San Francisco Mayor London Breed announces funds, advisor support to help SFUSD
San Francisco Mayor London Breed on Sunday announced the city will offer staff expertise and $8.4 million in unallocated funds to help stabilize the city's troubled public schools.
The news came as the San Francisco Board of Education held an emergency meeting over pending school closures amid declining enrollment and financial problems.
Breed tapped managers from departments including the controller, treasurer and tax collector, human services and human resources, to serve on a School Stabilization Team.
Breed called it a "difficult time" for the San Francisco Unified School District, the seventh largest school district in California, with 121 schools and more than 50,000 students.
"With so many questions around SFUSD's fiscal situation, potential school closures, and outlook for families, I'm deploying top city leaders and expert staff to help the School Board and District leadership navigate the coming months," Breed said in a press release.
"I wouldn't be where I am today without San Francisco's public schools, and I will do whatever it takes to make sure our current students have the support today that I had growing up here," said Breed, who is running for re-election in November.
The district said its enrollment has decreased by more than 4,000 students since the 2017-18 school year. It expects to lose 4,600 additional students by 2032.
The district is also beset by staffing shortages. In 2022-23 and at the start of 2023-24, at least 15% of classrooms were staffed by substitute teachers or teachers on special assignment, the district said.
In May, Moody's Investors Service, one of the major credit rating agencies, downgraded the district's credit grade by one notch, from Aa3 to A1. The district is asking voters to let it borrow $790 million for critical facilities improvements on the Nov. 5 ballot.
The downgrade followed a notice in May from the California Department of Education that revised its certification of the district's March budget report from "Qualified" to "Negative," citing the need for improved financial systems.
Breed said the School Stabilization Team will be able to utilize $8.4 million in unallocated Student Success Funds for emergency needs and emergent strategies to support the schools.
The team will be led by Maria Su, executive director of the Department of Children Youth and their Families, and Phil Ginsburg, general manager of the Recreation and Parks Department.
Breed also appointed Carl Cohn, the former superintendent of San Diego and Long Beach school districts, as a special adviser to the team. Cohn has also served as a member of the State Board of Education, according to the mayor.
"Dr. Cohn brings a unique perspective on what school districts need to best serve students," she said.
Breed said other members of the School Stabilization Team and their duties include:
- ChiaYu Ma, deputy controller, to provide fiscal expertise.
- Susie Smith, deputy director for policy and planning, Human Services Agency to provide programmatic and family support.
- Hong Mei Pang, the mayor's Education Policy Adviser, to provide communications, policy and administrative support.
- Amanda Kahn Fried, Office of the Treasurer & Tax Collector to provide payroll and finances support.
- Shawn Sherburne, assistant director, Department of Human Resources to assist with staffing analysis.
"As the school board and leadership of the district take on these very difficult issues, it's essential that the information they are relying on is consistent and independently reviewed," Breed said.
"The Mayor's School Stabilization Team, along with other external support including former City Controller Ben Rosenfield, will help provide that independent analysis and review so that students, parents and educators have the certainty that the decisions being made are based on sound information and best practices," she said.