At the SF Board of Education meeting - monitoring workshop on Jan. 28, 2025, the board discussed the School Staffing Model for the upcoming school year. The School Staffing Model is a detailed set of guidelines that SFUSD uses to determine how staff is allocated to schools each year. It was first implemented for the 2024-25 school year and is a budget-balancing measure.

 

These guidelines serve as a starting point for school leaders as they develop their school plans. While most school allocations are determined through these guidelines, schools may receive additional site-specific grants from federal, state, or local sources based on eligibility and/or unique programming offered at the school. 

 

SFUSD must implement $113 million in reductions for 2025-26 to balance its budget. The district has been taking corrective action to get closer to balancing the 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. Budget FAQs and read our recent press release.

 

In January, SFUSD students in grades 3-5 had the chance to visit Davies Symphony Hall for the annual SF Symphony private concerts. The Symphony concerts kicked off this year’s Adventures in Music (AIM) program. 

 

SFUSD Superintendent Dr. Maria Su attended a concert on Jan. 15 – stopping to talk to many teachers, parents, and students – and said afterward, “I feel rejuvenated! Music programs are so important!”

 

Students learned about the roles of the composer, musician, conductor, and audience, and how these elements work together in a concert. The students learned how to conduct while the symphony played Mozart. Arms were waving everywhere! To emphasize the importance of the audience, students clapped in time while the symphony played Radetzky March, composed by Johann Strauss, Sr. The concert was conducted and narrated by Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser, the Symphony’s Resident Conductor of Engagement and Education.

 

Adventures in Music (AIM) is part of a longstanding partnership between the Symphony and SFUSD. The program is designed to reach all students in grades 1-5, free of charge. AIM strives to support SFUSD’s goal of equitable access to music learning for all students. Special AIM materials are provided to classroom teachers and students to help integrate music concepts into the everyday classroom curriculum. Students in grades 1 and 2 will attend the Symphony in March.

 

Meet Efrain Orozco-Flores, an Academic & AVID Counselor at George Washington High School. He was a first generation college graduate and got his master's degree from California State University, Long Beach.

 

Efrain says, "Through my position of Academic Counselor, I hope to work with students to serve as an added school resource, maximize students’ potential, and facilitate increased opportunities in higher education for all students."

 

 

 

All students who apply by the Main Round application deadline receive their Main Round school assignment in the middle of March. Main Round applicants cannot edit their choices, or submit a new Waitlist application, until the Main Round school assignments have been received. View the enrollment key dates for specific deadlines.

 

Applicants who do not get assigned to their top choice school during the Main Round will be automatically placed onto waitlists for their top choice schools, up to five schools, without having to re-apply. Main Round applicants do not need to take any action to join waitlists, but they will be able to remove themselves from waitlists if they wish to do so. Each student's assignment letter will contain any relevant information about their waitlist status at that time. Learn more.

 

 

 

Coming Up March 3-7: National School Breakfast Week

 

Every day, Student Nutrition Services (SNS) offers a nutritionally balanced breakfast, including fresh fruit and optional milk to help fuel students' success in school. Research shows that students who eat breakfast have higher test scores, increased comprehension, improved classroom behavior, and reduced tardiness.

 

This year, SNS is celebrating the expansion of their breakfast program through a variety of Breakfast After the Bell launches across the district. Child Nutrition Programs Supervisor Anthony Calegari has jumped in to help expand access to breakfast for students by working with administrators at nearly 10 new sites to begin Breakfast in the Classroom, Grab n Go Breakfast, and Second Chance Breakfast. 

 

Breakfast menus are available online at sfusd.edu/menus.

 

Looking for another way to celebrate? 

1. Have your student write a thank you note to their very own SNS Dining Staff! They work hard every day to serve breakfast, lunch, and supper, free of charge to students.They'd love to hear from you.

2. Check out the origin of school breakfast programs (started right here in the Bay Area!) at www.pbs.org/video/independent-lens-free-breakfast-program/

3. Talk about what makes breakfast so important and how simple changes can help students feel fueled throughout the day!

Announcing Skate, Rock, Roll, Read with the SFUSD Youth Arts Festival!

In partnership with Tiratana Espiritu Productions, this year’s youth arts festival features two preliminary events (Saturday, Feb. 22, 11 a.m.  -2 p.m. and Saturday, March 22, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.) leading up to a free, all-ages finale on Saturday, April 26, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

 

Join us for these three vibrant events showcasing:

• Live performances
• Interactive, hands-on creative activities
• Community-based resources for youth and families

Be part of the action in our outdoor performance space in the heart of Civic Center! Enjoy skateboarding lessons, design custom skate sneakers, and create signature skateboard deck art. Celebrate SFUSD students as they showcase their artistic talents and passion. We’re proud to partner with local skateboarders, artists, and arts organizations to amplify student voices through the arts and literacy. Learn more.

 

Mark your calendars for the Summer Resource Fair, a free event with 100 summer programs, camps, and services for kids in grades K-8.

Date and time: Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Location: The San Francisco County Fair Building,1199 9th Avenue
San Francisco, Calif., 94122

 

Parents and guardians of high school students: The SFUSD Summer 2025 Interest Form is now open. High schools students can take classes, get paid through internships, and explore different careers. 

 

Pictured: Students at John O'Connell learning construction, Summer 2024

 

On Thursday, Jan. 23, all Ruth Asasa SOTA students gave back to their communities. Some students stayed on campus to do farm work, library organization, or campus beautification. Other students went off campus to locations ranging from parks to organizations like Glide SF, Project Open Hand, Pomeroy Recreation & Rehabilitation Center, Randall Museum, and more.

 

Pictured above: SOTA students at 826 Valencia Tenderloin Center, where they helped 4th graders from Rooftop Elementary School write adventure stories and record the stories as podcasts.

 

"What I love about teaching is the kids. Spending days with humans who have so much potential brings me a lot of hope and happiness."

 

-McKenna Bernosky, teacher at Monroe Elementary School

 

 

"Many of these students [in the Spark-funded Black Star Rising program] may have never had a Black teacher before, so I get to share that experience with them for the first time — building relationships, fostering a sense of community, and sharing my journey as a kid from San Francisco. I love teaching, and I love math, so being able to dedicate an entire summer to this work is incredibly fulfilling. Every day, I get to guide students through projects, teach them concepts they might have missed, and watch them grow and progress. That’s a huge accomplishment for me. It’s the reason I come back every year!” 

 

-Elijah Stewart, teacher at James Denman Middle School and in the Black Star Rising program

 

 

"The fact that we can pour our time and attention and love into making sure that [our students] feel nourished during their school day sets a good baseline for whatever else is going on in their life."

 

-Josh Davidson, chef at The Academy - San Francisco at McAteer

 

Note: On Jan. 14, Student Nutrition Services partnered with the Chef Ann Foundation and the media outlet Eater to highlight the dedicated and skilled dining staff of SFUSD, through Josh's experience and story. 

 

Feb. 17: Presidents Day holiday (schools and offices closed)

Feb. 28-March 29: Ramadan

 

SFUSD calendars