often represents the biggest part of NPS programs’ cost to the district, Kelley said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That price tag is getting higher, Su said, as more students require outside services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The reason why we’re spending so much money on special education is because we’re providing funding to serve our students outside of the district,” she said. “Imagine if we can serve these students inside the district, we can then keep these resources here.”[aside postID=news_12041122 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/240517-TKBilingualLearners-98-BL_qut-1020x680.jpg']In addition to transportation, the district pays for private school tuition, case managers who are SFUSD employees and serve as liaisons between the district and NPS schools, and for settlements to families who have sued the district over its inability to provide adequate services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When parents have conflicts with the district over their child’s IEP and the services they’re allotted, lawsuits can arise, Kelley said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If a parent is upset about something … sometimes they just go straight for [legal action],” she said. “They’re just done and they don’t want to have these conversations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the parents win a settlement, they can enroll their student in a private or parochial school that the district has to pay for. Currently, there are about 400 special education students in the district’s region in these schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district is also in legal heat after a \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/sfusd-superintendent-special-education-20253658.php\">special education fiasco\u003c/a> left nearly 200 students without required teachers and services at the start of the school year. The misstep is estimated to cost the district more than $1.18 million to pay for the unmet services, plus legal fees and additional resources to determine the cause of the blunder and make amends with families.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Su turns focus to special education\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Su said now that she’s completed her first school year as the superintendent, working to balance a massive budget deficit and rebuild families’ trust, she’s looking at how special education — and possibly \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12010349/sf-school-closures-halted-for-now-but-districts-new-leader-will-be-tested\">school mergers and closures\u003c/a> — factor into the district’s future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What I’m going to do next year is review and survey all of our facilities and determine which facilities can be converted to transitional kindergarten classrooms and … which facilities can be used to serve our special education students,” she said. “Then at the end of the day … if we have to close or merge, we will determine that, but at a later time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12037008\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12037008\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Maria Su speaks during a press conference at the school district offices in San Francisco on April 21, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A review of SFUSD’s special education earlier this year by FCMAT, a financial company tasked with assisting California districts with financial management, recommended that the district assess where it might be able to shift kids whose NPS programs provide similar services into a district or county-operated class.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While many special education regions cover multiple school districts, SFUSD is the only district in San Francisco’s geographic area. Because of this, it doesn’t look at county-operated special education programs the way others do, according to FCMAT’s analysis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>County classes can be a placement between NPS and SFUSD-operated programs, offering different student-to-teacher ratios and levels of support for students with similar needs currently placed in various NPS programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This lack of differentiation does not occur in most other [special education areas], and it may be causing the SFUSD to miss an opportunity to meet students’ needs in a [district or county] class instead of placing them in a more expensive and restrictive environment like an NPS,” FCMAT Executive Director Mike Fine said in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our sense is that SFUSD could bring quite a few students back from an NPS, at a significant savings, but the specifics of this are well beyond our analysis,” he added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Oftentimes, as you’re looking at keeping students in [the] least restrictive environment, you can create programs that have different class size ratios, different types of support from specialists, and maybe perhaps serve more students in a district program as opposed to a non-public school,” Carolynne Beno, a FCMAT analyst, told SFUSD’s board of education in March.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12004914\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12004914\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240916-UNIONSFSCHOOLCLOSURES-33-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240916-UNIONSFSCHOOLCLOSURES-33-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240916-UNIONSFSCHOOLCLOSURES-33-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240916-UNIONSFSCHOOLCLOSURES-33-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240916-UNIONSFSCHOOLCLOSURES-33-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240916-UNIONSFSCHOOLCLOSURES-33-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240916-UNIONSFSCHOOLCLOSURES-33-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Parent Havah Kelley speaks during a press conference held by the United Educators of San Francisco outside of the San Francisco Unified School District offices on Sept. 16, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Although some students will continue to need services the district can’t provide, Kelley said the idea of returning to a district school is hopeful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I really want for SFUSD to have more options for kids like my son who are just a little more complicated,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said that expanded in-district options would help catch some of the kids like hers, who “fall through the cracks” of SFUSD’s offerings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“His needs were more expensive than [general education] could provide, but [special day classes] were not appropriate because his needs were not as severe in some cases for [that] model, so it would be too restrictive,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How the district plans to expand its options for special education beyond identifying classrooms isn’t yet clear, but the district said it is “committed to transforming how we support our students, families and staff.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The structural and systemic improvements that are already underway are not just necessary — they are long overdue, especially given the threats against the U.S. Department of Education,” district officials said in a statement. “We will continue to push forward with urgency and unwavering dedication.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "San Francisco’s school district outsources services for some students whose needs it can’t meet. It is weighing more in-house options — a change many families desperately want.",
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"title": "SFUSD Pays Millions for Special Ed. This Change Could Save Money — and Help Families | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>As the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco-unified-school-district\">San Francisco Unified School District\u003c/a> still has a long-term budget problem despite widespread cuts, it could look to save money by revisiting the way it handles special education — an idea that many families are hesitant to get their hopes up for but desperately want to believe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Amid dwindling enrollment and state funding, SFUSD is still hemorrhaging cash, spending outside its means this year, and expecting to run another deficit of nearly $60 million next year without restoring \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12044768/sf-school-district-unveils-balanced-budget-after-cutting-over-110-million-in-spending\">cut positions and services\u003c/a>. Superintendent Maria Su told reporters last month that one of the drivers of the district’s annual shortfalls is the ballooning cost of special education, particularly for the 12% or so of special education students who require services the district has opted to outsource.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SFUSD is federally mandated to be responsible for all students’ special education within its geographical region, or SELPA, but the district alone cannot provide all services. It has about 200 students in private school programs that enroll students with individualized learning plans (IEPs) whose needs cannot be met by their public school district.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Next year, SFUSD estimates that it will pay $42.1 million to these non-public school programs, along with other independent agencies and consultants that provide special education services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Su believes that expanding the district’s internal special education services could recoup some of this funding. It could also improve the learning experience for students who require nontraditional services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If SFUSD could find more options for kids like my son, families like [ours] would take it in a heartbeat,” said Havah Kelley, whose child has been in a non-public school program for three years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11969382\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11969382\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/11132022_apmreports_soldastory312-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1709\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/11132022_apmreports_soldastory312-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/11132022_apmreports_soldastory312-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/11132022_apmreports_soldastory312-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/11132022_apmreports_soldastory312-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/11132022_apmreports_soldastory312-1536x1026.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/11132022_apmreports_soldastory312-2048x1367.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/11132022_apmreports_soldastory312-1920x1282.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Havah Kelley poses for a portrait on Nov. 13, 2022, near McLaren Park in San Francisco.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I want my son to go to a local public school,” she told KQED. “I want to be a part of that community. I want my son to be part of the community. I want him to meet friends who actually live in San Francisco and aren’t spread out, so he can never connect.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kelley’s son, who is entering ninth grade in the fall, has had an IEP since he was 3. He attended elementary school in a regular SFUSD classroom, but as he was gearing up for middle school, Kelley noticed him falling behind, despite the extra resources he had already received through the district’s special education department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He was just not making progress,” she said. “COVID hit, and that really, really derailed us further. Staffing shortages hit, it was a culmination of many different things happening at once, but by … the beginning of sixth grade, I was very gravely concerned.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>That summer, Kelley, who is a member of the district’s community advisory commission for special education, said she initiated the long, stressful process of moving her son into a non-public school program (NPS).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She requested a meeting with the special education team who’d worked with her family throughout her son’s education, and said she had to prove that the district couldn’t provide legally mandated resources, she told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once SFUSD officials agreed that Kelley’s son needed an NPS placement, the district referred her to one program, where she and her son went through an application process similar to a private school — written questionnaire, interviews and a school tour — before hearing whether he would be offered a spot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parents don’t get much choice in which NPS their child attends, which can also stir up frustration and sometimes lead to costly lawsuits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead, Kelley said, SFUSD refers families to one school at a time, and at the end of the application process, the parent can only decide whether to accept or reject the placement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If they feel it’s the wrong fit, they start again from square one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s very rarely a straight shot,” Kelley said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A difficult path back to SFUSD\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>California has 265 certified NPS programs. Some, like the one Kelley’s son attends, provide smaller student-to-teacher ratios and more individualized attention than SFUSD’s general education classrooms can offer, but less extensive services than some of its internal special day classes, which Kelley said would be too restrictive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Others, such as Edgewood Community School, are geared toward students who need significant mental health support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008414\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12008414\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/SFUSDStudentsGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1336\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/SFUSDStudentsGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/SFUSDStudentsGetty-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/SFUSDStudentsGetty-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/SFUSDStudentsGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/SFUSDStudentsGetty-1536x1026.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/SFUSDStudentsGetty-1920x1283.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Students from the San Francisco Unified School District return to their buses after a field trip in San Francisco on Sept. 13, 2012. \u003ccite>(Liz Hafalia/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The San Francisco campus serves high school students who have been diagnosed with anxiety, depression, PTSD and other mental health conditions, according to program director Roberto Orozco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The class schedule that we create for the students is individualized to make sure that they’re able to make up for the lost credit that they may have not accrued throughout their high school careers,” he said, adding that when they come to Edgewood, “a lot of the students have been out of school for anywhere from months to sometimes years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Academic courses, coupled with in-house individual, group and family therapy and case management, are geared toward two tracks — one to graduate from Edgewood, and another to move to a general education classroom in SFUSD.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Orozco said that while seven students graduated from Edgewood last month, many are working toward returning to general education classrooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Once progress has been made and maintained, we’re able to start having [students] go to a general education setting, where they’ll be there for about an hour,” he said. “They’ll come back, and then if it all goes well, after a month we increase the time … until finally the student is able to return to the least restrictive setting in their general education high school.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year though, no students were able to step down from Edgewood’s program, which isn’t a unique problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When [my son] started, I was hopeful that he would go back to San Francisco for high school,” Kelley said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She initially thought he would be out of the district for one to two years while he caught up after distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and got some targeted support. But next year will be her son’s fourth in an NPS.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s really, really hard,” she told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Outside services pose a major cost\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>To get to his school, Kelley’s son travels three hours round-trip each day. She said that in addition to isolating them from other SFUSD families, the commute has affected her son’s attendance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He’s exhausted having to get up at 5:30 [or] 5:45 in the morning and not getting home until almost 5 o’clock,” she said. That’s without participating in any extracurriculars or hanging around after school with friends.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Long travel days are also a strain on the district.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12046126\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12046126\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250418-SFUSD-01-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250418-SFUSD-01-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250418-SFUSD-01-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250418-SFUSD-01-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The San Francisco Unified School District Administrative Offices in San Francisco on April 18, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>SFUSD is required to pay for transportation for students at NPS programs, which are spread throughout the state, often hours away from San Francisco. Only two of the state-approved programs are within city limits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Transportation often represents the biggest part of NPS programs’ cost to the district, Kelley said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That price tag is getting higher, Su said, as more students require outside services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The reason why we’re spending so much money on special education is because we’re providing funding to serve our students outside of the district,” she said. “Imagine if we can serve these students inside the district, we can then keep these resources here.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>In addition to transportation, the district pays for private school tuition, case managers who are SFUSD employees and serve as liaisons between the district and NPS schools, and for settlements to families who have sued the district over its inability to provide adequate services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When parents have conflicts with the district over their child’s IEP and the services they’re allotted, lawsuits can arise, Kelley said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If a parent is upset about something … sometimes they just go straight for [legal action],” she said. “They’re just done and they don’t want to have these conversations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the parents win a settlement, they can enroll their student in a private or parochial school that the district has to pay for. Currently, there are about 400 special education students in the district’s region in these schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district is also in legal heat after a \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/sfusd-superintendent-special-education-20253658.php\">special education fiasco\u003c/a> left nearly 200 students without required teachers and services at the start of the school year. The misstep is estimated to cost the district more than $1.18 million to pay for the unmet services, plus legal fees and additional resources to determine the cause of the blunder and make amends with families.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Su turns focus to special education\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Su said now that she’s completed her first school year as the superintendent, working to balance a massive budget deficit and rebuild families’ trust, she’s looking at how special education — and possibly \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12010349/sf-school-closures-halted-for-now-but-districts-new-leader-will-be-tested\">school mergers and closures\u003c/a> — factor into the district’s future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What I’m going to do next year is review and survey all of our facilities and determine which facilities can be converted to transitional kindergarten classrooms and … which facilities can be used to serve our special education students,” she said. “Then at the end of the day … if we have to close or merge, we will determine that, but at a later time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12037008\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12037008\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Maria Su speaks during a press conference at the school district offices in San Francisco on April 21, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A review of SFUSD’s special education earlier this year by FCMAT, a financial company tasked with assisting California districts with financial management, recommended that the district assess where it might be able to shift kids whose NPS programs provide similar services into a district or county-operated class.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While many special education regions cover multiple school districts, SFUSD is the only district in San Francisco’s geographic area. Because of this, it doesn’t look at county-operated special education programs the way others do, according to FCMAT’s analysis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>County classes can be a placement between NPS and SFUSD-operated programs, offering different student-to-teacher ratios and levels of support for students with similar needs currently placed in various NPS programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This lack of differentiation does not occur in most other [special education areas], and it may be causing the SFUSD to miss an opportunity to meet students’ needs in a [district or county] class instead of placing them in a more expensive and restrictive environment like an NPS,” FCMAT Executive Director Mike Fine said in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our sense is that SFUSD could bring quite a few students back from an NPS, at a significant savings, but the specifics of this are well beyond our analysis,” he added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Oftentimes, as you’re looking at keeping students in [the] least restrictive environment, you can create programs that have different class size ratios, different types of support from specialists, and maybe perhaps serve more students in a district program as opposed to a non-public school,” Carolynne Beno, a FCMAT analyst, told SFUSD’s board of education in March.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12004914\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12004914\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240916-UNIONSFSCHOOLCLOSURES-33-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240916-UNIONSFSCHOOLCLOSURES-33-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240916-UNIONSFSCHOOLCLOSURES-33-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240916-UNIONSFSCHOOLCLOSURES-33-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240916-UNIONSFSCHOOLCLOSURES-33-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240916-UNIONSFSCHOOLCLOSURES-33-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240916-UNIONSFSCHOOLCLOSURES-33-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Parent Havah Kelley speaks during a press conference held by the United Educators of San Francisco outside of the San Francisco Unified School District offices on Sept. 16, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Although some students will continue to need services the district can’t provide, Kelley said the idea of returning to a district school is hopeful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I really want for SFUSD to have more options for kids like my son who are just a little more complicated,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said that expanded in-district options would help catch some of the kids like hers, who “fall through the cracks” of SFUSD’s offerings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“His needs were more expensive than [general education] could provide, but [special day classes] were not appropriate because his needs were not as severe in some cases for [that] model, so it would be too restrictive,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How the district plans to expand its options for special education beyond identifying classrooms isn’t yet clear, but the district said it is “committed to transforming how we support our students, families and staff.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The structural and systemic improvements that are already underway are not just necessary — they are long overdue, especially given the threats against the U.S. Department of Education,” district officials said in a statement. “We will continue to push forward with urgency and unwavering dedication.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "sfusd-was-a-pioneer-in-ethnic-studies-now-the-program-could-be-put-on-pause",
"title": "SFUSD Was a Pioneer in Ethnic Studies. Now the Program Could Be Put on Pause",
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"headTitle": "SFUSD Was a Pioneer in Ethnic Studies. Now the Program Could Be Put on Pause | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 3:45 p.m. Friday\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After months of mounting pushback, San Francisco’s superintendent of schools is in talks to pause the district’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/ethnic-studies\">ethnic studies\u003c/a> program, according to teachers and a member of the school board who have raised concerns over the move.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The program — which covers topics including identity, white supremacy, sexuality and social movements — has come under increasing scrutiny from some parents and a national education group that have criticized its course materials as biased and “activist-driven.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, Superintendent Maria Su is considering reassigning ninth graders enrolled in the course next fall while the district conducts an audit of the curriculum, according to ethnic studies teachers and school board member Matt Alexander.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They say that the move would deviate from the district’s past protocols for handling curriculum changes and raises concerns about the future of the course, which has been heralded as a success for more than a decade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have a course that’s worked for a very long time,” Alexander said. “There doesn’t seem to be any reason for a pause, and it’s something that’s very effective. In fact, it may be the only initiative that we have that actually increases college and career outcomes for students.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>More than a decade of ethnic studies\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The San Francisco Unified School District became one of the first in the nation to introduce ethnic studies after its board of education called for creating a dedicated course in 2008. The field, which has roots in Bay Area \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11830384/how-the-longest-student-strike-in-u-s-history-created-ethnic-studies\">student activism\u003c/a> in the 1960s, includes and examines the experiences of minorities in the United States, typically focusing on the experiences of Indigenous people, as well as Black, Latino and Asian Americans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2010, SFUSD launched a pilot program as an elective for high schoolers, which has been offered on all campuses since the 2015–16 school year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11918617\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11918617\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/06/IMG_8133.jpg\" alt=\"Children and adults hold signs at a demonstration to save a Filipino language program.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/06/IMG_8133.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/06/IMG_8133-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/06/IMG_8133-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/06/IMG_8133-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/06/IMG_8133-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A group of students and community members demonstrates outside SFUSD headquarters on June 7, 2022, to protest the district’s plan to downsize the Filipino language program at Longfellow Elementary School. \u003ccite>(Julia McEvoy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://ed.stanford.edu/news/ninth-grade-ethnic-studies-helped-students-years-stanford-researchers-find\">2021 study\u003c/a> by Stanford’s Graduate School of Education raised the program’s profile when it found that low-achieving students who participated in SFUSD’s course were more likely to attend and be engaged in school, had higher probabilities of graduating and were more likely to go to college. And a new draft study from UC Irvine this year shows that over the 15 years SFUSD has offered the class, taking ethnic studies in ninth grade boosted the GPAs of students throughout their high school careers, especially among those who identify as Black and Latino.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 2021 study persuaded policymakers at the state and local levels. That year, California lawmakers enacted a mandate for public schools to require a semester of ethnic studies, which is set to take effect in 2025. That same year, the San Francisco school board passed legislation making the two-semester course a graduation requirement, beginning with ninth graders entering high school in the fall of 2024.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But one year after lawmakers passed those measures, three of the school board members who backed the SFUSD plan — and other social justice-oriented changes within the district, including renaming schools and eliminating merit-based admissions at Lowell High School — were overwhelmingly recalled. The contentious vote followed a swell of criticism from parents, particularly in the Asian American community.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Parents and advocacy groups push back\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Samantha Aguirre, who has taught ethnic studies in SFUSD since 2015, said she had not heard widespread pushback specifically about the course until this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One parent, Vivian Safrin, began raising concerns about the curriculum to district officials last year, after she said she was shown class materials that concerned her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12036911\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12036911\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The San Francisco Unified School District Administrative Offices in San Francisco on April 18, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“[Ethnic studies] is supposed to be an opportunity for students to learn about the histories, cultures, struggles and contributions of ethnic groups in California,” she said. “And at this time, the course in San Francisco is a lot of one-sided political dogma.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our kids don’t have context to be able to analyze this material, given that it is being taught before world history, before U.S. history,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Criticism of the course didn’t break into the mainstream until May, though, following media coverage and a report from a national parents’ group about the class’ content.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parents Defending Education, which said it aims to protect school districts from “activists imposing harmful agendas,” published an “incident report” criticizing the ethnic studies curriculum’s focus on “white supremacy culture” and support for undocumented immigrants.[aside postID=news_12044768 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-07-BL_qed.jpg']Weeks later, an \u003ca href=\"https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/30/sfusd-new-ethnic-studies-mandate/\">article\u003c/a> published in the \u003cem>San Francisco Standard\u003c/em> said that one lesson plan viewed by parents asked students to role-play as Israeli soldiers putting Palestinians into refugee camps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/sfusd-ethic-studies-school-20353723.php\">reported\u003c/a> that a lesson about social movements included as an example the Red Guards, an often-violent militant youth movement that backed Chinese Communist Party leader Mao Zedong during the country’s cultural revolution in the 1960s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aguirre, along with SFUSD ethnic studies teacher Sarita Lavin and a third who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation since they are not tenured, all told KQED they had never used, or heard of any of their colleagues using, those materials in their classrooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>None of the district’s publicly posted ethnic studies materials currently reference such lesson plans, though at least one of the unit curriculum slide decks contains broken links to slides that it said have been deleted, and it’s unclear when or if changes have been made.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That is not something as an ethnic studies department that we are promoting or teaching en masse,” Lavin said. “I think that that’s just been wildly overblown.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12046354\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12046354\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/001_KQED_MichaelRosenbergBalboaHS_04202023_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/001_KQED_MichaelRosenbergBalboaHS_04202023_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/001_KQED_MichaelRosenbergBalboaHS_04202023_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/001_KQED_MichaelRosenbergBalboaHS_04202023_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Student drawings hang on the wall of a classroom at Balboa High School in San Francisco on April 20, 2023. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And not all families have had negative experiences with ethnic studies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maria Elena Francis said that when her children took the course, they came home from school feeling like they saw themselves reflected in their curriculum for one of the first times ever.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Both of my children are Puerto Rican, Chicano and Indigenous, so they’re multiracial, multi-ethnic, and don’t often hear their different histories in a classroom,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her son is a rising 11th grader, and her daughter, who took the honors course when she was in high school, graduated from UC Berkeley last month with an ethnic studies degree.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was important to me, it was important to my husband that we saw them coming back and saying, ‘We learned about this and I made this connection with this person,’” she said. “This program did for my children what I did not have as a student in SFUSD. I had never felt that way … and I’m so glad that my children had a different experience.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘We were in the middle of the process’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The teachers who spoke with KQED acknowledged that one of many parents’ resounding concerns with the class was valid: a standardized curriculum for it isn’t complete.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Aguirre, in the summer of 2021, amid the wider push to expand ethnic studies requirements in the district and across the state, she and other teachers were asked to participate in a working group to develop and vet a more standardized curriculum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12046126\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12046126\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250418-SFUSD-01-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250418-SFUSD-01-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250418-SFUSD-01-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250418-SFUSD-01-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The San Francisco Unified School District Administrative Offices in San Francisco on April 18, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>They split into small cohorts focused on each of the course’s four units, swapped and refined lesson plans, and came up with a draft for each of the class’s sections throughout the summers of 2021 and 2022.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said the working group had planned to gather to assess their first drafts, give each other feedback and make further changes before delivering a final product.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that never happened.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“After the summer of 2022, there was no more money or funding to keep doing the process of making the pilot curriculum,” she said.[aside postID=news_12036406 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250417-HIGHEREDPROTESTS-08-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg']The work was cut short amid the return to classrooms and mass exodus of district employees after the COVID-19 pandemic and a growing budget deficit, she told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What’s available right now on the website when you look at SFUSD curriculum is a lot of our draft work,” Aguirre said. “We were in the middle of the process. Project specialists went in and kind of just made it presentable and put it out there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those drafts — in the form of Google slide presentations for each of the class’s four units — include writing prompts, in-class group projects, links to articles and external resources that align with the class’s broader focus areas. The specific materials, Aguirre said, are suggestions, not requirements.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is no standardized curriculum for the course, nor is there one for any of the district’s history classes, Aguirre said. Instead, teachers are required to teach based on a bullet-point list of content standards handed down by the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not a curriculum … that doesn’t exist,” she said, adding that the textbook she’s been using in her world history courses was developed 20 years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Pausing the course\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Despite the pushback that’s plagued the end of the school year, the educators said they went into the summer working on updates to their lesson plans and preparing to teach ethnic studies again in the fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Then, about last week, I started hearing murmurs through the different ethnic study teachers that I was already working with over the summer that something might happen and that there was some sort of plan that things might not be the same in the fall,” said the teacher who requested anonymity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12046361\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12046361\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-06-BL_qed-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-06-BL_qed-1.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-06-BL_qed-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-06-BL_qed-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Maria Su speaks during a press conference at the school district offices in San Francisco on April 21, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In a statement, a district spokesperson said, “The superintendent is currently in active discussions with principals and various stakeholders regarding high school curriculum and course sequencing for social studies, including Ethnic Studies, in fall 2025.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district said there was no anticipated change to the ethnic studies graduation requirement, which is mandated by school board policy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are committed to keeping our community informed as soon as we have an official update,” the statement said.[aside postID=news_12024203 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/005_KQED_StanfordGradUnion_05302023_qed-1020x680.jpg']Ethnic studies teachers told KQED they’re worried that a potential pause could turn into a repeal of the class altogether.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s no more teachers on special assignment, nobody’s actually teaching ethnic studies, I’ve heard no talk of work groups, there’s no funding to get teachers together to keep on working on the curriculum … then you run into the same issue about access to resources,” Aguirre said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alexander said that an audit of the curriculum is a good idea — especially given valid concerns about certain class materials — but he believes the class should continue in the interim.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said that a few years ago, when a group of parents approached the district with concerns about racism in the U.S. history curriculum, prompting an audit, “we didn’t stop teaching U.S. history.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We analyzed the curriculum and looked at ways that we could improve [it] and make them anti-racist in line with our values,” Alexander told KQED. “That to me seems like the appropriate response when this kind of thing comes up. I’ve never heard of stopping a course because of curriculum concerns.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A larger movement\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The decision comes as the state also seems to be backing away from its push to broaden ethnic studies education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation in 2021 mandating a semester in the course for all public school students beginning with the class of 2030, who will enter ninth grade in the fall. The same year, the state board of education adopted a model curriculum for the course.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008270\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12008270\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/10.02.2024-SB1016-03-scaled-1-e1733162494960.jpg\" alt=\"A white man wearing a suit sits at a desk in an office, writing on a piece of paper with an American flag behind him.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1300\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 28, 2024. \u003ccite>(Photo Courtesy of Governor of California via Flickr)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>However, California’s current 2025–26 budget plan, which needs to be adopted by the end of this month, doesn’t include funding to implement ethnic studies statewide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the 2021 law that created the ethnic studies requirement, the state had to provide money to pay for course materials, teachers and training for the mandate to take effect.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the same time, districts around the Bay Area and the state have also been backing off plans to expand the course in the face of \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/palo-alto-ethnic-studies-19588959.php\">legal challenges\u003c/a>, many of which have stemmed from Israel’s war in Gaza and concerns over allegations of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12008739/sfusd-antisemitism-training-sparks-controversy-as-some-educators-opt-for-alternative\">antisemitism in schools\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab715\">bill making its way through California’s Legislature\u003c/a> that aims to strengthen protections against discrimination and antisemitism has also been criticized by some teachers and \u003ca href=\"https://ca.cair.com/action/stop-ab-715-in-the-senate-defend-our-classrooms/\">advocacy groups\u003c/a> who worry it could prohibit students from learning about Palestine and human rights more broadly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The reason why ethnic studies was created in the 1960s in San Francisco was because of the lack of education for students of color about their own identities,” Lavin said. Without ethnic studies, she asked, “Where exactly are those students supposed to get their representation?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 3:45 p.m. Friday\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After months of mounting pushback, San Francisco’s superintendent of schools is in talks to pause the district’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/ethnic-studies\">ethnic studies\u003c/a> program, according to teachers and a member of the school board who have raised concerns over the move.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The program — which covers topics including identity, white supremacy, sexuality and social movements — has come under increasing scrutiny from some parents and a national education group that have criticized its course materials as biased and “activist-driven.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, Superintendent Maria Su is considering reassigning ninth graders enrolled in the course next fall while the district conducts an audit of the curriculum, according to ethnic studies teachers and school board member Matt Alexander.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They say that the move would deviate from the district’s past protocols for handling curriculum changes and raises concerns about the future of the course, which has been heralded as a success for more than a decade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have a course that’s worked for a very long time,” Alexander said. “There doesn’t seem to be any reason for a pause, and it’s something that’s very effective. In fact, it may be the only initiative that we have that actually increases college and career outcomes for students.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>More than a decade of ethnic studies\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The San Francisco Unified School District became one of the first in the nation to introduce ethnic studies after its board of education called for creating a dedicated course in 2008. The field, which has roots in Bay Area \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11830384/how-the-longest-student-strike-in-u-s-history-created-ethnic-studies\">student activism\u003c/a> in the 1960s, includes and examines the experiences of minorities in the United States, typically focusing on the experiences of Indigenous people, as well as Black, Latino and Asian Americans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2010, SFUSD launched a pilot program as an elective for high schoolers, which has been offered on all campuses since the 2015–16 school year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11918617\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11918617\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/06/IMG_8133.jpg\" alt=\"Children and adults hold signs at a demonstration to save a Filipino language program.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/06/IMG_8133.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/06/IMG_8133-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/06/IMG_8133-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/06/IMG_8133-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/06/IMG_8133-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A group of students and community members demonstrates outside SFUSD headquarters on June 7, 2022, to protest the district’s plan to downsize the Filipino language program at Longfellow Elementary School. \u003ccite>(Julia McEvoy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://ed.stanford.edu/news/ninth-grade-ethnic-studies-helped-students-years-stanford-researchers-find\">2021 study\u003c/a> by Stanford’s Graduate School of Education raised the program’s profile when it found that low-achieving students who participated in SFUSD’s course were more likely to attend and be engaged in school, had higher probabilities of graduating and were more likely to go to college. And a new draft study from UC Irvine this year shows that over the 15 years SFUSD has offered the class, taking ethnic studies in ninth grade boosted the GPAs of students throughout their high school careers, especially among those who identify as Black and Latino.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 2021 study persuaded policymakers at the state and local levels. That year, California lawmakers enacted a mandate for public schools to require a semester of ethnic studies, which is set to take effect in 2025. That same year, the San Francisco school board passed legislation making the two-semester course a graduation requirement, beginning with ninth graders entering high school in the fall of 2024.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But one year after lawmakers passed those measures, three of the school board members who backed the SFUSD plan — and other social justice-oriented changes within the district, including renaming schools and eliminating merit-based admissions at Lowell High School — were overwhelmingly recalled. The contentious vote followed a swell of criticism from parents, particularly in the Asian American community.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Parents and advocacy groups push back\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Samantha Aguirre, who has taught ethnic studies in SFUSD since 2015, said she had not heard widespread pushback specifically about the course until this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One parent, Vivian Safrin, began raising concerns about the curriculum to district officials last year, after she said she was shown class materials that concerned her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12036911\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12036911\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The San Francisco Unified School District Administrative Offices in San Francisco on April 18, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“[Ethnic studies] is supposed to be an opportunity for students to learn about the histories, cultures, struggles and contributions of ethnic groups in California,” she said. “And at this time, the course in San Francisco is a lot of one-sided political dogma.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our kids don’t have context to be able to analyze this material, given that it is being taught before world history, before U.S. history,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Criticism of the course didn’t break into the mainstream until May, though, following media coverage and a report from a national parents’ group about the class’ content.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parents Defending Education, which said it aims to protect school districts from “activists imposing harmful agendas,” published an “incident report” criticizing the ethnic studies curriculum’s focus on “white supremacy culture” and support for undocumented immigrants.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Weeks later, an \u003ca href=\"https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/30/sfusd-new-ethnic-studies-mandate/\">article\u003c/a> published in the \u003cem>San Francisco Standard\u003c/em> said that one lesson plan viewed by parents asked students to role-play as Israeli soldiers putting Palestinians into refugee camps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/sfusd-ethic-studies-school-20353723.php\">reported\u003c/a> that a lesson about social movements included as an example the Red Guards, an often-violent militant youth movement that backed Chinese Communist Party leader Mao Zedong during the country’s cultural revolution in the 1960s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aguirre, along with SFUSD ethnic studies teacher Sarita Lavin and a third who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation since they are not tenured, all told KQED they had never used, or heard of any of their colleagues using, those materials in their classrooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>None of the district’s publicly posted ethnic studies materials currently reference such lesson plans, though at least one of the unit curriculum slide decks contains broken links to slides that it said have been deleted, and it’s unclear when or if changes have been made.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That is not something as an ethnic studies department that we are promoting or teaching en masse,” Lavin said. “I think that that’s just been wildly overblown.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12046354\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12046354\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/001_KQED_MichaelRosenbergBalboaHS_04202023_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/001_KQED_MichaelRosenbergBalboaHS_04202023_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/001_KQED_MichaelRosenbergBalboaHS_04202023_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/001_KQED_MichaelRosenbergBalboaHS_04202023_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Student drawings hang on the wall of a classroom at Balboa High School in San Francisco on April 20, 2023. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And not all families have had negative experiences with ethnic studies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maria Elena Francis said that when her children took the course, they came home from school feeling like they saw themselves reflected in their curriculum for one of the first times ever.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Both of my children are Puerto Rican, Chicano and Indigenous, so they’re multiracial, multi-ethnic, and don’t often hear their different histories in a classroom,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her son is a rising 11th grader, and her daughter, who took the honors course when she was in high school, graduated from UC Berkeley last month with an ethnic studies degree.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was important to me, it was important to my husband that we saw them coming back and saying, ‘We learned about this and I made this connection with this person,’” she said. “This program did for my children what I did not have as a student in SFUSD. I had never felt that way … and I’m so glad that my children had a different experience.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘We were in the middle of the process’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The teachers who spoke with KQED acknowledged that one of many parents’ resounding concerns with the class was valid: a standardized curriculum for it isn’t complete.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Aguirre, in the summer of 2021, amid the wider push to expand ethnic studies requirements in the district and across the state, she and other teachers were asked to participate in a working group to develop and vet a more standardized curriculum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12046126\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12046126\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250418-SFUSD-01-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250418-SFUSD-01-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250418-SFUSD-01-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250418-SFUSD-01-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The San Francisco Unified School District Administrative Offices in San Francisco on April 18, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>They split into small cohorts focused on each of the course’s four units, swapped and refined lesson plans, and came up with a draft for each of the class’s sections throughout the summers of 2021 and 2022.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said the working group had planned to gather to assess their first drafts, give each other feedback and make further changes before delivering a final product.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that never happened.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“After the summer of 2022, there was no more money or funding to keep doing the process of making the pilot curriculum,” she said.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The work was cut short amid the return to classrooms and mass exodus of district employees after the COVID-19 pandemic and a growing budget deficit, she told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What’s available right now on the website when you look at SFUSD curriculum is a lot of our draft work,” Aguirre said. “We were in the middle of the process. Project specialists went in and kind of just made it presentable and put it out there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those drafts — in the form of Google slide presentations for each of the class’s four units — include writing prompts, in-class group projects, links to articles and external resources that align with the class’s broader focus areas. The specific materials, Aguirre said, are suggestions, not requirements.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is no standardized curriculum for the course, nor is there one for any of the district’s history classes, Aguirre said. Instead, teachers are required to teach based on a bullet-point list of content standards handed down by the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not a curriculum … that doesn’t exist,” she said, adding that the textbook she’s been using in her world history courses was developed 20 years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Pausing the course\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Despite the pushback that’s plagued the end of the school year, the educators said they went into the summer working on updates to their lesson plans and preparing to teach ethnic studies again in the fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Then, about last week, I started hearing murmurs through the different ethnic study teachers that I was already working with over the summer that something might happen and that there was some sort of plan that things might not be the same in the fall,” said the teacher who requested anonymity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12046361\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12046361\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-06-BL_qed-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-06-BL_qed-1.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-06-BL_qed-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-06-BL_qed-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Maria Su speaks during a press conference at the school district offices in San Francisco on April 21, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In a statement, a district spokesperson said, “The superintendent is currently in active discussions with principals and various stakeholders regarding high school curriculum and course sequencing for social studies, including Ethnic Studies, in fall 2025.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district said there was no anticipated change to the ethnic studies graduation requirement, which is mandated by school board policy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are committed to keeping our community informed as soon as we have an official update,” the statement said.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Ethnic studies teachers told KQED they’re worried that a potential pause could turn into a repeal of the class altogether.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s no more teachers on special assignment, nobody’s actually teaching ethnic studies, I’ve heard no talk of work groups, there’s no funding to get teachers together to keep on working on the curriculum … then you run into the same issue about access to resources,” Aguirre said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alexander said that an audit of the curriculum is a good idea — especially given valid concerns about certain class materials — but he believes the class should continue in the interim.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said that a few years ago, when a group of parents approached the district with concerns about racism in the U.S. history curriculum, prompting an audit, “we didn’t stop teaching U.S. history.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We analyzed the curriculum and looked at ways that we could improve [it] and make them anti-racist in line with our values,” Alexander told KQED. “That to me seems like the appropriate response when this kind of thing comes up. I’ve never heard of stopping a course because of curriculum concerns.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A larger movement\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The decision comes as the state also seems to be backing away from its push to broaden ethnic studies education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation in 2021 mandating a semester in the course for all public school students beginning with the class of 2030, who will enter ninth grade in the fall. The same year, the state board of education adopted a model curriculum for the course.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008270\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12008270\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/10.02.2024-SB1016-03-scaled-1-e1733162494960.jpg\" alt=\"A white man wearing a suit sits at a desk in an office, writing on a piece of paper with an American flag behind him.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1300\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 28, 2024. \u003ccite>(Photo Courtesy of Governor of California via Flickr)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>However, California’s current 2025–26 budget plan, which needs to be adopted by the end of this month, doesn’t include funding to implement ethnic studies statewide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the 2021 law that created the ethnic studies requirement, the state had to provide money to pay for course materials, teachers and training for the mandate to take effect.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the same time, districts around the Bay Area and the state have also been backing off plans to expand the course in the face of \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/palo-alto-ethnic-studies-19588959.php\">legal challenges\u003c/a>, many of which have stemmed from Israel’s war in Gaza and concerns over allegations of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12008739/sfusd-antisemitism-training-sparks-controversy-as-some-educators-opt-for-alternative\">antisemitism in schools\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab715\">bill making its way through California’s Legislature\u003c/a> that aims to strengthen protections against discrimination and antisemitism has also been criticized by some teachers and \u003ca href=\"https://ca.cair.com/action/stop-ab-715-in-the-senate-defend-our-classrooms/\">advocacy groups\u003c/a> who worry it could prohibit students from learning about Palestine and human rights more broadly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The reason why ethnic studies was created in the 1960s in San Francisco was because of the lack of education for students of color about their own identities,” Lavin said. Without ethnic studies, she asked, “Where exactly are those students supposed to get their representation?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Teachers in San Francisco looking for affordable housing could have more options by the end of next year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Construction began earlier this year on the city’s second subsidized housing development for teachers and school staff. The site, located at 750 Golden Gate Avenue in the Western Addition, will offer 75 apartments, with preference for employees of San Francisco’s Unified School District and Community College District. It’s slated to finish construction by the end of 2026.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Today, we’re breaking ground on our future,” Mayor Daniel Lurie said Wednesday. “A future for our families and teachers, and a future where building housing in San Francisco is not the exception, it is the expectation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The event marked the early stages of construction for the educator workforce housing, as well as a second affordable housing development for families at 850 Turk Street.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For years, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sf.gov/news--san-francisco-announces-two-new-affordable-educator-housing-projects-0\">city\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://a46.asmdc.org/press-releases/20200928-governor-newsom-signs-legislation-spur-production-affordable-housing\">state\u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11997949/california-schools-keep-losing-teachers-the-state-wants-to-help-build-homes-for-them\"> leaders\u003c/a> have proposed solutions to the state’s housing shortage and the impact of high rents and home prices on educators, many of whom are forced to commute from outside of San Francisco. According to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.cta.org/press-release/new-study-shows-californias-educators-are-stretched-thin-due-to-financial-pressures-with-four-in-10-thinking-of-leaving-the-profession\">survey\u003c/a> released in January by the California Teachers Association, more than 80% of the nearly 2,000 public school educators statewide said their salaries could not keep up with the rising cost of living.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12044983\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12044983 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250618-NEWTEACHERHOUSING-14-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250618-NEWTEACHERHOUSING-14-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250618-NEWTEACHERHOUSING-14-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250618-NEWTEACHERHOUSING-14-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mayor Daniel Lurie breaks ground alongside members of the team behind a new housing project during a groundbreaking ceremony at 750 Golden Gate Avenue in San Francisco on June 18, 2025. The event marked the start of 2 affordable housing developments — one with 75 units prioritized for SFUSD and City College educators, and another at 850 Turk that will add 92 family apartments. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>To meet the need in San Francisco, officials have passed \u003ca href=\"https://sfplanning.org/resource/sb423-application\">streamlining\u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12017695/san-francisco-wants-to-make-it-cheaper-for-developers-to-build-housing-downtown\"> bills\u003c/a> and used state programs to bring new homes online faster. But the process has been slow going.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, the developer MidPen Housing completed the city’s first affordable housing development for teachers at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11981429/applications-to-open-for-san-franciscos-first-affordable-housing-project-for-educators\">Shirley Chisholm Village\u003c/a> in the Outer Sunset. It took almost seven years to get the project’s permits approved and construction completed. When applications opened last April, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/teacher-housing-demand-19578185.php\">more than 900 people\u003c/a> applied for a spot in the 135-unit building.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in the years since construction started at Shirley Chisholm Village, a lot has changed for the city and the developer, said Lauren Fuhry, project manager for MidPen Housing, which is also developing the Golden Gate site. Fuhry said the nonprofit was able to secure financing in Aug. 2023 and started construction in January — a relatively short timeline compared to the previous project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“One thing that really helped Golden Gate kind of streak forward is there were some changes at the state level in laws around permit timelines,” Fuhry said. “Golden Gate directly benefited from permit submissions having explicit deadlines for how long the city has to respond.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12045026\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12045026\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/SFTeacherHousingRendering.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1356\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/SFTeacherHousingRendering.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/SFTeacherHousingRendering-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/SFTeacherHousingRendering-1536x1041.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The affordable housing development, located at 750 Golden Gate Ave., will have 75 affordable apartments, with preference for employees of the San Francisco Unified School District and Community College District. The development is slated to finish construction by the end of 2026. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of David Baker Architects)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The project is also being built on state-owned excess land. It replaces a parking lot for the Employment Development Department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city took advantage of the governor’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.hcd.ca.gov/planning-and-community-development/public-lands-affordable-housing-development\">Surplus Land Act\u003c/a>, which aims to repurpose underused public land for affordable housing by offering it to developers at a low cost.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When you think about projects like this, land cost is often a really significant cost,” Tomiquia Moss, secretary of the state’s Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency, told KQED. “When we’re able to offer state land at a deeply discounted rate, it allows the developers to focus on the other parts of the financing stack that they have to put together.”[aside postID=news_12037474 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250425-SFSUStudentHousing-10-BL_qed-1020x680.jpg']Though the Shirley Chisholm Village took years to complete, officials are seeing success in what was built. Today, the apartments are 100% occupied, according to Anne Stanley, a spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About 90% of the 135 units are occupied by SFUSD educators and employees, with the remaining set aside for members of the general public with mobility, hearing or visual impairments, Stanley said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One more project is in the city’s teacher housing pipeline, but awaits funding: 2205 Mission Street. It’s the third teacher housing project \u003ca href=\"https://www.sf.gov/news--san-francisco-announces-two-new-affordable-educator-housing-projects-0\">San Francisco officials \u003c/a>have vowed to build.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Mission Local, that project, developed by the Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA), received about $12 million in funding from Proposition I in 2023 but has failed to get other financing needed to start construction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“MEDA remains committed to this project, which will bring much-needed housing for our educators,” Juan Mesa, the nonprofit’s spokesperson, said in a statement. “We continue to work with public and private partners to secure funding for 2205 Mission Street, exploring solutions to make this vision a reality.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Teachers in San Francisco looking for affordable housing could have more options by the end of next year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Construction began earlier this year on the city’s second subsidized housing development for teachers and school staff. The site, located at 750 Golden Gate Avenue in the Western Addition, will offer 75 apartments, with preference for employees of San Francisco’s Unified School District and Community College District. It’s slated to finish construction by the end of 2026.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Today, we’re breaking ground on our future,” Mayor Daniel Lurie said Wednesday. “A future for our families and teachers, and a future where building housing in San Francisco is not the exception, it is the expectation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The event marked the early stages of construction for the educator workforce housing, as well as a second affordable housing development for families at 850 Turk Street.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For years, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sf.gov/news--san-francisco-announces-two-new-affordable-educator-housing-projects-0\">city\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://a46.asmdc.org/press-releases/20200928-governor-newsom-signs-legislation-spur-production-affordable-housing\">state\u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11997949/california-schools-keep-losing-teachers-the-state-wants-to-help-build-homes-for-them\"> leaders\u003c/a> have proposed solutions to the state’s housing shortage and the impact of high rents and home prices on educators, many of whom are forced to commute from outside of San Francisco. According to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.cta.org/press-release/new-study-shows-californias-educators-are-stretched-thin-due-to-financial-pressures-with-four-in-10-thinking-of-leaving-the-profession\">survey\u003c/a> released in January by the California Teachers Association, more than 80% of the nearly 2,000 public school educators statewide said their salaries could not keep up with the rising cost of living.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12044983\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12044983 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250618-NEWTEACHERHOUSING-14-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250618-NEWTEACHERHOUSING-14-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250618-NEWTEACHERHOUSING-14-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250618-NEWTEACHERHOUSING-14-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mayor Daniel Lurie breaks ground alongside members of the team behind a new housing project during a groundbreaking ceremony at 750 Golden Gate Avenue in San Francisco on June 18, 2025. The event marked the start of 2 affordable housing developments — one with 75 units prioritized for SFUSD and City College educators, and another at 850 Turk that will add 92 family apartments. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>To meet the need in San Francisco, officials have passed \u003ca href=\"https://sfplanning.org/resource/sb423-application\">streamlining\u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12017695/san-francisco-wants-to-make-it-cheaper-for-developers-to-build-housing-downtown\"> bills\u003c/a> and used state programs to bring new homes online faster. But the process has been slow going.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, the developer MidPen Housing completed the city’s first affordable housing development for teachers at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11981429/applications-to-open-for-san-franciscos-first-affordable-housing-project-for-educators\">Shirley Chisholm Village\u003c/a> in the Outer Sunset. It took almost seven years to get the project’s permits approved and construction completed. When applications opened last April, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/teacher-housing-demand-19578185.php\">more than 900 people\u003c/a> applied for a spot in the 135-unit building.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in the years since construction started at Shirley Chisholm Village, a lot has changed for the city and the developer, said Lauren Fuhry, project manager for MidPen Housing, which is also developing the Golden Gate site. Fuhry said the nonprofit was able to secure financing in Aug. 2023 and started construction in January — a relatively short timeline compared to the previous project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“One thing that really helped Golden Gate kind of streak forward is there were some changes at the state level in laws around permit timelines,” Fuhry said. “Golden Gate directly benefited from permit submissions having explicit deadlines for how long the city has to respond.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12045026\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12045026\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/SFTeacherHousingRendering.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1356\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/SFTeacherHousingRendering.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/SFTeacherHousingRendering-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/SFTeacherHousingRendering-1536x1041.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The affordable housing development, located at 750 Golden Gate Ave., will have 75 affordable apartments, with preference for employees of the San Francisco Unified School District and Community College District. The development is slated to finish construction by the end of 2026. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of David Baker Architects)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The project is also being built on state-owned excess land. It replaces a parking lot for the Employment Development Department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city took advantage of the governor’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.hcd.ca.gov/planning-and-community-development/public-lands-affordable-housing-development\">Surplus Land Act\u003c/a>, which aims to repurpose underused public land for affordable housing by offering it to developers at a low cost.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When you think about projects like this, land cost is often a really significant cost,” Tomiquia Moss, secretary of the state’s Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency, told KQED. “When we’re able to offer state land at a deeply discounted rate, it allows the developers to focus on the other parts of the financing stack that they have to put together.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Though the Shirley Chisholm Village took years to complete, officials are seeing success in what was built. Today, the apartments are 100% occupied, according to Anne Stanley, a spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About 90% of the 135 units are occupied by SFUSD educators and employees, with the remaining set aside for members of the general public with mobility, hearing or visual impairments, Stanley said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One more project is in the city’s teacher housing pipeline, but awaits funding: 2205 Mission Street. It’s the third teacher housing project \u003ca href=\"https://www.sf.gov/news--san-francisco-announces-two-new-affordable-educator-housing-projects-0\">San Francisco officials \u003c/a>have vowed to build.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Mission Local, that project, developed by the Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA), received about $12 million in funding from Proposition I in 2023 but has failed to get other financing needed to start construction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“MEDA remains committed to this project, which will bring much-needed housing for our educators,” Juan Mesa, the nonprofit’s spokesperson, said in a statement. “We continue to work with public and private partners to secure funding for 2205 Mission Street, exploring solutions to make this vision a reality.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>After months of budget wrangling, buyouts and the threat of state takeover, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco-unified-school-district\">San Francisco’s school district\u003c/a> will deliver a balanced budget, according to Superintendent Maria Su.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the San Francisco Unified School District nears the end of its fiscal year, Su on Tuesday unveiled the financial plan she was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12017631/embattled-sf-school-district-offer-hundreds-buyouts-potential-layoffs\">brought into the embattled system to deliver\u003c/a> last fall. The budget eliminates a $113 million deficit, focuses more spending on school campuses, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040756/sfusd-reverses-over-150-layoffs-but-hiring-teachers-may-still-be-an-uphill-battle\">avoids teacher layoffs\u003c/a> and cuts down nearly half of the district’s deficit spending.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have made a lot of really, really tough decisions and all of those necessary cuts that need to be made to support our budget and, of course, to maintain local control,” Su told reporters last week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district’s budget focus will be three-pronged, she said: improving student learning, creating strong and supported schools, and prioritizing effective governance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have worked really hard to strategically invest in what we know our students need the most,” she continued.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The biggest cuts will be in staffing. Nearly 400 positions are being eliminated across school sites and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12036914/more-sfusd-layoffs-to-target-central-office-bringing-budget-gap-closer-to-zero\">the central office\u003c/a>, and 345 more positions are being vacated by retiring staffers who took a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12017631/embattled-sf-school-district-offer-hundreds-buyouts-potential-layoffs\">voluntary buyout\u003c/a> earlier this year. Of those, 315 positions will be filled by mostly lower-paid — and less experienced — workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12036911\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12036911\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The San Francisco Unified School District administrative offices in San Francisco on April 18, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>About 180 of the eliminated positions involve employees who work on school campuses, according to district documents, though their exact roles have not been made clear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Frank Lara, vice president of the SFUSD teachers union, said most were “special assignment” roles that many experienced teachers had moved into to focus on English language learning, reforms to teaching and curriculum, or reducing class sizes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district said every school site will have a principal, clerk and classroom teachers for each grade level, but those specialized staffers, along with assistant principals and higher-than-mandated numbers of paraeducators, counselors and social workers, are not guaranteed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re really facing a major disruption to how schools serve students,” without those jobs, but the effects won’t be fully known until next year, Lara said.[aside postID=news_12040756 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/250204-WeCantWait-04-BL_qed-1020x680.jpg']Su said last week that the district was focused on making sure schools still have access to enrichment courses in the arts and physical education, along with language immersion opportunities and improved food options — a hot topic with students, she told reporters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the central office, the gaps could be more glaring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About 190 roles have been eliminated there, which will extend wait times for technology needs and force the office to prioritize certain communications and digital resources that are aligned with curriculum, according to the district. With the reductions, spending on the central office will be about 16% of the district’s total budget, down from 25% five years ago and lower than similar districts in the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That shows the commitment to our students, our schools, our families, and it’s much appreciated,” said board member Matt Alexander.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Union leaders have long said the district spends too much of its resources on the administrative office staff, and they urged for cuts to be kept away from school sites.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lara said it was a positive step, but he added that the union is continuing to monitor if, and how, central office positions are reintroduced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the next year, Su said further reductions will be needed, especially after the district reported that it will receive about $8 million less revenue in state and attendance-related funding than it budgeted for in a fiscal update last month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district is also continuing to try to curb deficit spending, which is down from more than $90 million to $47 million this year. Projections for future years show the district continuing to overspend by about the same amount, meaning it will need to take additional steps to reach longer-term stability.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Su said that could mean discussing whether school closures are needed, investing in changes to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12031802/san-francisco-public-schools-see-surge-applications-thanks-transitional-kindergarten-demand\">transitional kindergarten\u003c/a> and special education services, and making additional reductions in some programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A clearer picture of next year’s budget outlook will come into focus next week, when the district plans to present a fiscal stabilization plan for the 2026–2027 school year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>After months of budget wrangling, buyouts and the threat of state takeover, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco-unified-school-district\">San Francisco’s school district\u003c/a> will deliver a balanced budget, according to Superintendent Maria Su.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the San Francisco Unified School District nears the end of its fiscal year, Su on Tuesday unveiled the financial plan she was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12017631/embattled-sf-school-district-offer-hundreds-buyouts-potential-layoffs\">brought into the embattled system to deliver\u003c/a> last fall. The budget eliminates a $113 million deficit, focuses more spending on school campuses, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040756/sfusd-reverses-over-150-layoffs-but-hiring-teachers-may-still-be-an-uphill-battle\">avoids teacher layoffs\u003c/a> and cuts down nearly half of the district’s deficit spending.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have made a lot of really, really tough decisions and all of those necessary cuts that need to be made to support our budget and, of course, to maintain local control,” Su told reporters last week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district’s budget focus will be three-pronged, she said: improving student learning, creating strong and supported schools, and prioritizing effective governance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have worked really hard to strategically invest in what we know our students need the most,” she continued.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The biggest cuts will be in staffing. Nearly 400 positions are being eliminated across school sites and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12036914/more-sfusd-layoffs-to-target-central-office-bringing-budget-gap-closer-to-zero\">the central office\u003c/a>, and 345 more positions are being vacated by retiring staffers who took a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12017631/embattled-sf-school-district-offer-hundreds-buyouts-potential-layoffs\">voluntary buyout\u003c/a> earlier this year. Of those, 315 positions will be filled by mostly lower-paid — and less experienced — workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12036911\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12036911\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The San Francisco Unified School District administrative offices in San Francisco on April 18, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>About 180 of the eliminated positions involve employees who work on school campuses, according to district documents, though their exact roles have not been made clear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Frank Lara, vice president of the SFUSD teachers union, said most were “special assignment” roles that many experienced teachers had moved into to focus on English language learning, reforms to teaching and curriculum, or reducing class sizes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district said every school site will have a principal, clerk and classroom teachers for each grade level, but those specialized staffers, along with assistant principals and higher-than-mandated numbers of paraeducators, counselors and social workers, are not guaranteed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re really facing a major disruption to how schools serve students,” without those jobs, but the effects won’t be fully known until next year, Lara said.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Su said last week that the district was focused on making sure schools still have access to enrichment courses in the arts and physical education, along with language immersion opportunities and improved food options — a hot topic with students, she told reporters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the central office, the gaps could be more glaring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About 190 roles have been eliminated there, which will extend wait times for technology needs and force the office to prioritize certain communications and digital resources that are aligned with curriculum, according to the district. With the reductions, spending on the central office will be about 16% of the district’s total budget, down from 25% five years ago and lower than similar districts in the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That shows the commitment to our students, our schools, our families, and it’s much appreciated,” said board member Matt Alexander.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Union leaders have long said the district spends too much of its resources on the administrative office staff, and they urged for cuts to be kept away from school sites.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lara said it was a positive step, but he added that the union is continuing to monitor if, and how, central office positions are reintroduced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the next year, Su said further reductions will be needed, especially after the district reported that it will receive about $8 million less revenue in state and attendance-related funding than it budgeted for in a fiscal update last month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district is also continuing to try to curb deficit spending, which is down from more than $90 million to $47 million this year. Projections for future years show the district continuing to overspend by about the same amount, meaning it will need to take additional steps to reach longer-term stability.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Su said that could mean discussing whether school closures are needed, investing in changes to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12031802/san-francisco-public-schools-see-surge-applications-thanks-transitional-kindergarten-demand\">transitional kindergarten\u003c/a> and special education services, and making additional reductions in some programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A clearer picture of next year’s budget outlook will come into focus next week, when the district plans to present a fiscal stabilization plan for the 2026–2027 school year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "sfusd-reverses-over-150-layoffs-but-hiring-teachers-may-still-be-an-uphill-battle",
"title": "SFUSD Reverses Over 150 Layoffs, But Hiring Teachers May Still Be an Uphill Battle",
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"content": "\u003cp>After months of uncertainty, San Francisco’s teachers union is celebrating a win in the district’s move to rescind nearly all of the layoff notices it had planned for school-site staffers. Now, union representatives say the district’s staffing woes have shifted to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12039904/sfusd-cuts-spending-dozens-classroom-roles-still-need-filled\">filling classrooms that will be left empty\u003c/a> by retiring and resigning teachers next month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier this year, grim budget predictions suggested that hundreds of teachers, counselors and other San Francisco Unified School District employees \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12028317/sf-schools-brace-hundreds-layoffs-including-teachers-librarians-counselors\">could be laid off\u003c/a> as part of significant cuts to patch a $114 million deficit. But on Friday afternoon, the district announced that it would pull back pink slips that had been approved for 34 school counselors and 117 paraeducators, who provide instructional support to teachers, leaving just nine remaining notices going out to school-site staffers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>District officials said they were able to cut the number down significantly through collaboration with the county and state boards of education, along with a successful early retirement buyout offer to educators. About 100 staffers in SFUSD’s administrative central office \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12036914/more-sfusd-layoffs-to-target-central-office-bringing-budget-gap-closer-to-zero\">were also laid off\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Frank Lara, the vice president of SFUSD’s teachers union, called the announcement a victory and commended the district for its work to balance the budget, but he emphasized that there is still work to be done. Before children return to campuses next fall, he said, the district will have to replace classroom teachers \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12031347/san-francisco-schools-may-cut-staff-face-backlash-over-new-hiring-limits\">taking the voluntary buyout\u003c/a> as well as others who could announce their resignations this summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We still have a lot of work to do to fully staff classrooms, and we very much are in collaboration with the district to get that done,” he told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12037008\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12037008\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Maria Su speaks during a press conference at the school district offices in San Francisco on April 21, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for SFUSD said the exact number of classroom vacancies throughout the district’s 120 campuses fluctuates significantly, but each year, a couple of hundred teachers often leave their roles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A hiring freeze has limited the district’s ability to make staffing decisions without state approval for the last year, but according to a spokesperson, it’s been approved to hire 77 additional classroom teachers, on top of the 162 hires it was granted to fill open positions earlier this month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lara said SFUSD’s hiring allowance is enough to offer every eligible temporary teacher in the district a new contract for next year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Right now, principals have a list of all these individuals and principals are calling these folks to get into the classroom and offering them contracts,” Lara said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s more worried that some schools will be unable to fill classroom openings, especially if the number grows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Once they end the school year, [teachers] often announce in their email threads to their school community that they’re leaving, so we expect that number to increase while the pool of candidates will decrease,” Lara said. “We’re not out of the woodwork yet in terms of staffing, but at least everybody now knows what the rules are.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_12039904 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The volume of open positions at this point in the school year has some principals worried, according to Anna Klafter, the president of the district’s administrators union and principal at Independence High School.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every school has open positions, she said, and a principal at one of the westside high schools is looking to fill about 30 open roles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“School is over in two and a half weeks,” she said, adding that principals aren’t paid to work throughout all of summer break. “Principals will be forced to work over the summer to staff their schools because the alternative is not working and not having staff in your schools, and that’s just not OK. And then we’ll be asking for money to be paid because it is a lot of work.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SFUSD said it plans to first offer open roles to internal candidates who were laid off from the central office or are on temporary contracts, then open hiring to others, which could extend the hiring timeline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Klafter said her union is pushing to open hiring to all as soon as possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re quite late in the hiring season to have this many open positions,” Klafter told KQED. “Other districts around us are done hiring teachers in May, and we’re just beginning our opening hiring. That makes school leaders nervous because we have to assume first, are we going to get enough candidates for these positions? And then second, are these going to be the best candidates out there?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>After months of uncertainty, San Francisco’s teachers union is celebrating a win in the district’s move to rescind nearly all of the layoff notices it had planned for school-site staffers. Now, union representatives say the district’s staffing woes have shifted to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12039904/sfusd-cuts-spending-dozens-classroom-roles-still-need-filled\">filling classrooms that will be left empty\u003c/a> by retiring and resigning teachers next month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier this year, grim budget predictions suggested that hundreds of teachers, counselors and other San Francisco Unified School District employees \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12028317/sf-schools-brace-hundreds-layoffs-including-teachers-librarians-counselors\">could be laid off\u003c/a> as part of significant cuts to patch a $114 million deficit. But on Friday afternoon, the district announced that it would pull back pink slips that had been approved for 34 school counselors and 117 paraeducators, who provide instructional support to teachers, leaving just nine remaining notices going out to school-site staffers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>District officials said they were able to cut the number down significantly through collaboration with the county and state boards of education, along with a successful early retirement buyout offer to educators. About 100 staffers in SFUSD’s administrative central office \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12036914/more-sfusd-layoffs-to-target-central-office-bringing-budget-gap-closer-to-zero\">were also laid off\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Frank Lara, the vice president of SFUSD’s teachers union, called the announcement a victory and commended the district for its work to balance the budget, but he emphasized that there is still work to be done. Before children return to campuses next fall, he said, the district will have to replace classroom teachers \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12031347/san-francisco-schools-may-cut-staff-face-backlash-over-new-hiring-limits\">taking the voluntary buyout\u003c/a> as well as others who could announce their resignations this summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We still have a lot of work to do to fully staff classrooms, and we very much are in collaboration with the district to get that done,” he told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12037008\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12037008\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-SFUSDCentralCuts-11-BL_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Maria Su speaks during a press conference at the school district offices in San Francisco on April 21, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for SFUSD said the exact number of classroom vacancies throughout the district’s 120 campuses fluctuates significantly, but each year, a couple of hundred teachers often leave their roles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A hiring freeze has limited the district’s ability to make staffing decisions without state approval for the last year, but according to a spokesperson, it’s been approved to hire 77 additional classroom teachers, on top of the 162 hires it was granted to fill open positions earlier this month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lara said SFUSD’s hiring allowance is enough to offer every eligible temporary teacher in the district a new contract for next year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Right now, principals have a list of all these individuals and principals are calling these folks to get into the classroom and offering them contracts,” Lara said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s more worried that some schools will be unable to fill classroom openings, especially if the number grows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Once they end the school year, [teachers] often announce in their email threads to their school community that they’re leaving, so we expect that number to increase while the pool of candidates will decrease,” Lara said. “We’re not out of the woodwork yet in terms of staffing, but at least everybody now knows what the rules are.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"order": 1
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"id": "code-switch-life-kit",
"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
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"meta": {
"site": "radio",
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"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"meta": {
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"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
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"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
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"id": "freakonomics-radio",
"title": "Freakonomics Radio",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "http://freakonomics.com/",
"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
"subscribe": {
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
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},
"fresh-air": {
"id": "fresh-air",
"title": "Fresh Air",
"info": "Hosted by Terry Gross, \u003cem>Fresh Air from WHYY\u003c/em> is the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues. One of public radio's most popular programs, Fresh Air features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries.",
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"meta": {
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"link": "/radio/program/fresh-air",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510051/podcast.xml"
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},
"hidden-brain": {
"id": "hidden-brain",
"title": "Hidden Brain",
"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
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},
"how-i-built-this": {
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"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/howIBuiltThis.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this",
"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
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"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/3zxy",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
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"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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"order": 15
},
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"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/2p3Fifq96nw9BPcmFdIq0o?si=39209f7b25774f38",
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},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
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}
},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
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"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
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},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Masters-of-Scale-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
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"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "http://mastersofscale.app.link/",
"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
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"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mindshift-podcast/id1078765985",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share",
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}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
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"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "On Our Watch from NPR and KQED",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1567098962",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
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"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/show/on-our-watch",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510360/podcast.xml"
}
},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wnyc"
},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"
}
},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
"title": "PBS NewsHour",
"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "pbs"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
"rss": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"
}
},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
"title": "Perspectives",
"tagline": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991",
"info": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Perspectives_Tile_Final.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Perspectives",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/perspectives/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id73801135",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432309616/perspectives",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/perspectives/category/perspectives/feed/",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93dzIua3FlZC5vcmcvcGVyc3BlY3RpdmVzL2NhdGVnb3J5L3BlcnNwZWN0aXZlcy9mZWVkLw"
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},
"planet-money": {
"id": "planet-money",
"title": "Planet Money",
"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/sections/money/",
"meta": {
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/M4f5",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Business--Economics-Podcasts/Planet-Money-p164680/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510289/podcast.xml"
}
},
"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
"title": "Political Breakdown",
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