San Francisco’s public schools are slashing essential services while dust gathers on millions of taxpayer dollars that were meant to help. The Student Success Fund, approved by voters in 2022, has allocated $26 million this year to support struggling schools — but bureaucratic restrictions have rendered most of this money inaccessible during a financial crisis.
The problem is straightforward: The Board of Supervisors created a fund that schools desperately need but can’t use. Before accessing any funds, they must hire a “community school coordinator,” a position many schools struggle to fill. Even worse, the money can’t be used for core educational needs, like classroom teachers or counselors — precisely what schools need most as they face a staggering $100 million deficit.
This absurd state of affairs reflects just the kind of Byzantine requirements that have gotten SFUSD into trouble so often. Fortunately, in this case, there is a clear solution, which the supervisors should address at their meeting Thursday.
To understand why schools have been largely unable to tap these funds requires a brief plunge into the district’s stupefying bureaucracy and budget rules. While the 2022 measure was well intentioned, there were two key flaws in how the Board of Supervisors wrote it.
The first is the overly narrow permissible use of funds. Rather than paying for teachers, the money can be spent on grants for supporting roles, such as literary coaches and strategic planning consultants. This restriction was intended to get schools to adopt a so-called Community School model, which is meant to provide a set of wraparound services for a “whole child” approach. But at a time of fiscal crisis, SFUSD needs money to fill basic needs.
Then there is the full-time “community school coordinator” who must be hired before a school can use grant money for other purposes. This adds a substantial expense that does not directly improve student outcomes.
Abraham Lincoln High School in the Sunset illustrates these flaws. Rex Ridgeway, grandparent of a senior at Lincoln, is both co-chair of the School Site Council and a member of the Student Success Fund Advisory Council. According to Ridgeway, Lincoln was awarded a $350,000 Readiness Grant in February 2024. Because it has been unable to hire a community school coordinator, the grant money has gone unused.
Meanwhile, Lincoln would like to find the money to hire at least two counselors, a dean, and two parent liaisons. Ridgeway told me he was frustrated that none of these positions could be funded by the Student Success Fund grant, even if Lincoln were able to hire a community school coordinator. “Counselors are essential to college and career readiness. Why can’t the Student Success Fund help us replace them?” he said.
This is just one example of what schools around SFUSD have experienced. For the 2024-25 year, the Student Success Fund designated $26 million in grants, of which only $14 million was approved. Only $1 million had been reported spent as of September, and anecdotal reports suggest not much more has been spent since then. The money is barely getting out the door, and what little is arriving at schools is not being used for what they need most.
How should the Board of Supervisors fix these flaws?
First, the requirement to hire a community school coordinator should be removed: There is no need to hire someone to do what a principal or vice-principal can do. But this would be only a partial solution. The allowable use of Student Success Fund grants must be broadened. City Hall may be understandably reluctant to give SFUSD a blank check, but the allowable use for grants should include at least one immediate, student-focused equity need faced by all schools: special education.
A recent review by the state highlights the increasing fiscal challenges around special education. SFUSD spends $196 million of its unrestricted general fund on special education, and that amount continues to grow faster than other expenses. School districts around the state are struggling to fund special education; San Francisco should use our wealth and generosity to help SFUSD address this growing need.
It is highly likely that almost every school could find ways to use Student Success Fund grants to fund special education needs. And any Student Success Fund money not used for special education could help provide the wraparound services that make for successful community schools.
The agenda of Thursday’s Board of Supervisors hearing is “Student Success Fund Status and Implementation.” But the problems with the Student Success Fund lie in how the measure was designed, not how it has been implemented. Fixing the design will require a ballot initiative, but the supervisors can take the first step by recognizing both the root causes of the problem and the opportunity that lies before them if they have the courage to focus on the success of students.
Patrick Wolff is vice chair of the SFUSD citizens’ bond oversight committee, a chess grandmaster, and parent of two children who attended SF public schools.