Addressing SFUSD’s Budget Challenges

Published in Sing Tao Daily in Chinese. 

By Dr. Maria Su  Link to this section

It’s been a little over a month since I stepped into the role of serving as your superintendent. During these past few weeks I’ve been spending a lot of time speaking with families, students, and staff. 

Across every conversation, there has been a consistent theme: we are all in this together, and we all want the same thing—success for our students and our district.

As much as I appreciate the support, I know we also face a hard truth: to get our district back on track, we have to buckle down on our financial challenges. And that means making decisions that won't be easy, but are necessary to set up the district for long-term success.

Most urgently is that we address SFUSD’s structural deficit. Every year, SFUSD receives money from the federal, state and local government. Some of the money is earmarked for specific purposes, like building maintenance or professional training for teachers, and other funds can be applied to any educational purpose such as classroom teacher salaries and benefits. 

Funding for schools and districts is based on the numbers and characteristics of students served. Unfortunately, decreased student enrollment has led to a greater revenue loss, which is deepening SFUSD’s deficit. We have escalated oversight of our budget from the California Department of Education. We must demonstrate that SFUSD can meet its financial obligations.

At the Dec. 10 Board of Education meeting, we shared a review of our financials for the fiscal year through Oct. 31, which shows we are still spending above our means. We also presented an updated plan to stabilize our finances, which details how we will reduce costs to align with how much money we bring in.

Some of the actions are already in motion. We’ve implemented a hiring freeze, are reviewing all contracts, and have reduced costs for things such as supplies and conferences. 

Our biggest expenditure, as you might expect, is in staffing—salaries and benefits. SFUSD has experienced a significant decline in enrollment in recent years, yet we’ve kept staffing levels largely the same. This is something we simply can’t sustain. We’re going to have to make hard choices about how we staff our schools and how we deliver services to students.

Through all of this, we remain committed to providing a high-quality education to our students. We may have fewer staff in the coming years, but that doesn’t mean we’re lowering our expectations. We’re still committed to achieving our goals for student outcomes in third-grade reading proficiency, math competency, and college and career readiness. 

The bottom line is this: if we make the difficult choices now—if we take the necessary steps to reduce costs, streamline operations, and ensure we’re spending within our means—then within two years, this district will be back on solid ground. We will be a district that is solvent, thriving, and able to provide the services and support our students need to succeed. It won’t happen overnight, and there will be challenges along the way, but I believe in this district, and I believe in our team.

This is a pivotal moment for our district. The path forward is clear, but it’s going to take all of us working together to make it happen. I’m ready for the challenge, and I’m grateful to lead a community that is committed to the success of our students.

Maria Su is Superintendent of the San Francisco Unified School District.