SFUSD board issues preliminary layoff notices, hears hours of public pleas to save nurses, counselors and AP courses

The San Francisco Unified School District board on Tuesday voted to issue preliminary layoff notices as part of a plan to close an estimated $114,000,000 budget shortfall, after hours of public testimony from students, parents and educators urging the district to protect nurses, counselors, paraprofessionals and Advanced Placement and A–G courses.

Board members approved a package of personnel resolutions in roll-call votes that the clerk recorded as unanimous among the seven voting commissioners. The actions included authorizing the human resources office to issue preliminary notices to certificated staff (395 notices were identified in staff materials) and to classified paraeducators and other classified categories, and to adopt tie-breaker and skipping criteria for any eventual layoffs.

The public hearing and long public-comment period that preceded the votes was dominated by students and school staff telling the board that cuts to wellness centers, school nurses and counselors would harm students’ safety, mental health and college readiness. "Laying off teachers will impact the students' futures," said Luciano Alvarez, a sophomore at Mission High School. "Teachers are a backbone of SFUSD. Losing even just a few means losing mentors who genuinely care." Lanai Molina, also of Mission High School, told the board combo classes and reduced counselor hours would leave students without help: "How will kids get the help they need from their school counselor if the counselor is busy with 10 other people?" Shane West, a Mission junior, warned that eliminating A–G and AP offerings would reduce students' college options.

Union and staff speakers gave detailed accounts of the services they provide. Tianna Tillery, vice president of paraeducators with United Educators of San Francisco, said paraeducators are "the backbone of our schools" and urged the district to find alternatives to layoffs. "Balancing the budget on the backs of students and their educators is unacceptable," Tillery said.

District leaders framed the notices as a legally required step in a longer process and said they are working to limit the final impact. "These are preliminary notices," Superintendent Dr. Matthew Hsu said during the fiscal update portion of the meeting. "Our goal is to maximize restricted resources, pursue contract reductions, and use retirement incentives so we can rescind notices where possible." Associate Superintendent of Human Resources Amy Baer told the board that issuing notices by the statutory deadline is required even though final separations, if any, would be set later: "This is only a preliminary notice; if final decisions are made, the district would issue final notices by May 15. Rescissions are possible as funding, retirements, and other changes are confirmed."

Clarifying details presented at the meeting included these staff figures and fiscal mechanics: the district reported a gap of about $114 million for fiscal year 2025–26; staff said the staffing allocation for certificated positions is 115 FTEs lower than the prior year; 280 certificated positions currently funded outside the general fund (restricted or discretionary sources) were listed as uncertain and therefore included in notices, producing a total of 395 certificated preliminary notices; and classified R‑series reductions included a stated reduction of 14 positions tied to allocation changes. District staff said many site-level positions were funded by a mix of LCFF (Local Control Funding Formula) supplemental/concentration funds, PEAF (parcel tax) restricted funds for arts and libraries, federal and state grants, and other site-restricted monies, and that principals had just received preliminary site budgets and supplemental hiring guidance to help them plan.

Staff also described a timeline: the district closed an early retirement incentive window on Feb. 21 and will present SERP approvals to the board in March, present the second interim budget to the board on March 11, must issue preliminary layoff notices by March 15 under the Education Code, and would issue final notices by May 15 if necessary. Staff said they will return to the board in April with recommended notices for civil‑service positions (management and nonmanagement) that follow a different timeline.

During the board discussion, several commissioners emphasized the need for clearer analysis and stronger connections between the district’s improvement strategies and student outcomes. Commissioner Matt Alexander and others said the monitoring report on college and career readiness submitted for the meeting lacked sufficient root-cause analysis tying adult practices to student outcomes and urged staff to return with more rigorous diagnostics and evidence-based priorities.

Votes at a glance

- Item E1 (public hearing): Presentation and adoption of initial proposals for collective bargaining (United Educators of San Francisco and SFUSD). Outcome: approved (roll-call, 7 ayes). - Item 2502-25SP1: Resolution reducing certificated services (preliminary notices). Outcome: approved (roll-call, 7 ayes). - Item 2502-25SP2: Additional certificated layoff actions (preliminary notices). Outcome: approved (roll-call, 7 ayes). - Item 2502-25SP3: Resolution to determine type and record criteria for notices. Outcome: approved (roll-call, 7 ayes). - Item 2502-25SP4: Resolution to adopt skipping criteria (bilingual, special education authorizations and similar considerations). Outcome: approved (roll-call, 7 ayes).

What the board said and next steps

Superintendent Dr. Hsu and the budget team said they will continue meeting with principals, site councils and families as site planning accelerates in March, and will return March 11 with the second interim report. The district’s communications team said it has posted an FAQ and a short explainer video on sfusd.edu/budget and will provide language access and toolkits for school communities. Staff emphasized that rescinding notices will be an active process: retirements, vacancies, SERP acceptances and contract reductions could reduce or eliminate some notices before final May 15 deadlines.

Why this matters

The measures under consideration affect staffing and programs that schools and families described as core to student safety, mental health and college readiness—school nurses, counselors, social workers, paraprofessionals, arts and AP offerings. The board’s choices over the coming weeks will determine which positions can be preserved by reallocating restricted funds or cutting central office contracts, and which preliminary notices become final separations.

Speakers

[Full attribution list for quotes used above: Superintendent Dr. Matthew Hsu (San Francisco Unified School District); Associate Superintendent of Human Resources Amy Baer (SFUSD); Melli Lau Smith, Executive Director, Special Initiatives and Budget (SFUSD); Tianna Tillery, Vice President, United Educators of San Francisco (paraeducators union); Luciano Alvarez, sophomore, Mission High School; Lanai Molina, Mission High School student; Shane West, Mission High School student.]

Proper names referenced

San Francisco Unified School District (agency); United Educators of San Francisco (UESF) (union); California Department of Education (CDE); City College of San Francisco; SF Gov TV; LCFF (Local Control Funding Formula); PEAF (San Francisco parcel tax).