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Rules Committee merges charter fixes to protect children’s funding and clarifies Student Success Fund use
Summary
The Rules Committee voted unanimously July 11 to merge two proposed charter amendments that would require a citywide outcomes framework and new accountability steps so funds designated for children and the Student Success Fund are tracked, reported and coordinated with SFUSD; the committee continued the amended item to July 15 for further work.
SAN FRANCISCO — The Board of Supervisors Rules Committee on July 11 moved to combine and refine two proposed charter amendments aimed at tightening oversight of city and school district spending for children and youth.
Chair Hillary Ronen opened the meeting by saying she would merge language from a Student Success Fund measure into Supervisor Myrna Melgar’s accountability amendment so the city and San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) would use a common outcomes framework to evaluate whether public dollars are improving children’s outcomes. "This is what this Charter Amendment aims to do," Melgar said, describing the change as a way to reduce duplicated efforts and ensure voter-approved dollars reach children.
The merged proposal would elevate the Our Children, Our Families initiative, require annual evaluation of department and SFUSD expenditures that are eligible for inclusion in the Children and Youth Fund and the Public Education Enrichment Fund, and require SFUSD to submit five-year spending proposals (first due April 2028 and every five years thereafter) plus annual reports on prior-year expenditures and any carryover funds. The measure would also require a data-sharing agreement between SFUSD and specified city departments to enable outcome measurement and increase transparency.
Supporters at the hearing said the measures fill gaps left by past budgeting. Leslie Hu, secretary of United Educators of San Francisco, said the charter language should make clear that the Student Success Fund and the Children’s Fund are separate and urged safeguards against counting one fund as a substitute for another. "We want to be really specific and staunch in support of the language that's clarifying that the Student Success Fund and Children's Fund are separate," Hu said.
John Trezvenia, a District 11 homeowner who spoke in favor, cited a Controller’s Office estimate posted in the hearing materials that implementation could cost up to $500,000 per year and urged the committee to note that cost in the record as it weighs additional reporting and oversight responsibilities.
The committee approved a series of technical edits proposed by Ronen to the Student Success Fund text, then adopted Melgar’s amendments. All procedural votes recorded at the hearing were unanimous and the committee approved a motion to continue the amended Item 1 to the Rules Committee meeting on July 15 for further consideration.
The committee also voted to table Item 2 (the standalone Student Success Fund measure) without objection; the clerk recorded the votes as unanimous.
What’s next: The amended proposal will return to the Rules Committee on July 15 for additional consideration before being scheduled for the full Board of Supervisors agenda. The charter changes would be placed on the November 5 ballot if the Board and mayor proceed with that timeline.
