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SFUSD outlines dashboard for in-person reopening, estimates testing costs and launches SFPL bookmobile partnership
Summary
Superintendent Matthews told the board the district will publish a dashboard tracking criteria for phased return to in-person instruction, cited testing and ventilation work under way and an estimated testing cost of up to $300 per person per month, and announced an SFPL curbside bookmobile service at three school sites and Treasure Island.
Superintendent Vincent Matthews told the San Francisco Unified School District Board of Education on Oct. 6 that the district will publish a public dashboard to show progress against the criteria needed to offer in-person instruction to select student groups. The dashboard will report phase 2A and 2B indicators and will be posted after the Oct. 20 board meeting.
Matthews said staff are conducting school-site assessments for ventilation and classroom capacity, developing testing plans and staff training, and putting out requests for proposals for COVID-19 testing providers. He said the cost of regular testing could be substantial, citing an estimate of “as much as $300 per month per person tested.” He told the board that financial and staffing constraints make hiring new staff infeasible, and that some existing staff may be reassigned to support reopening work.
The superintendent also announced a partnership with the San Francisco Public Library to operate an "SFPL To Go" curbside bookmobile service at three SFUSD school sites — Jose Ortega Elementary School, Willie Brown Middle School and John O’Connell High School — and on Treasure Island. The service will operate afternoons on set days; patrons must reserve materials in advance and families will not be permitted to enter school buildings. For information, Matthews directed the public to sfpl.org.
Why this matters: The dashboard aims to give families and staff a transparent, regularly updated view of indicators that district officials say determine whether limited in-person instruction is safe and feasible. The testing estimate underscores a potential recurring cost that could affect budgets and reopening timelines.
What happens next: Matthews said the dashboard will be shared at the Oct. 20 board meeting and posted online. Staff will return with more detail on testing vendor procurement and funding options.
