Under pressure to address a budget shortfall and declining enrollment, San Francisco’s embattled public school district is preparing to downsize.
Superintendent Maria Su is expected to present at Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting a detailed proposal for job cuts that will affect administrative and school staff and could eliminate entire departments.
“The bulk of our ongoing costs are our employees,” Su said at last week’s board meeting. “It will be hard. It will be painful.”
The cuts will affect two tiers of employees in the San Francisco Unified School District: the “central office,” which houses administrative leadership and operations staff, and more than 100 school sites.
According to an approved fiscal plan, the district must eliminate 535 positions — by handing out pink slips, nixing vacant roles, and offering early retirement — to save $114 million.
Departments on the chopping block
The central office has long faced criticism for being overstaffed. A scathing 2023 city audit revealed overspending in the district’s headquarters, whose headcount has since shrunk.
The central office employs about 956 people, representing 11% of district employees. These positions span more than 20 departments within a large bureaucracy, including the cabinet, various superintendent roles, educational services, human resources, legal counsel, enrollment center, and the student nutrition center.
Su has directed central office leaders to propose cuts ranging from 20% to 100% within their divisions, acknowledging that some may be eliminated entirely. While Su hasn’t specified which departments will be affected, she said certain programs cannot continue to operate after a major cut.
“If we cut 50% of that program, there is no program left,” she said.
Cassondra Curiel, president of the United Educators of San Francisco, told The Standard that the cuts should be “as far away from students as possible” and focus on the central office. In early 2024, the union published a report criticizing the central office as “bloated.”
The district defended the central office as essential but acknowledged that further reductions are necessary.
“To soften the impact of SFUSD’s structural deficit on schools, we are exploring what additional reductions can be made to central office staffing,” SFUSD said in a statement.
Classroom cuts?
With the district’s controversial school closure plan on hold, Su’s focus has changed to shrinking staff. She indicated that basic staffing for school sites — such as a principal, clerk, and teachers — will remain in place. However, assistant principals and other positions may be eliminated.
At last week’s Board of Education meeting, more than a dozen principals and assistant principals pushed back against potential layoffs and what they described as insufficient community engagement in the process.
Stella Kim, principal at Ruth Asawa School of the Arts, highlighted the need for full staffing by describing a recent crisis at her facility.
“Just this past month, in 16 school days, we had three students hospitalized for mental health reasons,” Kim told the board. “We were able to respond because we had a team. Please keep that in mind.”
Su promised that school site leaders will receive their budget numbers this month, and district leaders will engage in discussions with them about next steps.
The layoff plan will coincide with an employee buyout program offering one-time cash payments for early retirement. The district will finalize the buyout plan this month. Layoff notifications will begin in March and continue to May, after the governor’s budget is completed.
Board President Phil Kim, who was a central office staffer before being appointed to the board, expressed confidence that Su will produce a balanced budget with support from the California Department of Education, calling the cuts “challenging and emotional but necessary for fiscal stability.”
The state’s role adds another layer of complexity, as SFUSD’s downgraded financial status requires state oversight of financial decisions. Elliott Duchon, the state-appointed fiscal advisor, didn’t reveal his opinions on the staffing remodel plan at last week’s meeting but acknowledged the difficult process ahead and encouraged teachers and other staffers to remain dedicated to their jobs.
“The message to people in the community is: ‘Hang on,’” Duchon said. “Work for the best; don’t hope for the best.”