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SFUSD advances $744.25 million bond, sets aside $100M for arts center and prioritizes Mission Bay and Bayview schools
Summary
The board moved two bond resolutions to the ballot: SP1 to place a $744.25 million general‑obligation bond before voters and SP2 to allocate buckets and prioritize Mission Bay and Bayview for new schools; the board also earmarked up to $100 million for the district arts center at 135 Van Ness and included a $5 million teacher‑housing allocation.
The San Francisco Unified School District Board of Education on June 28 advanced a two‑resolution bond package that would place a $744,250,000 general‑obligation school bond before voters and create an internal allocation plan for projects and programmatic buckets.
Chief Facilities Officer David Golden described the measure as a comprehensive package to modernize schools, upgrade technology and student nutrition, fund an arts center at 135 Van Ness (up to $100 million), contribute seed funding to teacher and educator housing, and provide up to $100 million for new school construction. Golden said the second resolution (SP2) would not appear on the ballot; rather, it would be a board resolution allocating funding buckets to support planning and allow the board flexibility to respond to changing needs during multi‑year implementation.
Public testimony from Supervisor Jane Kim and Mission Bay coalition representatives urged a clear commitment to a new Mission Bay elementary and closer oversight by the bond oversight committee. Board members debated the trade‑off between listing specific projects on ballot language (which can give voters certainty) and leaving the ballot language permissive to avoid legal exposure; bond counsel John Palmer advised that a statement of board intent or prioritization be placed in the non‑ballot allocation resolution (SP2) to reduce the risk of taxpayer litigation.
After discussion, the board approved SP1 (ordering a November ballot measure) on a 7‑0 vote and then amended SP2 to add language that the district "prioritizes" building new schools in Mission Bay and Bayview; the amended SP2 passed 7‑0. The vote recorded the board’s intent to focus portion of the new‑school construction bucket on those neighborhoods while preserving programmatic flexibility in the allocation resolution. Several board members asked for campaign materials explaining permissive language, and Golden noted the bond also allocates funds for sustainability, the arts center, and other capital needs.
The bond measure will proceed to the city/county elections office as the ballot language (SP1) and the board will use SP2 to guide future allocations, public oversight and planning.
