This browser does not support the Video element.
Back to school: SFUSD facing challenges as more than 50,000 students head back to school
The district is expected to meet later this month to determine budget restricts; they say they may be forced to consider school closures if the numbers don't add up. KTVU's Allie Rasmus reports from San Francisco.
SAN FRANCISCO - The first day of school has arrived for approximately 50,000 students in the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), but the new school year brings with it significant changes and challenges. Next month, the district is expected to announce which schools may be closed, consolidated or merged. Teachers, families and school staff are worried about how it will affect their jobs and school communities.
At Malcolm X Academy in the Bayview neighborhood, students were greeted with cheers and applause as they walked a red carpet into their classrooms. Four-year-old Miel Gonzalez was particularly excited about one thing:
"The playground! I want to go to the playground!" Gonzalez said, smiling as he jumped for joy.
His mother, Cheyenne Gonzalez, expressed optimism about the school year but said she is worried about the district-wide school closures— and not knowing whether her child's school would be on the list.
"As a parent, it's always concerning," Gonzalez said. "Hopefully, throughout this school year, they'll be able to provide a little more reassurance to the parents—that this is what our plan is going to be."
Other parents condemned the idea of closing public schools altogether.
"I don't think any school should be closing," said Joseph Carter, whose daughter attends Kindergarten at Malcom X Academy. "We, as a community, should be managing our funds better," he said.
The SFUSD is grappling with a budget deficit. The California Department of Education assigned the district some state-appointed financial advisors to help it balance its budget. The District has also had a decline in enrollment. It has lost 4,000 students since 2018 and expects to see an enrollment decline of 4,000 more students by the end of this decade.
"We need to adjust our school portfolio to make sure we're using our resources well and ensure students get the education they need," SFUSD Superintendent Matt Wayne said.
One significant change this year has garnered support from the union, district officials, and parents. An expected adjustment to the much-criticized lottery system, which can assign students to a school randomly rather than placing them in schools near their homes.
"We're going to organize new attendance boundaries so that we're much more neighborhood-driven through the enrollment process rather than lottery-driven," Wayne explained.
This browser does not support the Video element.
Students head back to SFUSD amid talk of school closures
The first day of school kicked off on Monday morning for students in the San Francisco Unified School District. SFUSD is facing tough budget problems as well as declining enrollment this year, and some schools could even be closed.
However, Cassondra Curiel, president of United Educators of San Francisco, cautioned that the end of the lottery system could introduce new challenges.
"The lottery causes a lot of stress for families," Curiel said. "How is that going to be balanced with school closures and mergers if there are fewer spots for students?"
The Superintendent is expected to announce the list of schools that could be closed, merged, or consolidated at the school board meeting next month. The board is slated to vote on these changes in December.