Mass Layoffs at SFUSD Make Prop. 13 Reform More Relevant Than Ever
San Francisco Unified School District announced plans to issue preliminary layoff notices to 837 teachers and staff across the school district in order to try to rectify the district’s budget deficit. SFUSD spends 80% of its $1.3 billion budget on staffing, which shows how inadequate the current SFUSD budget is. If 80% is already being spent on staffing, that means very little is left to spend on other vital resources for students. SFUSD must balance its budget to avoid a state takeover of the district’s budget.
SFUSD’s lack of revenue is the biggest issue preventing them from balancing the budget and creating schools where students can thrive. The solution to this problem is simple: Prop. 13 reform. Prop. 13 reform would bring in $12 billion dollars for all of California each year, with $1 billion of that going all to San Francisco. That is enough money to help the City and the school district balance its budget. Students need their teachers, nurses, social workers, literacy coaches, and other staff to have a sufficient education, and these mass layoffs are unconscionable. This is why we need Prop. 13 reform as soon as possible.
Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle
Hundreds of S.F. teachers could lose jobs as district readies for worst-case scenario
By Jill Tucker | SF Chronicle | February 21st, 2025