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Parents, educators and paraeducators urge board to rescind layoff notices; speakers highlight losses at Mission and Longfellow
Summary
Dozens of public commenters—including students, family liaisons, reading specialists, paraeducators and United Educators of San Francisco—urged the SFUSD Board to rescind preliminary layoff notices for paraeducators, family liaisons and R Series staff. Speakers said cuts would remove vital mentorship, bilingual outreach and safety supports.
Public comment at the San Francisco Unified School District board meeting focused heavily on proposed budget cuts and preliminary layoff notices that would affect paraeducators, family liaisons, community liaisons, R Series staff and other site-based workers.
Multiple speakers pleaded with the board to rescind layoff notices and preserve positions that, they said, provide mentorship, bilingual outreach, attendance support, school safety and day-to-day family engagement. Speakers included classroom teachers, reading specialists, parents and students who described concrete school-level impacts.
Marty Mays, Longfellow Elementary—s parent liaison, called her role —the heart of Longfellow— and urged the board to stop the layoffs. Reading specialist Amy Brownstein said literacy interventions provided by site-based specialists directly support third-grade reading goals and asked that discretionary funds be allowed to pay for those roles. Teacher and parent speakers from Mission High School described the loss of a long-serving R Series mentor, Gigi Hasley; multiple speakers called Hasley —irreplaceable— and said she provides culturally responsive mentorship.
Tianna Tillery, vice president of paraeducators for United Educators of San Francisco (UESF), spoke on behalf of paraeducators and argued that layoffs of school security aides, child welfare attendance liaisons, family liaisons and paraeducators would erode relationships, safety and trust. She said these workers are the first line identifying medical emergencies, chronic absenteeism, or family needs and urged the board to restore positions.
Other commenters described operational impacts of proposed cuts: instructional coaches and reading specialists being reassigned to full classroom duties; larger caseloads for remaining staff; risks to TK and kindergarten outreach and family engagement; and potential loss of after-school or outdoor education programs. Students, including several from Mission High School, linked cuts to loss of mentorship and reduced arts and extracurricular opportunities.
Board members acknowledged public comments and asked staff to consider how budget decisions would affect the district—s ability to meet student outcome goals and to analyze which positions are most essential to interventions and equity supports. Several commissioners said they wanted follow-up material tying the fiscal proposals to effects on student outcomes and school safety.
Staff committed to return with clarifying details on which positions would be cut, the dollar savings projected and which functions the district would prioritize for restoration if funding allowed.
