SFUSD considers consolidating, closing schools amid budget challenges
SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco schools are faced with a budget crisis and low enrollment, forcing the district to consider consolidating and closing some schools.
The school district said it may need to take these steps to better serve remaining students. San Francisco Unified Schools is at a crossroads, confronting a structural budget crisis alongside declining enrollment.
The district currently serves 49,000 students, down from about 53,000 a decade ago. Fewer students means reduced state funding.
Superintendent Matt Wayne said those realities need to be met head-on, and that means beginning the process of closing and consolidating some schools.
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"We're looking at the way we staff our schools, our central office, our school programs, our facilities and also our school portfolio, and we're recognizing that we need to have a new school portfolio with fewer schools, so we can better meet our goals for student outcomes," said Wayne.
At this point, the district has not specified which of its 120 schools will be closed or consolidated.
"We are talking to our community, getting their input into what the criteria should be for our new school portfolio and then also holding our values of educational equity at the center by doing an equity audit of our recommendations," said the superintendent.
Beth Kelly is a mother in the district and has kept a close eye on San Francisco's school budget for years.
"When you look at what is happening with the district right now, they really have to get back to the basics of working within a balanced budget," said Kelly.
She says with the district facing a very real fiscal cliff, this is one of the few moves the district has left.
"We really do need to have the right number of schools for the students that we have," said Kelly. "That means more money going to each student rather than overhead and facilities maintenance."
The district will spend the remainder of the school year and the summer finalizing a list of impacted schools and have that plan in place for the 2025-26 school year.