With the ink barely dry on a $183 million agreement that ended the historic San Francisco teachers strike this month, the district will ask the school board to approve preliminary layoff notices for 42 educators and other staff.
The pink slips, which, by law, must be issued by March 15 each year, give the teachers advance warning that they could lose their positions at the end of the school year. Another round goes out in May to confirm the action.
The number, announced in the board’s agenda Friday night, is a striking decrease from a year earlier, when 298 layoffs notices were sent out. District officials said a big part of that was the use of 111 temporary teachers under contract and better data systems to track vacancies and staffing needs.
In addition, the district is anticipating attrition and retirements to address any additional cuts to positions. Administrative layoffs notices will come later, officials said.
The layoff notices will affect two art teachers, two music teachers and six counselors, as well as 32 instructional aides, including several in language programs.
SFUSD teachers and supporters celebrate the end of their strike with a victory party at Dolores Park, in San Francisco on Feb. 13. (Lizzy Montana Myers/For the S.F. Chronicle)
District officials can rescind the teachers’ notices at any time if they determine funding is available.
“I know receiving a preliminary layoff notice is unsettling and difficult for our staff,” Superintendent Maria Su said in a statement. “To build a stronger and more sustainable public school system for our students, we are working to align staffing with enrollment and revenue through disciplined planning and stronger operations. I’m confident we are moving toward long-term fiscal stability but it will take continued work and focus.”
Prior to the teacher contract negotiations, the district faced an ongoing deficit even after cutting $114 million from the $1.4 billion budget last year.
But the deal between the teachers union and district – which still requires approval by the members of the United Educators of San Francisco and the school board – adds to spending by about 15% in the first year, with no expectation increases in revenue will cover the cost.
Along with the layoff notices, the district provided current and projected enrollment numbers, which reflected 48,306 students attending district schools this year, far fewer than the 49,468 than predicted. District officials said they expect an enrollment of 48,048 next year.
The declines in projected enrollment and actual enrollment exacerbate the district’s financial situation, given state revenue is based on enrollment and more specifically student attendance.
The district plans to dip into an emergency fund to help pay for the raises and health care in the agreement, including the equivalent of a 6% raise for teachers over two years and a 10% raise for paraeducators, or teachers aides, as well as security aides, with other increases for certain positions.
The largest hit on the budget will come at the start of 2027, when the district will provide full family health care coverage for the nearly 6,000 members of the union at a cost of more than $40 million the first year and the expectation of significant increases in subsequent years.
The free health coverage for dependents won’t be offered to other district employees.
The city’s educators took to the picket lines on Feb. 9, the first teachers strike in San Francisco in nearly 50 years. School remained closed through the four-day strike.
The layoffs are likely separate from what could be additional cuts in the coming months to bring spending in line with annual revenue, Su said.
The district remains under state oversight given the fiscal crisis and possibility of insolvency. Appointed advisers continue to have the ability to veto any school board spending, including a labor contract.
District officials said they are preparing a financial plan prior to the board’s vote to demonstrate how San Francisco Unified will pay for the contract agreement.
“We continue to work closely with our fiscal advisors on budget practices, and we are confident in how we will demonstrate that we can pay for the (agreement),” district spokesperson Laura Dudnick said in a statement.
This article originally published at SFUSD to issue layoff notices weeks after $183 million deal to end teachers strike.
