Press Release Details
SF Board of Education Passes Resolution in Support of November 2020 Public School Funding Ballot Measure
San Francisco (June 25, 2020) - The San Francisco Board of Education unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday in support of a measure on the upcoming November 2020 general election ballot that could help maintain salaries for educators in the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD). The resolution was authored by Board President Mark Sanchez.
The measure on the November ballot would replace Proposition G, the Living Wage for Educators Act, which is a parcel tax measure intended to help stabilize the district’s workforce. Proposition G passed in June 2018 with a 61% vote, and is currently held up in court proceedings, depriving SFUSD of revenues of more than $53 million annually that are critically needed.
On June 16, Mayor London Breed placed a new measure on the November 2020 general election ballot to repeal and replace Proposition G. The new measure would generate nearly $50 million in funding to maintain salaries for teachers, paraeducators and others who work in SFUSD.
“We all know that the cost of living in San Francisco is one of the highest in the country, and our district and board are committed to doing everything we can to find additional ways to support educators,” Board President Sanchez said. “I’m grateful to San Francisco voters for supporting past measures to bring resources and funding to enhance learning and sustain educators. I urge all voters to come out to vote to ensure passage of this funding on November 3.”
Due to structural and systemic underfunding of California’s public schools, SFUSD has relied on San Francisco voters. SFUSD faces looming budget deficits for fiscal years 2020-21 and 2021-22 of up to $84 million and $148 million, respectively, due to chronic underfunding and exacerbated by costs associated with operating schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read the full resolution here.
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