San Francisco school board approves K–12 Black Studies framework with $15 million fund

The San Francisco Board of Education on Oct. 20 unanimously approved a resolution to adopt a districtwide Black Studies framework that would make Black Studies courses and curriculum available across pre-K–12 and call for a new Black Studies Fund.

The resolution, read into the record by Commissioner Cook and adopted after extensive public comment and board debate, asks the superintendent to secure funding for curriculum development, teacher and implementation FTEs, and professional development. It specifies an initial Black Studies Fund target of $15,000,000 annually and directs at least 80% of the fund to site-based implementation (teachers, PD and supplies) with 20% for central office support.

Superintendent Matthews described the districteffort to align ethnic- and Black-specific curricula across ELA and social studies and said staff are tracking what has been implemented. He also apologized at the start of the meeting for the way a student delegate had been treated at a prior session, calling for respectful public discourse.

Student delegates, parent leaders and community organizations including the African American Parent Advisory Council, APAC, the San Francisco Alliance of Black School Educators and teachersspoke in favor of the resolution during public comment, urging the board to include parents, practitioners and historically Black scholars in advisory and implementation roles. APAC leaders asked for a seat on the advisory body and for monitoring and public reporting on implementation.

Board members asked staff for clearer timelines and argued about capacity amid the districtbudget shortfall. Commissioner Cook offered two amendments that were accepted without objection: adding explicit participation for the African American Parent Advisory Council and requesting at least an annual update on progress. The board directed the superintendent to work with community partners and higher-education partners (San Francisco State and the StanfordSFUSD partnership were named in the resolution) on advisory and instructional design.

The board recorded the vote by roll call; the resolution passed with all members voting yes. The resolution directs staff to present implementation plans and funding strategies to the board and to return with public reporting as the work proceeds.

What happens next: staff will work with the superintendent to begin advisory and budgeting work for the curriculum rollout and to refine the Black Studies Fund proposal. The board asked for regular reporting to keep the public informed about timeline and expenditures.