Guadalupe community urges board to restore summer literacy program, Spanish TK and stop busing

Students, parents and the Guadalupe Elementary principal urged the San Francisco Board of Education on March 10 to restore the Springboard summer literacy program, fund a Spanish TK teacher and stop routing neighborhood children to West Side schools by bus.

“My name is Valeria. I’m a 0.2 grader student in Guadalupe Elementary School. I love my school and my community,” a student told the board, saying that Springboard helps “many students continue learning and reading during the summer.” Principal Rai Sharma described rising literacy at Guadalupe and said the school had proposed operating Springboard in bungalows during construction, but the district declined the request. “Our students need their summer program for literacy, but the answer was no,” Sharma said.

Community speakers repeatedly linked the program cuts to declining enrollment and equity concerns. Parent Roberto Guzman Garcia cited district dashboard scores and said the community has improved attendance and literacy “but every year we find ourselves back again before the board asking for the same basic supports.” Multiple parents said the district removed a bilingual speech therapist and replaced the position with a monolingual provider, reducing access for Spanish-speaking students.

Board members and staff heard repeated requests to halt busing that transfers students out of neighborhood classrooms; parents said the district spends roughly $6 million to bus about 50 neighborhood students to West Side schools and argued those dollars should instead support programs at Guadalupe. The board did not take an immediate vote on program restoration; staff said follow-up would be coordinated as appropriate.