Teachers press for raises as parents and staff call for reinstatement and leadership changes at Grattan and E.R. Taylor

A wave of public comment at the San Francisco Unified School District’s Feb. 14 meeting centered on labor negotiations, teacher retention, and two heated school-level controversies.

Opening public comment for the evening featured representatives of United Educators of San Francisco and classroom teachers stressing affordability and retention as bargaining began that day. Union remarks said negotiations started on Valentine’s Day and urged the district to ‘‘find every dollar’’ to stabilize schools. Dante Popolisky, a math teacher, told the board, “I often put in 11 hour days,” and described long commutes and the risk of being priced out of the city if compensation doesn’t improve.

Several speakers focused on a personnel and placement dispute at Grattan Elementary. Margaret Marcosio, speaking both as a teacher and spouse of the affected teacher, asked the board to reinstate Mr. Philip to Grattan after a suspension and later transfer; David Elson, a parent, said the process lacked transparency and said the community has received only “pro forma responses.” Multiple students and parents described lost extracurricular programs after the transfer and pressed for better communication.

A second large cluster of comments came from teachers, parents and community members from E.R. Taylor. Dozens testified about what they described as a hostile work environment under the current principal: they alleged bullying of staff, poor communication to parents about safety incidents (including a report of a student bringing a knife to school), and a significant increase in staff departures. E.R. Taylor teachers urged the board to investigate and consider leadership changes; the vice chair of the school site council said parents had not received timely notification about safety incidents and asked the board to remove the principal if necessary.

Board members listened and occasionally asked clarifying questions; the board’s public comment rules (two minutes per speaker) were enforced. No formal personnel decisions were made during the meeting; board members noted some matters were confidential personnel issues and said staff would follow up where appropriate.

What happens next: Several speakers asked for clearer communications and district transparency about transfers and investigations; the board’s closed-session report later noted personnel releases and an approved settlement in a separate matter but did not resolve the Grattan or E.R. Taylor complaints at the public meeting. Staff told speakers that personnel investigations are typically confidential and that appropriate follow-up would occur through staff channels.

Sources and context: Testimony and quotations come from Feb. 14 public-comment segments (union representatives, teachers Dante Popolisky and Cassandra Curiel, parents and students from Grattan, and multiple E.R. Taylor staff and parents).