Rules Committee urges state to prioritize K–12 educators for early COVID‑19 vaccines

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors Rules Committee on Dec. 14 unanimously amended and voted to forward a resolution urging Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Public Health to prioritize public school educators and school‑site personnel for early COVID‑19 vaccine access.

Chair Supervisor Hillary Ronan, who sponsored the resolution, told the committee that prolonged school closures have significantly harmed K–12 learning—especially for low‑income students and students of color—and argued that vaccinating teachers and school support staff after health‑care workers would be a critical step toward safely reopening classrooms. Ronan also proposed amendments to explicitly name paraeducators, librarians, counselors and nurses and to add language calling for on‑site testing, improved ventilation and school‑based vaccination sites.

Supervisor Gordon Marr spoke in support, describing parent concerns in his district and asking to be added as a co‑sponsor.

Public commenters called in to support the resolution. Yvette Edwards, a San Francisco public‑school parent and childcare provider, said children in her care have lost interest and are suffering emotionally and academically under distance learning, and urged an accelerated timeline and better safety measures for returning to school. United Educators of San Francisco representative Annabelle Magnus emphasized that schools are an ecosystem and urged vaccines for all workers on school sites, not only classroom teachers.

The committee approved Ronan’s package of amendments by roll call and then voted to forward the amended resolution to the full Board of Supervisors with a positive committee recommendation. The clerk recorded aye votes from Supervisors Stephanie, Marr and Chair Ronan; both the amendment and the recommendation passed without objection.

The resolution asks the governor and the state health department to make educators a priority in the next phase of vaccine distribution, to subsidize vaccine access for school staff, and to increase state investments in school safety measures—including testing, improved ventilation and coordinated vaccination efforts—to support reopening plans. The measure will next be considered by the full Board of Supervisors.

The committee made a point of preserving the city’s stated deference to health‑care workers in the initial vaccine phase while requesting educators be placed high on the list immediately after those prioritized for phase‑1a.