Ad Hoc Committee on Public Engagement Link to this section
July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026
- Ad hoc committee meetings are subject to change.
- Meetings are not official until a formal agenda is posted. Meeting agendas are posted on BoardDocs.
Meetings usually do not take place in the month of July.
The priority for Fall 2025 is to conduct the ad-hoc committees on public engagement and progress monitoring, while the ad-hoc committee on board policy will begin in early 2026. Each committee will consist of three commissioners, have a defined scope and deliverables, and will ultimately make a recommendation to the entire Board. The commissioner assignments for each ad-hoc committee are:
- Public Engagement
- Committee Chair: Commissioner Gupta
- Committee Members: President Kim, Commissioner Fisher
Date, Agenda, and Video Recording Link to this section
Ad Hoc Committee on Public Engagement
| Date | Meeting Details |
|---|---|
| 01/08/2026 | |
| 02/05/2026 | Agenda Video Recording |
| 03/12/2026 | Agenda Video Recording |
| 04/09/2026 | Agenda Video Recording |
Jan. 8, 2026 Meeting - Transcription of Post-it Notes
Link to this section
Access a transcription of the post-it notes that were collected at the Jan. 8, 2026 meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee on Public Engagement.
Question 1: What topics matter most to you that you'd like the Board to engage the community about?
| Stop having student on IEP continuously |
| College and career readiness among students with special needs |
| Ensuring there is respectful inclusion of all affinity groups |
| Better inclusion of special ed / autistic students at school sites |
| Accessibility of special education / autism services |
| Making space for all (regardless of race / educational ability) |
| Approaches and best practices to address specific learning differences among SPED students such as dyslexia, ADHD, dyscalculia |
| Create programs that can help all students |
| How can SFUSD become more cultureally aware |
| Create policy on cultural awareness |
| Distribute resoruces equally across the entire city |
| Requiring all SFUSD BOE members and school staff are trained in inclusion practices and working with students/families from ALL racial backgrounds without a bias |
| Necesitamos mas apoyo con los ninos aprendicas de ingles para que puedan reclasificao maestros que apoyen en la escritura, y que los ninos escriban mas en las escuelas |
| Academic performance among Latino multilingual students |
| Safety for immigrant families and how they will be safe in the district |
| How will the board and SFUSD truly serve the communities that have been underserved? |
| Why was the equity audit dismantled in 2022? |
| Equitable functional feedback loop - SFUSD accountability means we see a clear path from what community shared -> input ("you said") to action via districtwide standard process of "you said" - "we did or not yet and why" with owners and timelines |
| One issue is the budget changes and how exactly they will affect communities |
| Student success - good news about the amazing student body at SFUSD |
| How is SFUSD preparing students to thrive in a world that will incorporate more and more AI in their lives |
| Curriculum updates like ethnic studies |
| How do we improve our schools |
| Mental health |
| How can SFUSD encourage parents to be more involved with their kids school |
| Parent engagement |
| How to address small community issues |
| What makes our schools attractive |
| Ongoing dialogue on the "baseline" staffing allocation, how/why this changes, what we want |
| Transparency on: decision making processes around allocation of resources for programs |
| How the BOE can leverage their platform to increase alignment and partnership with city leadership |
| Best practices for social-emotional and behavioral supports for students who struggle with mental health |
| Supports for non-district site staff, CBOs, partners, training, access |
| Why did the school board unanimously elect a charter school executive as president of the school board? |
| Why were the majority o the schools slated for closure predominately Black and Brown schools? |
| School consolidation and related issues around enrollment, school selection, neighborhood connections |
| School closures (before decisions are made, at site level) |
| Coordination with city departments and CBOs to provide more slots at afterschool and summer programs |
| Built community |
| Facilities - building air, ventilation, and structural safety |
| How to efffectively work with CBOs |
| Curious about new school opening (Mission Bay) |
| Improve grading for students that historically fail |
| Enrollment policy and strategy |
| How to make sure every student's voice is heard |
| SFUSD uses its funding accurately |
| Easily navigate wraparound resources |
| Easy access of tardy/absent process |
| How parents can navigate SFUSD's resources easily |
| Create impactful college and career for students |
| Varying quality of school lunches at school sites |
| School lunch issue |
| Needs of dually identified IEPs and ELs |
| Create an equitable school policy for all |
| The "student outcomes focused governance" model is a pro-school privatization board governance model. So - why is the board using it? |
| How can SFUSD build a program to reach out to parents and students when high risk absent |
| Improving school/staff responses to bullying amongst students |
| Family/student mediation training for teachers and staff in response to bullying |
| School violence issue |
| School bus transportation |
| Change of schools and school closing/merger |
| Budget constraints - staffing, layoffs, recruitment and retention |
| Why does the district have a billion dollar budget yet no budget and finance committee? |
| School resource allocation that accounts for multilingual learners |
| Site staffing/capacity setting at sites |
| School closures - privatization of schools? |
| School closures |
| School closing / consolidation |
| Chronic absenteeism, special ed, ELL, early ed / TK, closures, social workers |
| Wellness, safety, transportation, budget impacts on families affected |
| Schools understaffed |
| Partners not feeling valued |
| Tangible committment to LEP students/families |
| How well is the district communicating critical info to multilingual families |
| Why is the white population not attending SFUSD? |
| Rigorous prospective for more funding for SFUSD and BOE to report back to community about that |
| IEPs, general education, 6 day school period |
| How do we achieve / regain trust between the community and SFUSD |
| Counselor cuts |
| Increase engagement of low scoring students |
| Have a play on importance of attending school |
| Updates on multilingual education policies |
| Siloed efforts |
| Transparency on budget issues |
| How district data connects to a clear story families can understand and follow |
| Board major decisions |
| Improving academic standards - math, reading, writing |
| Make decisions on school changes & not engaging families before the fact of making a change |
| School Budget quick turn around this year challenging community/staff input |
| Students with IEPS & not providing RFP + 21 days |
| Special Education funding |
| PE Curriuculum independ study (outstanding request from QTPAC) |
| This district needs to show accountability for spending private donations so it cna get more private funding |
| Absolutely missing more analysis on how much the district spends for not complying with law- for example, NPS |
| Lack of staffing at certain sites on a cntinued basis |
| School staffing and esp. cuts to programs/aspects of school that support student belonging |
| Identifying a family community action platform that allows for 2-way communication & where staff (teachers) are required to respond right now- Parentview is optional & mostly used in MS & HS and not ES |
| Uplift all affinities at school even if the population is not there |
| More community input on Superentendent |
| School closure & merging consolidation |
| Positive-more focus on good curriculum for reading & math |
| Each school site is a community & should be treated that way. Need to act/approach in that way |
| Students w/ IEP's & ELL. The impact on the rclas. process. |
| District consultants $ $ use |
| Committement to LGBT +students and families. 400,000 trans people have fled oppresive states and 'reere'(nontrans/queer people in 2025 we need to commit more resources to them |
| Land Use- How do we proactively ensure SFUSD property never gets sold to private developers? How eedo we prioritize teacher & family housing? |
| Hand out paper surveys 'Dorig Morag Crele' |
| When talking about making big system changes like elimination the general ed buses-get direct feedback from whose who will be impacted-like the families whose children ride the buses |
| Lottery for language immersion not clear kids counsedl out |
| ERAF-Property Tax: Why has there been consistent projectios of deficit that actually ends as a surplus, that goes to city general fund? How do we ensure this $ remains focused on edu needs |
| We need a real feedback loop. SFUSD accountability means we see path from input to action DISTRICT WIDE standards process of input "you said">We did>not yet>why w/ owners + timeline |
| Feedback Loop for community engagement accountability |
| Facilities portfolio what equity analysis have happened? How do we proactively ensure SFSUD property & asses remain for students, family & teacher use and priorities |
| Enrollment Policy & System change: What assessments on readblocks, data + equity analysis have been done? Decide, what interventions have been implemented? How to approach criteria? 1)Diversity 2) Predictivility 3) Proximity> What or how else |
| Why are there further barriers at small schools to bottleneck or prevent enrollment? Why is underenrollment still used as justification when there hasn't been enough equity analysis |
| Positive or Negative Certificat. How do we be innovative and build partnerships for revenue research? Is it true we're still seeking positive certification? Where is proof of state oversight? |
| Natiaonl Research:Closures. What research & collabs has SFUSD done to learn from lessons, victories + failures nationally? How are other districts avoiding closures? |
| Community Engagement Participation Partnerships |
| Create an independent council to hold the district accountable- 'choles & balances' |
| Budget transperency spending money where it's allocated |
| More discussion & focus on student impact & outcome in all decisions |
| How do we make sure schools help connect students & families to resources, external/within the city |
| Anti Black racisi to be addressed |
| Academic vision '(high sliat*) |
| Disable Access lack of simple infor on 504 and IEP for families- non-profits are carrying trat for district |
| The slide about parent/family groups was misrepresenting facts-how many of those groups are actually fully seated? |
| Lack of Access-Meeting materials are in very small print, non-visual, Virtual meeting needs for disabled community-for example "APD" |
| Change narrative of level of engagement & is the school ready for my children vs I smy child ready for the school |
| Ongoing work changes, effects, priorities but not 3 hours meetings or sifting through minutes |
| Lots of insensitivity or lakc of undersanding/empaty for others |
| Safety of schools + going to & from school |
| Topics: Closing schools. School Enrollment. |
| Why are families leaving SFUSD? (exit survey or...?) |
| Let's talk about the impact that defunding the Gend Ed buses will have on our most vulnerable families who tend to be the most underserved. Also there will be an attendance impact, which affects ADA funding |
| What does Improving Student Outcomes mean to Parents |
| Stop Bait and Switch move staff and principal who are horrible to new school |
| Δ hiring |
| Staffing all stability levels recruitment SPED retention support for teachers ML credentialing delays |
| avoid hiring delays |
| staff with adults that reflect students |
| SPED compliance |
| curriculum + ingtedmn |
| CULA resources |
| Marganilized students 15% up |
| Focal pupil decisions need to invovle population |
| Policy implementation w us must be fully implemented |
| safe schools passage |
| cost of living |
| most martinized push out service the whole child |
| Improve indi school + bring services to school % of EL; SPN teachers |
| SPN TK, not talein program |
| Serving whole child involving the child |
| cookie cutter does not get anywhere |
| student need to be involved |
| Newcomers- see what support + slmcte they need; not enough , need more teachers |
| transperancy re data |
| need to come to the community |
| Progres community> need to get the next level |
| truth, transperancy + accountability i.e. RAI> what hppened |
| prioritize agenda items before 9 pm |
| higher expectations in problem solving |
| Budget decision should be focused on education not a business |
| no language that we are in "budget crisis" |
| families shoudl be in partnership with the district collaboration |
| we are the district |
| SAC delegates should have voting power |
| Start public meeting @ 5-5:15pm public comment suppresed; student voice ... |
Question 2: How would you like the Board to engage with you on these topics?
| Neighborhood meetings at variety of times / weekends |
| Small group with large group report backs (in language) |
| Evening session with dinner and childcare |
| Use multiple methods of communication with parents |
| BOE pop ups at schools vs. 555 Franklin |
| Coordinate with district staff to engage at schools and where families are |
| Lunch time sharing circles for students with food |
| Look to those who organize most marginal communities -> center |
| BOE presence at back to school nights / conference week |
| Engage with students board doesn't regularly engage with |
| Build engagement with existing parent facing structures - ie, DLAC, ELAC, PACs |
| Regular email communications and updates |
| Using power of 21st century media - podcasts, social media, news sites |
| Ways in which parent voices can be represented in BOE engagement asynchronously |
| Surveys and phone outreach to those who cannot attend meetings |
| How to work with parents to implement surveys and get information from students |
| Bring back the budget and business services committee and all the oversight committees |
| Why doesn't the board bring back the oversight committees - budget and business services, HR and personnel, building and grounds |
| Virtual options with small break out groups |
| Incentives for participation (ie, pizza party for top attendance) |
| Morning school site visits - coffee and pan with parents |
| After school site visits with snacks and coffee |
| Virtual and/or in person coffee/tea chat |
| Share readily available data that demonstrates academic growth and the concrete steps the district takes to address gaps/mitigate barriers to learning |
| Regularly attend advisory committee meetings |
| Attending affinity group/council meetings to be more "seen" |
| BOE facetime or involvement in citywide community needs assessment process, town halls, etc |
| Surveys are biases sample - just be aware |
| Outreach to parents/communities that are "not engaged" |
| "Break bread with the Board" if SFUSD has a culinary program have students cook a meal and have an informal dinner with the community to discuss their concerns |
| Start a BOE podcast - have the students be the producers / hosts / interviewers / techs |
| Me gustaria que el distrito apoyara mas a los ninos, con maestros y que las clases sean mas pequenas en los salones, para que los ninos puedan desembolverse mejor |
| Find a way to convey messages |
| Meet with small group to inform if its hard to reach group |
| Creating "safe" spaces where all feel welcome |
| More of a BOE physical presence at school sites |
| Accessibility to public comment for virtual attendees - current practice limits virtual public comment. This is not inclusive to all communities |
| Longer public comment, allows everyone to speak |
| Actually engage community (no surveys or "coin" sorting) -> ask kwhat is important to each community |
| BOE table at city's summer resource fairs. Facetime or AMA style convos with attendees |
| When is the Board going to have a community engagement process to hire a superintendent who has a teaching credential? |
| Via school platforms and overall giving families a chance to feel involved |
| ParentVue - making ParentVue accessible, user-friendly, two-way |
| Los salones de clase nesecitan modernisarse poner mas pizaovones donde los ninos puedan trabajar grupalmente y mejorar sus escrituras |
| What is currently documented as a process for community engagement? |
| Easy process for parents to communicate with board |
| Engage with parents not regularly engaged with |
| Que las camaras en las escuelas funciones sobre todo las de afuera en la calle para evitar insidentes de violencia |
| Town halls (or more casual chats) - more frequent and accessible for parents and students |
| BOE panel or presence or speech at grantee meetings and conferences |
| Via constant updates on various platforms as well as hosting meeting explaining them further |
| Please get rid of the student outcomes focused governance model. Our kids are more than test scores |
| Committees that are not ad-hoc, but permanent |
| Trusted community partners - engage with audiences you are not always reaching |
| Visit all school sites, talk to community |
| "Supper with the Sup" - listening sessions by Dr. Su and team about particular themes or issues |
| Do not come to us to tell us what will be done to us - engage beforhand so decisions are made with us |
| Creating alternative forms of engagement for those with language, transportation, technological difficulties |
| Opportunities to learn about schools and their practices that are leading to dramatic improvement among mulilingual learners |
| Transparency on how public comments are being used or not used to inform action |
| Every student deserves to feel safe, nurtured, supported and challenged to succeed in school. Public engagement must strive to narrow the gap between aspirations and achievement |
| Engagement maps - who is not attending these meetings? |
| Host coffee chats - continue engaging CBOs to connect with families |
| Coffee chats to make board more approachable |
| Meet K parents - they are nervous |
| Picnic potluck - talk to big shots |
| Have yearly advocacy day in Sacramento and SF |
| Newsletter or workshop to help better understand who runs the department |
| Interpreted conversations away rom BOE meetings (home turf) |
| Have a gossip column |
| Emails directly to trusted CBOs for wider sharing to family networks |
| Feel partnership |
| Newsletter? |
| Share data and trade offs considered |
| Share data with context and narrative, early and with follow-up, so families can make meaning and engage |
| How will students and families and staff be impacted by decisions? |
| Engage students at school sites through SSCs and student government |
| Attend more SAC meetings! |
| Town hall style sessions around different neighborhoods |
| Higher engagement of middle and high school students |
| Have a non popular decisions colummn |
| Pickup / dropoff at schools? |
| On academic standards (and more generally) - provide objective and transparent work/evidence/etc for potential initiatives and decisions - examine best practices rather than reinvent the wheel |
| Make info accessible, speak in plain language |
| Language interpretation different level of language |
| I min public comment is not equitable for all specially for our slow speaking or older members |
| make sure families know aobut SFUSD resources |
| You Tube Twitter Social Media |
| Virtual Public comment needs to Happen |
| Community To Be able to use Buildings for activities outside school hours |
| The mechanisim (technology) for collecting information is not working. Access needs to meet the needs of the families |
| Allow sites to bypass permit system to allow famileis to tailo engagement strategies at their school-communities! hosting events & tactics for free |
| Have meetings in the family home language translate to English |
| NASA uses a decadal survey with a mid point evaluation. Appoint of accountability review your progress |
| Aligment to best cross across school focus on similiar priorities & goals Share what schools are doing to support our kids |
| Posting Agenda with more time & way to have online public forum & add ideas virtually. Not eveyrone can attend |
| Space for breakouts to be able to talk/hear. Small group didnd't work well to hear everyone in the Board Room |
| Need designated note takers!! Facilitators should be allowed to focus & engage |
| Use our time well. if the only point wher we can provide input is public comment at a 3h meeting that is insufficient |
| Bad decision making- The whole mess about BVHM relocation was mishandled-families left SFUSD-not engaging families before decision are made |
| Lack of accessible materials large print materials in many languages |
| Digitizing notes/stickys verbatim to capture community's ideas withoout room for changing our misinterpret what ppl say |
| have Board follow thru on community suggestions |
| Making sure to highlight the Contribution of CBO's at school those funded & not funded 'cost CBO/s are javiy the district' |
| How can Community support w/research or engage Community stakeholders? How can community & parent delegates Visit other cities/districts to do learning exchange. |
| Speak the truth don't sugar coat it be honest no gaslighting |
| more opportunities to engage at school sites (where families are regularly) |
| spokes-establish a concensus decision making process with the community |
| Engage + Partner w/ CBO's who are working w/ families to share SFUSD on topics. |
| Engaging Families Building their capacity speaking time to explain context why you are being asked to give feedback |
| Multiple methods for gathering input, transperancy in sharing how it is used |
| be real about compliance and regulatory constraints-what's possible and what's not |
| Not eveyone can read & write; need other forms of communication (Family liaison recording in many languages) |
| ACTION |
| meaningful regular comms with committees |
| Student VUE/Parent VUE unreliable; Google classroom for families would be helpful |
| work with CBO's who have trust in the community |
| Data collection engagement needs to be presentative of the actual student body population if its 'kat' don't use their data |
| work with communities to decide schools to close |
| use Youtube as a resource for engagement |
| Don't ask me for the same thing over & over again show me what you w/it first |
| SHORTER IN PERSON PAPER OPTIONS FOR RESPONSES IN MANY LANGUAGES |
| Less reliance on electronic surveys & in person access |
| Strengthen the CBO's partnerships |
| Summarizes, key points, digests=I have very 'true' & energy |
| SHARE ALL THE FACTS & DATA (bring spot &Bond Program website) |
| Board be more visible in community get to know family needs. |
| I'd rather have a hard truth than a lie |
| Challnge-Budget & hard $ decisions |
| Each Breakout should be held in language |
| be very clear with yourselves about what specific feedback you need and why. Why are you asking us thse questions (esp. surveys) |
| More contact with parents advisory councils |
| Engage w/ after school partners! |
| Community meeting should be lead by community not SFUSD |
| Ask us Follow up w/us. We need to know in advance |
| inform people in advance! no more last minute hidden deciions. give us time to digest info |
| coffe chats > personalbe for families but how will it happen |
| find ways to reach more people directly |
| principal chats |
| do they pick where they want to go |
| in language familes can understand simple, accesible language |
| how to engage parents in person + virtual important |
| some families don't have smart phones |
| families in shelter (time in/ time out) to there in their space |
| how do you continue the conversation |
| return to the community before making formal decisions |
| needs to be two way |
| follow up meetings |
| whoe board shoudl be h..re to lighin in |
| accountability, dejireng annualty .. |
| Make it approachable to families |
| clear channel. follow up |
| go to community; not cenie to them |
| go to school where there a lot of community engagement; already @ schools; PTA, cafe |
| plan ahead of time <2wks>; need notice> advisories |
| think about logistics-parking, time of meeting |
| ingrousur to better access |
| creative solution |
| don't go to the dhairs listening to parents/students |
| <affordable housing> |
| how do we collaborate before clsoing schools |
| Advisories: wed cometing before/after presentatoin be responsive, otherwise what is teh point. |
| BoE need to commit to the work |
| comm facillitale a retnent |
This page was last updated on January 16, 2026