San Francisco (May 2, 2025) - San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) Superintendent Dr. Maria Su today announced critical updates on the staffing and hiring processes for the 2025-26 school year. As a result of Dr. Su’s ongoing commitment to implementing the Fiscal Stabilization Plan and steadfast advocacy with the California Department of Education (CDE), the teacher hiring freeze has been partially lifted.
SFUSD has experienced increased oversight of its budget from the California Department of Education since May 2024, which includes a hiring freeze. Before any positions are approved by our fiscal advisors, SFUSD must demonstrate it has the money to pay for them. SFUSD is doing so by implementing a School Staffing Model. With the hiring freeze partially lifted for teacher positions, SFUSD can immediately proceed with teacher hiring for the 2025-2026 school year.
Dr. Su has been working diligently with CDE Fiscal Advisors to address SFUSD’s budget crisis since being appointed as Superintendent by the SF Board of Education in October 2024. SFUSD will continue to identify and implement $113.8M in budget reductions in FY 2025-2026 to close its structural deficit, while working with diverse partners across San Francisco to proactively avert negative impacts of the national teacher shortage. All hiring activities will continue to align with CDE and California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) guidelines and the collective bargaining agreements.
The hiring restrictions lifted today include:
- Teachers who have requested to switch schools can now go through the voluntary transfer process per the District’s labor agreements.
- On Monday, May 5, SFUSD will begin hiring eligible credentialed temporary teachers.
“We deeply appreciate the dedication and commitment of our staff throughout this process,” said SFUSD Superintendent Dr. Maria Su. “I am proud of our work to stabilize the district, which includes making tough budget decisions and getting our systems hire-ready to retain and attract talented teachers in SFUSD. This is a huge step forward where our community came together in our shared goal to have a qualified teacher in every classroom on the first day of school next year.”
“The Board of Education is committed to representing SFUSD’s values, which include centering student success amidst this budget crisis,” Board of Education President Phil Kim said. “We remain committed to fiscal discipline and are grateful for CDE’s continued guidance and partnership to stabilize SFUSD. The Board will continue to maintain high expectations for our school district and engage constructively with CDE. As our community has demonstrated, I am confident that San Francisco will emerge as a unified school district, stronger than ever.”
Beginning May 2, schools have access to hiring pools through the Red Rover system. Red Rover is one of two new systems SFUSD is implementing to modernize its business operations. These platforms will serve as the foundation for all budget, payroll, and human resources functions across the district. Specifically, upon full implementation, Red Rover will manage the full scope of Human Capital Management needs. Red Rover will handle critical functions such as recruiting, onboarding, absence tracking, and time management.
SFUSD must submit a board-approved budget to the state of California by July 1, 2025. The District is implementing a multi-year fiscal stabilization plan which includes $113.8 million in reductions for the 2025-26 school year, and an additional $13M reductions for FY 2026-2027. Key accomplishments in the budget development process include:
- The prevention of teacher layoffs due to the successful execution of an early retirement plan for existing teachers. The number of District teaching staff accepting the Supplemental Employee Retirement Plan (SERP) has allowed SFUSD to turn to focusing on strategic personnel reductions in other areas to minimize impact on student learning.
- Ensuring there is a qualified teacher in every classroom so that classrooms are full with engaged students. New staffing policies have enabled SFUSD to allocate resources strategically to address trends of declining student enrollment and the nationwide teacher shortage. This effort reflects SFUSD’s commitment to providing every student with a high-quality education, led by well-prepared and committed educators.
- Meeting targets for central office reorganization and budget savings. Targeted measures have streamlined administrative operations, further reducing costs and ensuring resources are redirected to support classroom instruction and student services.
###
