Parents Push Back Against School Closures
Parents are angry about the prospect of their students’ schools closing, and rightfully so. These closures were pitched as a way to save the district some money, but research shows that it won’t. All these school closures will do is disrupt communities and students’ education. Superintendent Matt Wayne argues this is the best way to support students, but the actual students and families themselves beg to differ. As of now, the state has veto power over the district’s spending decisions, which is slowing down the process of hiring new teachers and staff. School closures are not the way to fix this problem.
With Prop. 13 reform, school closures can be a thing of the past. Reforming Prop. 13 would bring in $12 billion every year for our local public schools, which is evidently much needed. School closures do a disservice to everyone, but especially marginalized students whose schools are often targeted for closure. Prop. 13 reform means that our schools will have the funding to hire enough teachers and staff to meet students needs, which is one of the biggest problems facing SFUSD public schools. The state’s control over spending decisions adds in unneeded bureaucracy which is slowing down the hiring process and harming students. If school districts had the money they deserve from Prop. 13, we wouldn’t be in this mess.
Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle
Angry S.F. parents plead with school board not to close schools as district details what’s ahead
By Carolyn Stein | SF Chronicle | August 27th, 2024