FCMAT special‑education review prompts public outcry and board questions; staff outline next steps

The San Francisco Board of Education heard a voluntary review from the Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) of the district's special education services and fielded more than an hour of public comment focused on staffing cuts, caseloads and program changes.

FCMAT analyst Carolyn Benno told the board the district faces an "inverse relationship" between declining general‑education enrollment and rising special‑education enrollment, and that "your funding is tied to general education enrollment, not special education enrollment." Benno said the district's special‑education enrollment was about 13.59 percent and urged stronger, districtwide multi‑tiered systems of support (MTSS), clearer eligibility processes and consideration of program designs that would reduce reliance on nonpublic schools.

Why it matters: Special education consumes a large and growing share of district resources nationwide; the board and the public said they want FCMAT's findings contextualized with local outcomes and an operational plan before any staffing or program changes are implemented.

FCMAT findings and recommendations

Carolyn Benno, the FCMAT special‑education analyst who led the presentation, highlighted several key takeaways the team found in its voluntary review: that the district's special‑education percentage is increasing, that student counts for some disabilities (including autism) are rising, and that funding is constrained because special‑education funding is tied to general‑education enrollment.

Benno summarized the recommendations as: strengthen MTSS across schools so interventions precede eligibility; standardize eligibility determinations to reduce inconsistent identification across sites; review staffing and caseload approaches (FCMAT recommended the district continue using its 1:22 Resource Specialist Program guideline rather than the education code maximum); analyze paraeducator assignments including one‑to‑one placements; and evaluate whether some specialized, county‑style programs could be provided inside SFUSD rather than by contracted nonpublic schools.

"When we look at whether or not a student qualifies for special education, we look at two different parts in the test," Benno told the board. "Do they have a disability that meets our education code criteria? And then do they actually need specially designed instruction?"

Public comment: parents, staff and unions press for caution and local solutions

More than two dozen speakers addressed the board during public comment. Parents, teachers, advocacy groups and union representatives repeatedly urged caution before implementing FCMAT recommendations that would change caseloads, reduce school‑level staff or cut services.

Brandy Markman, a public‑school parent, told the board: "The idea that our caseloads need to be bigger is just asking to put our students and teachers and faculty in harm's way."

Hava Kelly, chair of the district's Community Advisory Committee for special education (CAC), asked the board not to implement changes "unilaterally without dialogue and collaboration, not only with the CAC and families, but with the union, educators on the ground." Kelly and other speakers said the report should not be used as a pretext for cuts.

United Educators of San Francisco vice president Tianna Hillary told the board the planned layoffs of paraprofessionals, school security aids and community relations staff would remove "the very people who anchor our most at‑risk students" and urged the board to protect those employees.

School staff and parents from Francis Scott Key Elementary condemned a proposal to fund an assistant principal via a family fee and warned of the impact of eliminating that role. "It's unreasonable for families to fund this critical position," said Missy Kadel, an instructional coach at the school.

Several public commenters asked for an independent audit and for more time to review the FCMAT report before the district acts. Support for Families of Children with Disabilities and other advocates said the report lacked sufficient demographic breakdowns and program‑level outcome data.

Board and staff response; questions from commissioners

Superintendent Dr. Jenny Hsu acknowledged concern from families and staff and said the district will not implement policies without further engagement. Hsu said she had already begun convening town halls on the district budget and that the central office would present interim guardrails and a fiscal stabilization plan in the coming weeks. "We are implementing our fiscal stabilization plan so that we can stand on our own two feet," she said.

Assistant Superintendent Regina Piper said special education staff and parents will consider the FCMAT recommendations alongside other partners including the CAC, the district's SELPA and community organizations. Piper said the FCMAT review was voluntary and requested by a prior superintendent and that staff are assembling the data the board and community have asked for.

Commissioners pressed staff on timelines and benchmarks. Commissioner Matt Alexander and others asked for a clear response matrix from staff that addresses each FCMAT recommendation and explains which items the district intends to pursue, with timelines and cost estimates. Vice President Jamie Huling and Commissioner Ray asked whether FCMAT's "industry standards" represented state averages or model programs; Benno said the FCMAT benchmarks reflect statewide staffing averages and recommended the board consider additional outcome‑based benchmarks.

Discussion vs. decision

Both staff and FCMAT emphasized the distinction between FCMAT's recommendations and board or staff decisions. Benno said the recommendations are "yours to consider and determine which resonate for you and which maybe spur different ideas." Superintendent Hsu and Assistant Superintendent Piper repeatedly said no staffing or program changes would be implemented without consultation with families, the CAC and labor partners.

Next steps and follow‑up commitments

District staff committed to several follow‑up actions on the record:

- Meet with the CAC and other family groups to review questions about the report and provide clarifications. - Produce a staff response matrix that addresses individual FCMAT recommendations and outlines feasibility, estimated costs and proposed next steps. - Explore the feasibility of district‑provided, county‑style specialized programs to reduce reliance on nonpublic schools, with an emphasis on data that shows where students are currently placed and the costs of those placements. - Continue recruitment and retention work for special‑education teachers, paraeducators and related service providers.

Quotes

- "Your funding is tied to general education enrollment, not special education enrollment," Carolyn Benno, FCMAT chief analyst, said during her presentation.

- "Please don't implement all of these unilaterally without dialogue and collaboration," Hava Kelly, chair of the CAC, told the board.

- "Protect the staff who protect our students. Invest in the people who make our schools feel like community," Tianna Hillary, UESF vice president for paraprofessionals, said during public comment.

Votes at a glance (formal actions taken during the meeting)

- Approval of board minutes (special meeting 03/04/2025; regular meeting 03/11/2025; regular monitoring meeting 03/25/2025): motion moved and seconded; roll call result recorded as 7 ayes — outcome: approved.

- Closed session report: In the matter of student LB v. SFUSD the board reported a closed session result as "6 ayes, 1 commissioner recusal," and stated the board "gives direction to the general counsel." In another matter of anticipated litigation the board reported a "7 ayes" vote and gave direction to counsel. (Reported out of closed session.)

- Declaration of Need for Fully Qualified Teachers (annual declaration to allow emergency or limited permits as needed): staff requested board approval to file; board approved in a roll call vote (majority yes) — outcome: approved.

- Executive contract / appointment of General Counsel Manuel Martinez: the board publicly disclosed contract terms and voted; roll call recorded 4 ayes, 2 nays, 1 abstention; outcome: approved.

- Consent calendar: motion to approve passed by roll call (7 ayes); one consent item (number 16) was removed for separate consideration and subsequently approved in a separate roll call (6 ayes); one consent item (item 54) was withdrawn by staff.

What the meeting did not decide

No policy changes, staffing cuts or program eliminations were adopted on the basis of the FCMAT report at this meeting. Board members repeatedly asked staff to return with specific responses, costs, and timelines before any action.

Ending

The board directed staff to produce a clearer, itemized response to the FCMAT recommendations and to engage the CAC, labor partners and families before advancing any programmatic or staffing changes. Staff said they will return with additional data and proposed next steps; the superintendent said she will present interim guardrails and the district's fiscal stabilization plan to the board in the weeks ahead.

(Reporting notes: quotes and attributions come from the public meeting transcript; the article does not infer results beyond the record and attributes claims about program impacts or statistics to the speakers who made them.)