Unsustainable spending, declining student enrollment may force closure of 1 in 10 San Francisco schools

Nearly a tenth of San Francisco’s 121 public schools would close under a recent proposal, which concedes the California district cannot maintain its current fiscal trajectory.

“While not unique to San Francisco, declining student enrollment, the expiration of COVID-relief funding, and increased operating costs have contributed to SFUSD’s significant structural deficit,” wrote Superintendent Matt Wayne in a statement. “Over the last few years, decisions have been made to minimize the impact on students by relying on our reserves, which are depleting quickly. This is not a sustainable approach to meet the needs of our students.”

Wayne also released the names of 11 schools slated for closure or merging with other locations, warning a state takeover may occur unless the district can deliver “a balanced budget and a plan to consolidate our resources.”

The number of San Francisco public-school students had been falling well before the COVID-19 pandemic. Over seven years, enrollment had declined by more than 4,000 students and cut revenue by $80 million, according to Bloomberg.

“By 2032, the school district expects to lose an additional 4,600 students because of declining birth rates and other demographic shifts,” Nadia Lopez writes.

The school board will vote on closures as well as “any additional budget balancing adjustments” in December, according to a timeline released in Wayne’s statement.

“There will be significant staff reductions, which will impact all of our schools,” he noted. “We are particularly mindful of the impacts of these staff reductions on schools already experiencing the greatest resource challenges because of their enrollment patterns and other factors.”

In addition to fewer students, the Golden City has struggled with other issues such as increased homelessness and fentanyl overdoses.

As reported by The Lion in April, the national age group most affected by fentanyl poisoning are children under 14. Meanwhile, the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-45 is also fentanyl, according to The Center Square.

“The fentanyl crisis is one of the most horrific disasters that America has ever faced,” concluded members of the U.S. House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. “On average, fentanyl kills over 200 Americans daily, the equivalent of a packed Boeing 737 crashing every single day.”

Bloomberg estimated about 2,000 students would be affected by the closures, adding the district “must chop $113 million in costs by the end of the 2025-2026 to prevent a state takeover.”

Photo: SF Unified Facebook