SFUSD superintendent says mayor committed $23 million as district weighs class‑size changes

Superintendent Carlos Garcia announced at the March 10 Board of Education meeting that Mayor Gavin Newsom had committed $23,000,000 from the city’s rainy‑day fund to help the San Francisco Unified School District balance its budget. "I received a phone call from our mayor, Gavin Newsom, and he had some wonderful news to tell us that he's committed to making us whole with the $23,000,000 on the rainy day," Garcia said.

Garcia said the funding narrows a previously identified gap of about $29,000,000, leaving roughly $6,000,000 still to be addressed. He urged caution even after the commitment because other factors — including a pending election affecting state revenues — could change the district’s finances.

As a precaution, Garcia said the district is considering modest changes in class size to create budget flexibility. He said kindergarten and first‑grade classes that are now capped at about 20 students might be increased to 22, and that some ninth‑grade classes could be moved closer to 25 students per section if state funding for class‑size reduction does not continue. "We're probably gonna be moving that up to closer to 25," Garcia said, while stressing these as possible measures to avoid layoffs if revenues fall.

The superintendent thanked administrators, staff and the United Educators of San Francisco for their work and urged the board to encourage the Board of Supervisors to formalize the mayor’s pledge. The board did not take a formal vote on class‑size policy at the meeting; Garcia said the measures would be part of ongoing budget planning and staff recommendations in coming weeks.