SF Board of Education approves nearly $80M spending plan for school enrichment programs

Posted Date

SF Board of Education approves nearly $80M spending plan for school enrichment programs

Press Release

The San Francisco Board of Education on Tuesday approved the $79.9 million 2019-20 Public Education Enrichment Fund (PEEF) Expenditure Plan Proposal. The spending plan for the voter-approved funds, which support programs in the City’s public schools, marks an increase of $5.4 million from last year.

PEEF resources enhance sports, libraries, arts and music programs. For instance, because of PEEF, every SFUSD school has a library and credentialed librarian (91% of the librarians are funded by PEEF). Additionally, every student has access to a nurse and/or social worker (nearly two-thirds of nurses and social workers who serve students in grades K-8 are funded by PEEF).

“We are incredibly grateful to the voters of San Francisco, who consistently show their support for public education. Thanks to their generosity, our public schools offer more arts and music, physical education, library services and student support than any other large urban school district in the state,” Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews said.

PEEF is credited with bringing numerous educational resources to SFUSD schools over the years. Some highlights include:

  • Prior to PEEF, only 23% of schools were served by a credentialed librarian. As of 2012, 100% of schools are served by a credentialed librarian.

  • Prior to PEEF, there were no credentialed PE teachers serving at the elementary level. The 2019-20 budget includes 46 elementary PE teachers.

  • Because of PEEF, SFUSD’s ratio of social workers and nurses to students is smaller than the state average. SFUSD has one social worker or nurse for every 326 students, whereas statewide there is one social worker or nurse for every 1,859 students.

  • PEEF has made it possible for students to get back on track for graduation by greatly increasing access to credit recovery courses. Because of PEEF, the number of credit recovery courses offered since 2012-13 has more than doubled.

PEEF funding allocations include:

  • $40 million for student, family, and academic supports, including social workers, nurses, Wellness Centers, health education, digital learning, peer resources, restorative practices, translation and interpretation, Math and Science, multilingual pathways, Career Technical Education and ethnic studies

  • $7.4 million for physical education and sports programs, including 46 PE teachers, elementary equipment and support, secondary dollars for sites, fitness labs, special olympics and bike programs

  • $12 million for school libraries including 74 librarians, books, technology, and databases

  • $16 million for arts and music programs, including 93 arts teachers, special programs, instruments, and events for students to display their art to the community and perform for an audience

  • $4.6 million for extracurricular athletics programs including 400 site athletic coaches, stipends for teams, equipment, uniforms, transportation, athletic trainers, and paralympics

Once approved by the San Francisco Board of Education, the PEEF spending plan is submitted to the Mayor's Office and the City and County of San Francisco.

ABOUT PEEF

PEEF was established after San Francisco voters passed a charter amendment in 2004 to provide taxpayer money to help supplement programs in the city’s public schools. The fund was reauthorized by San Francisco voters in 2014 to extend PEEF through 2041.

The $79.9 million for SFUSD represents two-thirds of the total PEEF allocation. The remaining one-third supports universal Pre-K and is managed by San Francisco’s Office of Early Care and Education.

Read more about the proposed PEEF spending plan for 2018-2019 here and to learn more about the impact of PEEF investments, review the 2017-2018 PEEF Annual Report.

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Page updated on 03/15/19