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Students, staff and parents urge SFUSD board to protect San Francisco International High School funding
Summary
Dozens of students from San Francisco International High School, joined by teachers and parent groups, told the School Board that proposed staff and program cuts would harm newcomer students; they urged the board to pause budget reductions and prioritize counselors, bilingual staff and college-access supports.
Dozens of students from San Francisco International High School (SFI) told the San Francisco Unified School District Board of Education that proposed budget cuts would strip essential supports for newcomer students and weaken programs that help recent immigrants learn English and apply to college. "SFI gave us a safe space to learn," Rishan Chen, a 10th grader, said, describing bilingual teachers and counselors who helped him adapt after arriving in the U.S.
The students and several teachers and parents described SFI as a "village" that provides wraparound services — counseling, bilingual instruction, college-access programs and after-school tutoring — that they said are not optional for many newcomers. The board had announced a one-hour public-comment period extended to 7:45 p.m.; staff noted 38 in-person student speakers early in the evening.
Why it matters: Testimony highlighted that cuts to counselors, elective periods and site discretionary funding could force some schools to reduce daily instructional time and eliminate supports targeted at English learners. Students said those changes would disrupt progress on college access and social-emotional support at SFI.
Board members and district staff heard repeated, personal accounts: students described counselors who helped with college applications and teachers who speak students' home languages; a math teacher warned that the proposed reductions "will destroy the efforts" invested in newcomer pedagogy. Parents and community groups, including the president of Parents of Public Schools of San Francisco, urged the board to reject closures and consolidations and to fund schools serving historically under-resourced populations.
What the district said: Superintendent Hsu and staff thanked the speakers and pointed to ongoing budget engagement efforts and promises to continue dialogue. The superintendent noted the constraints of a tight general fund and signaled staff would continue community outreach and bring detailed budget plans and impact analyses to the board.
Next steps: The board said staff would continue to engage parents and principals and requested further impact analyses and appeals processes at the school-site level. Several commissioners pressed for clearer timelines and more data on how proposed cuts would be implemented and mitigated.
