SFUSD releases list of 13 schools that will potentially close as it faces $400M budget deficit
The school district is also planning to eliminate more than 500 jobs
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- After a long wait, San Francisco families received some answers on which schools could close.
San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Matt Wayne gave the update Tuesday that 13 schools meet the criteria for closing or merging.
Here's what to know about the proposed plan for the 2025-2026 school year
- 3 schools close
- 8 schools merge with another school
- 2 schools become a welcoming school for a closed school
Here are the schools impacted
El Dorado Elementary
- Merge with Visitacion Valley and students move to the Visitacion Valley campus
Harvey Milk Civil Rights Elementary
- Merge with Sanchez Elementary and the campus is potentially repurposed as an Early Education Center
Jean Parker Elementary
- Students attend Gordon J. Lau (Cantonese Biliteracy) or John Yehall Chin (General Education)
Malcolm X Academy
- Merge with Carver Elementary and students move to the Carver campus
Redding Elementary
- Welcoming school for Yick Wo students (General Education and Special Day Class Program)
San Francisco Community Alternative
- Merge with Paul Revere TK-8 School
San Francisco Public Montessori
- Merge with Rosa Parks
Spring Valley Elementary
- Merge with John Muir
Sutro Elementary
- Students attend Lafayette or Alamo (General Education) and CIS @ DeAvila (Cantonese Biliteracy) and the campus is potentially repurposed as an Early Education Center
Visitacion Valley Elementary
- Merge with El Dorado on the Visitacion Valley campus
Yick Wo Elementary
- Students attend Redding Elementary (General and Special Day Class Program) and Sherman Elementary (General Education)
June Jordan School for Equity
- Merge with John O'Connell High School and move to the O'Connell campus
The Academy - SF @McAteer
- Merge with Raoul Wallenberg High School and move to the Wallenberg campus
The list includes 10 elementary schools, a combined elementary-middle school, and two high schools -- including June Jordan, a high school for students who were not achieving in traditional schools.
Ironically, June Jordan was co-founded by School Board President Matt Alexander, and now it's set to close.
On the sidelines are students, teachers and parents.
"I'm reminding myself and all the other parents in SFUSD that we have to focus on fully staffed schools. This is all in service of not spreading our resources super thin," said SFUSD parent Catherine Burhenne.
Uncertainty is taking over school hallways, where conversations are increasingly becoming more about the future of their schools.
"We the teachers, we the student body we are that school and when we have the possibility of being shut down, I mean that is a knife to anybody's gut and I think everybody is worried about it," said Jeff Finger, Balboa High School teacher.
With a $400 million budget deficit over a three-year period, the school district is looking for ways to cut costs.
Jeff Finger teaches geometry at Balboa High School and doesn't view the closures as the best strategy.
"I'm not necessarily convinced, and others are not necessarily convinced that closing schools is going to provide that delta in rode rot get in the black as well as finances go. I'm not under the illusion that is the fix," said Finger.
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SFUSD's Superintendent Matt Wayne categorized this as necessary but difficult decisions as enrollment dropped by 4,000 students over the past seven years. This has cost the school district $80 million in revenue.
"In the end, our resources are stretched way too thin and no matter what, we have to reduce our expenditures next year. And so we're trying to figure out the way which serves our students best and that includes closing or merging some schools," said Wayne.
This plan includes $113 million in reductions for the 2025 to 2026 school year. The school district is also planning to eliminate more than 500 jobs.
In late September, Mayor London Breed announced the creation of a team to advise the school district. On Tuesday, she confirmed the list is not the final decision.
"I want to be very clear; no decisions have been made. This is the beginning of a clear, transparent conversation with facts that needed to be put on the table before decisions would be made," said Mayor Breed.
MORE: Frustration and anxiety brewing as SFUSD delays release of school closure list
Superintendent Dr. Matt Wayne released a statement, writing:
"Dear SFUSD Community:
Every student knows that solving difficult problems takes hard work and time. There are no shortcuts or easy solutions. That can be frustrating, but in the end, solving the problem is worth the perseverance. The San Francisco Unified School District faces the same challenge right now. We have many difficult problems to solve, all of which will take a lot of hard work and time.
While not unique to San Francisco, declining student enrollment, the expiration of COVID-relief funding, and increased operating costs have contributed to SFUSD's significant structural deficit. Over the last few years, decisions have been made to minimize the impact on students by relying on our reserves, which are depleting quickly. This is not a sustainable approach to meet the needs of our students.
Without a balanced budget and a plan to consolidate our resources, we risk a state takeover of our school district. Should SFUSD fall into receivership, the state of California will take over the district's governance and its financial, operational, and programmatic decisions for years to come. If this happens, parents and school site communities will lose their ability to shape their children's educational experience. It will further deplete resources directed to our schools, erode our collective decision-making power, and likely compound educational disparities for our most vulnerable students.
I have to be honest about the tough decisions that are on the horizon to balance our budget. There will be significant staff reductions, which will impact all of our schools. We are particularly mindful of the impacts of these staff reductions on schools already experiencing the greatest resource challenges because of their enrollment patterns and other factors. In some circumstances, we must explore whether we can best meet student needs by consolidating schools.
Given our challenges, families need information, certainty, and clarity. To that end, I am committing to the following over the next five weeks.
First, my staff and I will hold three public town hall meetings with the SFUSD community about our budget process, challenges, and proposals to eliminate our structural deficit and retain local control of our schools.
Second, my team and I will meet with the staff and families of schools that meet our criteria for closure or merger. At these meetings, we will share what happens to their budget next year and our initial thinking about the school's future, including why a closure or merger could result in a better educational experience for students. I plan to listen and hope we can problem-solve together.
I know it has been a challenging start to the school year with uncertainty about the future. We are taking steps to rectify that and are unequivocally committed to the timeline of budget-related activities set forth below. I am also providing additional information and the list of composite scores guiding our consideration of school closures and mergers that will likely be a part of this difficult budget process.
Thank you for your understanding. I hope you will join me in what must be a collective effort to ensure a locally governed and sustainable future for public schools in San Francisco.
Sincerely,
Dr. Matt Wayne, Superintendent"
The announcement has been a long time in the making. The district had promised the list last month -- then delayed it saying it needed more time to "get it right."
VIDEO: How SFUSD will decide what schools to close in 2025 as families push back amid financial crisis
So, what comes next?
A virtual town hall will be held Thursday at 5:30 p.m. so the community can weigh in.
San Francisco's Board of Education will review the list on November 12. They will officially take action on December 10 and the schools they choose will end up closing next school year.
More information on this closure and planned tow-halls by SFUSD can be found here.
