Parents, paraeducators and teachers urge SFUSD board to rescind layoffs and protect literacy supports

Dozens of speakers told the San Francisco Unified School District Board of Education on Tuesday that proposed layoffs and program cuts would damage student supports and derail the district's literacy and equity goals.

Students, teachers and parents testified during the public-comment period that paraeducators, reading interventionists (RTIFs), attendance liaisons and school nurses provide irreplaceable day-to-day supports. "We need our paraeducators," said the paraeducator representative speaking as part of a union delegation (Speaker 51). "This layoff just isn't a budget decision; it's a betrayal."

The most frequent demands were to rescind preliminary layoff notices for R-30/35 paraeducator classifications and to retain centrally funded roles such as the LGBTQ student-services coordinator. Kenna Hazelwood, the district's LGBTQ student-services coordinator, and school-based student advisors were repeatedly named in testimony as staff whose removal would damage vulnerable students' safety and continuity of care. "This is our pride month," Hazelwood told the board in person; "it's about action and making sure we have the people we need to keep our kids safe." (Kenna Hazelwood is cited by name in public comment and appears as Speaker 27.)

Teachers and principals described how RTIF literacy specialists and site-based CCR (college and career readiness) coordinators — many funded through PTA or grants — help struggling readers and provide workplace internships. "Eliminating RTIF positions means we will not meet the state's SB 114 requirements to screen, identify and address reading difficulties," said one kindergarten teacher (Speaker 3). Several speakers urged the board to allow schools to continue using PTA and grant funds to maintain positions that are central to local interventions.

Other speakers highlighted localized impacts: parents and staff from Guadalupe Elementary and Star King Elementary said feeder-pattern changes and teacher reductions have already reduced enrollment and disrupted Mandarin immersion and dual-language pathways. Visitation Valley speakers and the school's community school coordinator stressed that losing Spanish-speaking student advisors would sever a vital link for families.

Union and community groups linked personnel cuts to larger transparency and budget concerns. The NAACP caller (Speaker 52) asked whether the district could leverage private-sector and philanthropic partners to avoid layoffs. Multiple callers also asked for a clear accounting of prior settlement funds and their use, referencing a Jewel settlement distribution that community members said should have supported health staff.

Board members thanked speakers and acknowledged the difficulty of the budget decisions. The superintendent and staff signaled that follow-up would occur where appropriate, including written responses and potential staff follow-ups. No formal rescission occurred during the meeting; the public comment was recorded as input into the district's ongoing budget and staffing deliberations.

The board's next steps include further budget modeling, a third-interim fiscal stabilization report and continued review of which central-office positions and contracts can be adjusted to limit site-level losses.

Ending: The meeting moved from public comment into a full agenda of workshops and action items; many speakers said they expect to return to future meetings until layoff notices are rescinded or mitigations are announced.