SFUSD Insider | May/June 2025 |
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As we enter the final week of the school year, I want to acknowledge both the celebrations and the challenges we have experienced together.
This May and every month, we remain committed to uplifting the diverse identities, histories, and voices that enrich our SFUSD community. To that end, we celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month in May. This month provides us with an opportunity to honor the rich histories, cultures, and contributions of our AAPI communities, including our AAPI colleagues, students, and families. As a person of Chinese and Vietnamese descent, I take pride in my heritage and my family’s traditions.
We also join communities across the country in celebrating Jewish American Heritage Month, an opportunity to honor the vibrant cultures, traditions, and contributions of Jewish Americans. Jewish heritage reflects a deeply rooted and resilient culture that spans thousands of years. According to the American Jewish Population Project, an estimated 7.6 million people in the United States are Jewish. At SFUSD, we honor our Jewish students, families, and staff.
I recognize that this school year has been full of ups and downs. Budget decisions and staff reductions have brought real pain, uncertainty, and loss. I want to acknowledge how difficult it has been for all of you. It is not easy to say good-bye to valued colleagues, teammates, and friends. Please join me in thanking all of our departing staff for their incredible dedication and commitment to our students, families, and staff. Their contributions will have a lasting impact on our school communities for years to come.
Throughout this school year, you have shown extraordinary commitment to our students and families even through all of the ups and downs. I am deeply grateful for the care and dedication you bring to our schools every day. We will continue to support each other through this transition and we will emerge as a stronger school district.
As we wrap up the school year, I hope you take time this summer to rest, reflect, and reconnect with what brings you joy. You have more than earned this time to recharge.
In community,
Dr. Su
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Update about SFUSD's Efforts to Stabilize Operations and Balance the Budget
SFUSD will need to make almost $114 million in reductions for the next school year. In June, Dr. Su will submit a budget to the Board of Education that reflects our spending plans for the 2025-26 school year.
With every decision, SFUSD is prioritizing teaching and learning in our classrooms, and directing resources where we can to support students. Keeping the quality education of our students front and center means that we must ensure that every student has a qualified teacher in their classroom and access to the care and support they need every single day.
To that end, we achieved a milestone this month when the state agreed to lift the hiring freeze that was in place for over 160 of our teachers. This was the direct result of the hard work of many, including Board of Education members, families and staff. Learn more.
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Bond Updates
Thanks to the ongoing support of San Francisco voters, SFUSD runs a strong Bond Program that invests in capital improvements at schools throughout the district. Summer is our peak construction season and keeps us very busy! From rooftops to school yards, we have more than 42 projects happening over the summer. Some highlights of these investments include:
Schoolyard Outdoor Learning:
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Reimagining and renovating schoolyards at Visitacion Valley Middle School, Thurgood Marshall Academic High School, and Jefferson Elementary School - in partnership with SFPUC and CalFire. More shade, more stormwater management, and more fun play and activity areas! These renovations dramatically improve schools’ climate resiliency and create beautiful spaces for outdoor learning.
Security:
Modernizations & Core Functionality:
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Starting construction at Denman Middle School and Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8 School
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Making significant progress at Mission Bay School and West Portal Elementary School
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Re-roofing Lincoln High School
And more! If you have questions or want to learn more about the work we are doing, please contact Kate Levitt at levittk1@sfusd.edu.
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Discontinuing Onsite Fingerprinting Services at 555 Franklin
Effective June 1, 2025 Human Resources will no longer offer onsite fingerprinting services at 555 Franklin.
Since July 2024, HR has offered new hires (and rehires) an option to obtain their fingerprints from an external provider or with us in person. Given our need to reduce and reallocate personnel in the department and the expense necessary to upgrade aged equipment that is no longer supported by the manufacturer, continuing to support both options will no longer be feasible.
As has been the case since last July, we will continue to share the link for fingerprinting with new hires and rehires during the onboarding process. For candidates moving to the area, this will eliminate the need for them to make a special trip to San Francisco to be fingerprinted; they will be able to use a LiveScan location near them and have the results sent to SFUSD. We’ve also shared this information with departments who centrally pay for fingerprinting for hires to mitigate any impacts to their teams. |
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Important Reminders for Separating Staff - 2024-25 school year
For staff leaving SFUSD at the end of this school year, please review this list of important reminders covering district electronics and devices, email and Google Drive access, paychecks, and more. You can also learn more at our Separation Resources page.
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Staff Device Collection for Employees Leaving SFUSD
Any certificated, classified, paraeducator, and substitute staff ending employment with SFUSD or going on leave for more than one semester are expected to return their assigned district devices. Learn more.
Here is what you need to know prior to returning your district-issued device —
All Devices (Chromebooks and MacBooks):
- Devices are not to be left with site administrators or transferred to another educator. This includes loaner devices for secretaries and clerks.
- You must return the power adapter and video adapter along with your district-issued device.
- If you were provided a laptop carrying case, please do not return it to the district.
- If your device was lost or stolen, you must file a police report and open up a Technology Help Desk ticket by emailing help@sfusd.edu.
- Failure to return an assigned device or report a lost or stolen device before leaving the district may result in financial and/or legal consequences.
L4E Devices Only:
- You are also required to return your device if you are transitioning to an ineligible L4E job code, reducing to work less than .50 FTE, or both.
- Backup all of your personal files before returning the device. All returned devices will be wiped and reset to factory settings before being assigned to another educator. Any data left on the device will be unrecoverable.
For questions about the device return process, please contact the Help Desk at 415-241-6476, or email help@sfusd.edu using your SFUSD email account.
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Frontline and Red Rover Updates
Central Office continues to be trained on Frontline. The Red Rover Absence & Time Management feature is expected to go live in July 2025.
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March with SFUSD in SF’s Pride Parade
SFUSD invites students, families, and staff to join our annual SF Pride contingent on Sunday, June 30! Come in your most fabulous duds, create meaningful art, and march together to show our commitment to LGBTQ+ Rights and Queer Joy!
SFUSD Pride T-Shirts and snacks will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. We hope to see you there! Register today.
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RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES |
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SFUSD Annual Summer Literacy Fair Was a Success!
As recommended by the SFUSD District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC) families, the district hosted its 2nd Annual Summer Literacy Fair on Saturday, May 17, at Gordon J. Lau Elementary School, welcoming over 200 students and families. We appreciate our colleagues in the Multilingual Pathways Department and DELAC for organizing such a successful event!
The fair provided PK-5th grade students with literacy resources, connected them with district and community programs and resources, and gave students books to enjoy during their breaks. Read more about the fair and its partners.
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Sanctuary Resources for Families
As we prepare for the end of the school year and the beginning of the summer, we ask that you share this sanctuary resource list with families if needed. The list includes organizations that provide year-round services for families in San Francisco such as:
- An emergency toolkit to prepare for possible emergencies
- Support in accompaniment to legal immigration appointments
- Access to a non-profit immigration agency for a legal consultation
Flyers are available in Arabic, Chinese, English, Filipino, Samoan, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
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SFUSD Teacher Honored at City Hall on May 22, 2025
Epenesa Taylor (pictured in a black and yellow dress), the PreK Samoan Dual Language teacher at Leola Havard EES, was honored by the SF Human Rights Commission in a ceremony on May 22, 2025.
The certificate of honor, given during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, recognizes Epenesa as a beloved Samoan educator, cultural advocate, and community leader who has served the students and families of SFUSD since 1984. She is one of the pioneering educators in the Samoan Dual Language Pathway.
Epenesa says, "Passion for my work and culture keeps me motivated to represent for my Pacific Islander community!"
Congratulations, Epenesa! |
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SFUSD Teacher to Present Poetry Unit at Annual Conference
Heather Wallace, above, an English teacher at S.F. International High School, will be showcasing her 12th grade poetry unit in the Creators Fiesta Gallery at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) + Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) combined annual conference this summer in San Antonio, Texas. The curriculum she will share invites SFI seniors — all of whom are recent immigrants — to write and perform an original poem. Working with volunteers from the nonprofit 826 Valencia, students publish poems that reflect their diverse cultures, upbringings, immigration stories, and hopes for the future in an anthology. Students will also compete in a poetry slam. Now in its 8th year, the project continues to give voice to students’ powerful stories. |
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Celebrating the 2025 Superintendent's 21st Century Scholarship Award Winners!
Every year, we celebrate six graduating SFUSD seniors who exemplify a particular strength in one or more of the characteristics of the SFUSD Graduate Profile. Winners receive a $3,000 scholarship and are honored by Superintendent Dr. Maria Su.
These students have demonstrated excellence in content knowledge; career and life skills; global, local, and digital identity; leadership, empathy, and collaboration; creativity; and sense of purpose and sense of self.
Congratulations to the following students:
Ready to Lead and Work with Others - Charlize Becerra, Balboa High School
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#WeAreSFUSD
"Year after year, the students at Balboa impress me with their positive attitudes, hard work, creativity, and passion. When given challenging work and projects, they have consistently risen to meet the challenge. Their resilience and persistence is a motivating factor for me to show up and offer them the best learning experience I can provide. My success and recognition as a good educator rests on the foundation of the amazing work they accomplish in our program every year."
-Jeff Larson, teacher at Balboa High School
The Arts, Media and Entertainment (AME) Institute is honoring Jeff with a 2025 Mitchell McClung AME Leadership Award for exemplary service to the field of AME education. Congratulations, Jeff!
Read more #WeAreSFUSD stories or submit your own #WeAreSFUSD story for a chance to be featured on SFUSD’s website and social media pages. |
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#WeAreSFUSD
“SFUSD gave me skills that are helpful in my role as manager now. Also, I wouldn't be who I am if I didn't grow up in the city. It prepared me for college at Alabama A&M University. I felt like city kids always have an edge on life skills!”
-Ayeesha Steverson, SFUSD alum (Rosa Parks Elementary School, Ben Franklin Middle School, International Studies Academy High School)
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America SCORES Bay Area Ribbon Cutting at Dr. MLK Jr. Academic Middle School
Students got the job of playing on a new field at the ribbon cutting event at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Academic Middle School on May 8 where America SCORES Bay Area unveiled its latest Field of Dreams turf field. This beautiful green space will serve as a place for youth to play, learn and grow. Learn more. |
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June Dates:
June 2-4 - SFUSD Graduation ceremonies
June 4 - Last day of spring instruction
June 19 - Juneteenth Holiday (SFUSD offices, summer programming, and other year-round services closed)
SFUSD calendars.
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