Parents and educators press SFUSD for bilingual TK at Guadalupe and criticize expensive consultant contracts

Several students, parents and teachers used public comment to press the San Francisco Board of Education for a Spanish-English bilingual transitional kindergarten (TK) at Guadalupe Elementary and to criticize the districtfor funding outside consultants while classrooms lack resources.

A second-grade Guadalupe student (Angela) said the school needs more computing classes and Spanish support so classmates can learn and keep cultural ties. Parent Roberto Guzman Rivera told the board his community found a bilingual TK teacher and that 30 students applied for the bilingual TK this year but only 20 were accepted; he said 10 students remain on a waiting list.

"For many years, we have been asking for a bilingual teacher for our TK classroom," Guzman Rivera said, urging the board to expand bilingual TK offerings across the district.

Organizers and teachers echoed those calls. Blanca Catalan of Kolleman Advocates said families are collecting signatures to show urgent need for a Spanish-English bilingual TK, and teacher Julie Carnilla — a 20-year SFUSD educator — told the board the absence of bilingual TK at Guadalupe leaves Spanish-speaking children at an academic disadvantage.

Separately, multiple public commenters criticized a proposed three-year contract with Partners in School Innovation, which appeared on the consent calendar and (according to public remarks) would pay outside coaches and contractors between roughly $144 and $224 per hour. Chris Klaus, SPED department head at Washington High School, said he opposed paying outside contractors at those rates for work that should be done by in-house union staff. "These should be in-house union member positions," Klaus said.

Alisa Wynne, speaking as a commenter, called the contract "a waste of money" and urged the board to keep public dollars within schools. NAACP and Alliance of Black School Educators representatives also urged reconsideration and asked that funds go to teachers and retired teachers instead of outside contractors.

At the meeting, staff pulled one contract-related item (item 39, a construction contract for Guadalupe Elementary) from the consent calendar for re-noticing under public contracting rules; the board approved the remainder of the consent calendar with that item removed. Board members thanked commenters and said staff would follow up. No final policy change on bilingual TKs or consultant hiring was adopted at the meeting; parents were invited to continue engagement with school leaders and the board.

The board later approved an updated governance calendar and agreed to a one-year extension for the district's VVGG goals; commissioners and staff discussed aligning goal-setting work and community engagement with any changes to school programming or significant contracting.