MLK Middle School community urges SFUSD to halt reported $300,000 cuts as board says no cut proposed

Dozens of students, teachers and parents from Martin Luther King Middle School told the San Francisco Unified School District Board of Education on Sept. 10 that a suggested $300,000 reduction would destabilize the school’s counseling, enrichment and teaching staff.

"We were told that the superintendent's office is cutting $300,000 from our school budget," said Jackie Locke, an eighth-grader at MLK, describing the effect on students and staff if the reductions occur. Multiple student speakers said cuts would force the school to consolidate classrooms and lose full-time staff who provide critical social-emotional support.

Teachers and community members described the school’s progress and pleaded for the district to hold the site harmless. "This $300,000 is a lot of money. It helps fund so many important staff and things that are supposed to be for the students," a student letter read by a teacher said.

At length, superintendent Dr. Matthews addressed the speakers and the board. "My hope is that tomorrow morning you will go and talk to your principal," Matthews said, adding, "There has been no notice whatsoever from my office about your budget being cut. We have not proposed a cut for your school." The superintendent said the problems raised were driven by messaging at the site and that the district is "looking" at under-enrollment, not proposing a specific $300,000 cut at this time.

Not all in the room accepted that explanation. Jackson Whittington, an MLK teacher, said staff had been told at a meeting about possible staff losses and that names of board members had been dropped as sources of the information. Parent and PTA representatives described earlier years when similar announcements led to painful cuts.

Community organizations and several teachers framed the potential reductions as an equity issue because the schools targeted for under-enrollment adjustments were concentrated in Southeast San Francisco. "Cutting money from already vulnerable communities is not going to help the community prosper," said one public commenter.

What happened next: the board did not take a formal vote to cut MLK’s budget on Sept. 10. Superintendent Matthews directed community members to confirm messages with school leadership and staff said the district would pursue a fiscally responsible approach if cuts were required. The district did not present a formal staff proposal or action on MLK funding during the meeting.

Next steps: Community members were told to speak with principals and the superintendent’s office for clarification; no formal action was taken by the board at the meeting.