Budget Updates - First Interim Report and Fiscal Stabilization Plan

 

At the Board of Education regular meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 10 SFUSD is sharing key updates regarding our budget: the First Interim Report of the 2024-25 adopted budget, which covers a review of financials from July 1 through Oct. 31, and an updated Fiscal Stabilization Plan.

 

As you likely know, SFUSD is experiencing a structural deficit, which happens when expenses exceed revenues. Our enrollment has declined, and we have escalated oversight from the state regarding our financials. SFUSD must implement $113 million in reductions for 2025-26 to balance our budget.

 

We have been taking serious corrective action to get closer to balancing our budget, including reducing central office staff; eliminating hundreds of vacant positions; reducing rentals, leases, repairs, and non-capital expenditures; and reducing costs for materials and supplies, contractors, and conferences. 

 

Unfortunately, we must make further cuts next year. Our Fiscal Stabilization Plan outlines a reduction in our workforce by over 500 positions. We will do all that we can to minimize the number of layoffs, including retirement incentives, factoring in resignations, and eliminating some vacant positions. However, it is likely that layoffs are also in our future. While no decisions have been made yet regarding specific staffing reductions, please know that we recognize the impact this has on people’s lives. We are committed to ensuring these changes are compassionate, honest, and clear.

 

As a next step in the budget development process for 2025-26, we will continue to use a School Staffing Plan to guide the process of allocating staff and funding to schools beginning in January. Please look out for upcoming opportunities for engagement and feedback.

Shirley Chisholm Village

 

Construction is complete at Shirley Chisholm Village and MidPen Housing has been contacting applicants in lottery rank order! Starting last month, SFUSD employees began to sign leases and we are excited for employees to begin moving into their new homes.

Lottery results from the second application round in September 2024 are available on DAHLIA, the San Francisco Housing Portal. Results from the first lottery application round in April 2024 lottery are also available on DAHLIA.

 

To learn more about Shirley Chisholm Village, you can view video tours of a sample studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom apartment at www.midpen-housing.org/scv and you can check out a neighborhood tour video featuring the wonderful Outer Sunset neighborhood. 

If you have questions about an application submitted in April 2024 or September 2024, please reach out to the MidPen Shirley Chisholm Village Leasing Staff at 415-907-8128 or by email at: shirleychisholmvillage@midpen-housing.org. 

Rate Adjustments Start in January

 

Whether you made changes or chose to keep your current benefits, it’s important to be aware of how your selections—and any applicable rate adjustments—will impact your paycheck starting with the first payroll in January.

 

Even if you did not make changes to your benefits, you may notice updates to your deductions due to new rates for certain plans. We encourage all employees to review their paychecks carefully in January to ensure everything reflects correctly based on your benefit elections. The first deductions for the 2025 plan year will be reflected on the check date for bi-weekly employees on 1/8/25 and for monthly employees on 1/31/25.

 

What you can expect:

1. New Benefit Deductions
   Any changes you made to your health, dental, vision, or other voluntary benefits during Open Enrollment will be reflected on your January paycheck. If you did not make changes, your current elections will continue, and deductions will remain the same unless updated by the provider or plan.

2. Updated Contribution Rates
   Some benefit plans may have adjusted premiums for 2025. Please review your payroll stub carefully to ensure the deductions match your chosen elections. Please check the 2025 rates. 

3. Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) & Health Savings Accounts (HSA)
   Contributions to FSAs and HSAs will restart in January, based on the amounts you elected during Open Enrollment. Be sure to verify these deductions. 

4. Tax Implications
   Pre-tax and post-tax deductions will reflect any adjustments made to your benefit plans. This may affect your take-home pay.

5. Verification of Deductions
   We encourage all employees to review their January paycheck to confirm that:

   • Your benefit deductions match your Open Enrollment selections. The SF Health Service System (HSS) will be sending confirmation of coverage letters to employees who have enrolled or waived coverage in health and vision plans in December. If the elections on this letter are not correct, please contact HSS directly.

   • There are no unexpected deductions or discrepancies.

Need Help or Have Questions?

If your health or vision elections are incorrect please contact HSS directly. If you notice any issues or discrepancies in your paycheck with any other elections, please submit a ticket to eis.sfusd.edu as soon as possible. We are here to assist you with any concerns or questions about your benefits.

 

We appreciate your attention to these updates and thank you for ensuring a smooth transition into the new year. Your health and well-being remain a priority for us, and we are here to support you.

Frontline and Red Rover Updates

 

The Red Rover substitute management feature rolled out in fall 2024. In early 2025, Red Rover will be used for hiring and onboarding.

 

The next Frontline and Red Rover informational staff meeting will be on Friday, Dec. 13. These optional staff meetings are held the second Friday of the month from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. All SFUSD staff are welcome to attend. Find recordings and slides from previous meetings and learn more about upcoming meetings.

You can view training materials and information on how to access your account.

 

Holidays and the end of the year can be an overwhelming time. SFUSD's Employee Assistance Program (EAP) can help! You can access confidential counseling for grief, stress, anxiety, job and financial pressures, depression, substance abuse, and child care. Register for ComPsych through SFUSD's EAP site.

 

Also try some of the mindfulness tools that were created for educators by educators and paid for by the San Francisco Soda Tax. You will need to create a free account to access some of the activities.

 

If you work with students, please take a look at the Transition Grade Enrollment Dashboard to see what percent of your transitional students have completed their applications for 2025-26! This is a helpful benchmark ⅓ of the way through the enrollment process to check in on your students. Learn how you can help.

 

 

"I am so blessed to work in an environment that centers each and every student and their families. I’m grateful for how we emphasize student programming as an integral part of assisting families in providing them comfort, knowing that their children are well taken care of. As a son of Samoa, immersing myself in community is a key component of my work, which is why I am humbled and honored to be in this role now."

 

-Herbert "Coach" Wylie Ilalio, SFUSD Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Community Coordinator

 

Ann Bartkowski, a teacher at Everett Middle School, was selected for a competitive Fulbright award and will travel to Finland for five months starting January 2025. Her educational research will be on pedagogy and policy for newcomer students in the Finnish public school system. Read the press release.

 

Students in San Francisco got outside the classroom and headed to the Embarcadero for a special field trip to see the highest tides of the year and learn about sea level rise. Watch the story on NBC Bay Area News.

 

Dec. 20 - Last day of fall instruction

Dec. 23 - Jan. 3 - Winter Recess (schools sites and EED closed)

Dec. 25 - SFUSD offices closed

 

Religious and Community Holidays:

Dec. 8 - Bodhi Day 

Dec. 25 - Christmas Day 

Dec. 25 - Jan. 2 - Hanukkah 

Dec. 26 - Jan. 1 - Kwanzaa

SFUSD calendars.