Over a week ago, I submitted an item to a San Francisco newspaper for publication as part of their policy to print opinion pieces from individuals. After some initial correspondence, the editors have sent no response. I have tweaked it a bit to make an Open Letter to San Francisco Board of Education (SFBoE) President Gabriela López.
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September 1, 2021
Re: Stabilize our budget
Board President Gabriela López,
Welcome back to in-person school. This accomplishment is significant. Superintendent Vincent Matthews has fulfilled his pledge for opening five full days in the fall. Now it’s time to work on the other half of your April 6th pledge in the SF Examiner- “stabilize our budget as soon as possible.”
The entire Board of Education will need help from everyone everywhere to address this $112 million structural deficit. You were a member of the Board who voted for the 2019 San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) school budget which drained $23 million from the rainy day fund. You and the Board voted for the 2020 budget which removed another $57 million.
The SF Examiner’s Ida Mojadad wrote about the concern of the District’s $75 million deficit less than 2 years ago. Now the recent estimate of $112 million for 2022 may be even higher, given the announced estimate of 5% decline in enrollment. That is a large number compared to the $590 million approved 2021 Budget.
As a former SFUSD student and a current Board of Education critic, I have followed and found more than a few foibles, fails, flailings, fatally flawed filings, and fantabulous falsities. That piece from yourself and Board Vice President Moliga in the SF Examiner last spring about celebrating seniors can fit at least one of those descriptions.
Now there are 4 months remaining in your and Moliga’s term as officers. This calendar year is enough time to get things going in the right direction. Here’s my advice:
Keep that focus,
Encourage Superintendent Matthews to make another pledge,
Pivot, lean into that pivot.
And get help.
Revenues. Beth Kelly of #BethBreaksItDown on Twitter (@BethKellySF) explains well that revenue is tied to enrollment. What is important is the ADA, or Average Daily Attendance. The important number, though, is not the ADA from this fall- it’s the ADA from next fall. In other words, do all things possible to keep the students that are choosing the school district now. Happy fulfilled learning students bring more students.
Start plans to ask for money now. Set target dollar amounts for the Students and Families RISE (Recovery with Inclusive and Successful Enrichment) fundraising. Do programs with funding and support from the DCYF, the Department of Children, Youth and their Families. Work with the Board of Supervisors to find agreeable specific areas to fund. Get people to organize to ask for funds from Sacramento. Promote programs and causes that would invite private donors. Encourage school sites, PTAs, and teachers to have fundraisers for specific classroom purchases.
Expenditures. Get help. Repeating: get help. After attending and hearing many meetings over the past 3 years, I have doubts that any Commissioner has looked at the budget documents. It is clear that no Commissioner asked questions in pursuit of reducing expenditures. Inaction has brought bond downgrades which cost millions.
Commissioner Jenny Lam, Chair of the Budget Committee, repeats the term “zero-based budgeting” as it would be some panacea. If anything, a few million may be found in this method. Several million have already been cut over the years from District Central Offices. Bigger thinking is needed. Imagine the scene in The Martian when the seats and the nose cone were tossed to get the ship ready to launch from Mars.
Get a report quickly from FCMAT- the state Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team. See what other Districts have done. Show fiscal discipline. Pass a resolution to balance expenditures to revenues. Make no spending increases without cuts elsewhere. Reinstitute the practice of fiscal reports for any new Resolution. Pause any new program and postpone new Vision 2025 efforts. Use teacher vacancies as an opportunity to retrain and shift resources. Look into furloughs, as staff mentioned last year. Be prudent with PEEF (Public Education Enrichment Fund) and Parcel Tax funds. Give target reductions for every program and school.
Work better with school sites and families. Do authentic Community Feedback through LCAP, Local Control and Accountability Plan. Set expectations that this year will be fiscally tight.
Find a new Superintendent who has experience with fiscal restraint.
These are just some ideas. Do pivot to focus on the budget. Start on the path now, for all the students that are at last learning in-person.
Laurance Lee
cc: Superintendent Vincent Matthews
Commissioner Jenny Lam
Mayor London Breed
Very succinct explanation, but I don't think anyone will listen at BOE because they are planning to wreck the school district before leaving due to the recall.
Everyone at BOE will eventually qualify for recall.
Hence, in my opinion, everyone at this BOE is planning to wreck the school district before leaving due to how dare the parents try to recall them.
Therefore, I wouldn't waste my time with the school board or the San Francisco newspapers due to the proof that they are too liberal progressive to have any common sense. Otherwise, these organizations would have published or responded to your letter publicly already.