SFUSD Board Unanimously Approves Lau Action Plan to Strengthen English-learner Services

San Francisco ' The San Francisco Unified School District Board of Education on Sept. 4 voted unanimously to approve a revised Lau action plan the district negotiated with the Department of Justice and plaintiffs, and directed staff to file the plan with the court.

The plan, presented to the Board and described by district staff as an edited version negotiated over the summer, identifies 10 broad areas of change and highlights roughly 13 actions the district says are most significant. Those actions include improved identification and placement of English learners, creation of program pathways (dual language, biliteracy and an "English Plus" approach), targeted programs for under-schooled older newcomers and high-school intervention, and a commitment to hire and prioritize teachers with CLAD/BCLAD certification and demonstrated experience with English learners.

The presentation said the district will place content specialists and resource teachers on-site at schools with the highest concentrations of English learners, pilot and train staff on an observation protocol to monitor program quality, establish an internal oversight committee, conduct annual audits of English-learner pathways, and build a longitudinal information system to track services and student outcomes over time.

"The Lao action plan in the version you see before you tonight is really a demonstration of this commitment both in theory and in practice," a district presenter said during the meeting. Legal staff noted the district made edits this summer largely to address issues raised by the Department of Justice and plaintiffs; the presenter said most edits were not substantive changes to the services or processes described.

Board members acknowledged the plan's ambition and voiced consistent support while pressing for clarity on implementation and ongoing reporting. Commissioner Yee asked whether the district would report annually to the court; Angie Miller from the district's legal office said the district's responsibility is to report back to the parties and the court on progress and that staff would work to provide more frequent updates. "We can do quarterly updates to you," district staff responded when asked for interim reports to the Board.

Several community speakers and members of the Bilingual Community Council (BCC) praised the plan's goals but said they had not been notified in a timely way over the summer. Lisa Gutierrez Guzman, chair of the BCC, told the Board that the BCC had not known the plan was on the agenda until two days earlier and asked for immediate liaison and meetings to ensure community input during implementation.

Dennis Kelly, president of United Educators of San Francisco, said parts of the plan could affect staff working conditions and asked to be notified about proposed changes so the union can seek to negotiate where required. Board members and staff agreed to provide additional briefings and to make memoranda and supporting documents available to stakeholders.

The Board recorded a roll-call vote with all present members voting in favor; the presenter announced the vote was unanimous. Board members said they plan follow-up reviews in committee and quarterly progress reports to the Board, and staff will prepare the filing to the court as scheduled.

Next steps: staff will file the approved plan with the court, begin the implementation steps outlined in the plan, and schedule follow-up reports and curriculum-committee briefings to involve stakeholder groups in ongoing oversight.