Helping Our Students Succeed

Public school administrators are facing tough budget decisions this year. I’ve heard from many anxious parents who are concerned about the state of our public school system. High-quality education is essential for keeping families in San Francisco – and our future depends on being a family-friendly city.

I’m working closely with parent groups, school administrators and city departments to understand their concerns and needs. These conversations are centered around what matters most – student success.

Delivering Resources to Schools

Given our school district’s tightening fiscal outlook, we must prioritize our resources to help drive student success. This includes reducing barriers our schools face to access available city funding.

Voters approved Proposition G in 2022 to set aside money for the school district from existing city funds, to be placed in a new Student Success Fund. Managed by the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF), the Student Success Fund provides grants to schools for programs that advance academic achievement, and the social and emotional wellness of students.

My office discovered that some schools hadn’t applied for this funding, weren’t aware of how to apply or didn’t know the grant application deadline date. We heard that some schools were not fully utilizing this resource because they do not have the administrative capacity to apply. To help guide schools through the application process, my staff quickly organized a workshop with DCYF and the school district’s director of community schools.

For schools to access the entirety of grant programs offered by the Student Success Fund, they are required to have a dedicated staff position and an operational school site council. While there’s existing support for this work, this type of additional capacity building can take years. Our students don’t have years to wait.

Even with available staff and a well-run school site council, we must ensure allocated funds are spent effectively to address urgent priorities and needs. Are they being implemented in ways that truly enhance student success? Are these dollars reaching the schools and students who need them most?

I want every school to be fully aware of all of the resources available to support their students’ academic enrichment needs, including the Student Success Fund. But awareness is not enough. We must also ensure that funding is accessible, streamlined and directed toward initiatives that truly support a student’s growth, and their long-term success.

We cannot afford to leave money on the table while schools struggle. Every dollar needs to count during this difficult budget season.

Each School Has Unique Needs

This year, administrators are facing pressure to move quickly and make hard-hitting cuts.

Recently, our office heard from more than 50 parents advocating to retain the assistant principal position at Francis Scott Key Elementary. Streamlining operations by removing administrators may be necessary at certain school sites, but Francis Scott Key has more than 500 students! It’s unreasonable to expect a single principal to manage a body of students that large. The administrative burden would be overwhelming, and the quality of education will suffer as a result.

Our office attended the SFUSD Stabilization Town Hall to voice our support for maintaining the assistant principal position at Francis Scott Key. Even as supervisor, my support for this position may not be enough. Parents, families and educators must advocate for thoughtful decision-making across the board. This is necessary to ensure we are prioritizing student academic success and our long-term education goals.

Fostering Student Interests Beyond Academics

There’s no doubt that educators, parents and administrators all want our children to succeed. But we know that academic achievement alone is not a guarantee of success.

Schools must provide opportunities for students to explore and nurture their unique interests. One positive example is the journalism class at Abraham Lincoln High School. In this class, students produce both an online and printed newspaper. They invest a significant amount of time investigating and researching, writing and editing, designing art and even selling ads. They develop people-skills from conducting interviews. They learn about business operations and gain a first-hand understanding of First Amendment rights.

This is a rare experience for public school students in San Francisco: Lincoln is one of only two public high schools that has a regularly published student newspaper (Lowell is the other).

Programs like a student newspaper are not luxuries – they teach real-world skills. By protecting and championing programs that empower self-driven student success, we demonstrate our commitment to education that goes beyond textbooks.

Administrators at Lincoln are carefully deliberating the trade-offs that will come with this year’s budget, and I’m grateful that Principal Shari Balisi Manalang is doing everything she can to make sure we preserve this type of classroom experience.

As our schools make difficult and necessary budget decisions, we must streamline the delivery of existing resources so we can effectively address school-specific needs. These decisions can transform the educational landscape for thousands of students.

Public schools changed my life. I was editor of my high school newspaper and went on to become a working journalist – even winning some journalism awards – before serving at City Hall. I’m deeply committed to fighting for high-quality education for our kids. San Francisco’s future depends on it.

Joel Engardio is the District 4 representative on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He can be reached at engardio.com/contact.