Amid the ongoing fiscal crisis, the San Francisco Unified School District has released a long-anticipated plan to downsize its headquarters, with the department responsible for developing curriculum set to take a major hit.
On Friday, SFUSD posted a five-page document outlining its plan to cut 205 positions from the approximately 950-member central office. The move is expected to save the district $34 million annually.
“I recognize that these are difficult decisions that impact real people,” Superintendent Maria Su said in a statement. “My commitment is to lead this process openly and honestly.”
Of the 205 positions being cut, 56 are in the Curriculum & Instruction Department, and 35 are in the Student & Family Services Division. The remaining cuts are spread across a dozen other units, including technology, human resources, and the superintendent’s office.
Of the cuts, 100 will involve layoffs ranging from top management to nonunion employees. About 75 of the positions are currently vacant, and 30 roles will be eliminated through early retirement. Su said the plan will exceed the reduction target and make the central office more efficient and effective.
According to the district’s organization chart, Curriculum & Instruction includes STEM, humanities, arts, career readiness, and other disciplines. Student & Family Services focuses on attendance, health and well-being, athletics, and violence prevention.
The central office has long been criticized as bloated. District leaders and the teachers union have agreed that cuts should begin there, rather than in classrooms or other campus sites. The district has to save $113 million to balance its budget, and staff reductions are a key part of the strategy to close the gap.
Expectations around the layoffs have shifted in the months since they were first proposed. The district initially announced a worst-case scenario of sending preliminary layoff notices to 837 employees, including 278 administrators. However, a popular early retirement program reduced that number, leaving about 143 teaching aides and 34 counselors targeted for layoffs. Separately, 84 assistant principals — not part of the central office — received preliminary layoff notices, though many are expected to be rehired.
Unions fight back
Unions representing SFUSD staff have begun pushing back. Last week, labor groups sent out a joint letter opposing the layoffs and argued that strict state oversight has contributed to the district’s instability.
“Weakening our capacity to serve students only accelerates a national agenda that seeks to privatize and abandon public education altogether,” the letter stated.
Anna Klafter, president of the United Administrators of San Francisco, which represents school principals as well as program administrators and supervisors in the central office, cosigned the letter. Other signatories include the San Francisco Labor Council, United Educators of San Francisco, Service Employees International Union 1021, and the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Local 21.
“We are concerned about such a large reduction in curriculum and student and family services,” Klafter told The Standard. “We look forward to better understanding the superintendent’s plan for supporting schools with a reduced central office.”
Klafter said it remains unclear how many union members will be affected by the cuts. The school board is expected to discuss the plan April 22.