San Francisco school closures looming as enrollment continues to decline
Enrollment continues to drop in San Francisco public schools as the new academic year begins.
As the exodus continues, students and families will see the impact as budgets get tighter and looming cuts abound.
Nadia Ahlsten is a short drive away from her son's school in San Francisco's Marina District. But parents across the city are wondering if their routines will be upended when school doors are shuttered.
"The district since it brought up the issue is a big concern," said SFUSD parent Abebe Degefa.
"Everybody is fearful," added Ahlsten.
Ahlsten's son has special needs.
She acknowledges closing and consolidating low-enrollment schools is necessary for SFUSD's long term survival, but she also knows reshaping within the district will be a disruptive process.
"It breaks up the community, kids' friendships, with the teachers and involvement with the school," said Ahlsten.
California Department of Education data shows declining enrollment in districts across the Bay Area. SFUSD's enrollment has declined by more than 4000 students since 2017.
The rates of decline have flattened after COVID, but district officials said projections show further declines in the years to come.
The district will undergo major changes as it draws closer to announcing a list of schools to either close or merge.
No school is guaranteed exemption.
The 102 SFUSD schools currently operating have the capacity to serve some 14,000 more students.
SFUSD Spokesperson Laura Dudnick said 'a lot' of buildings are not at full capacity.
"When we continue to operate this many buildings, and schools we have to spread our resources more thin," said Dudnick.
SFUSD said its last round of major school closures happened 20 years ago, with marginalized communities feeling the brunt of negative impacts.
District officials said among the criteria being used for this go-around, are equity, excellence, and effective use of resources.
"We don't want any one community to bear the burden of school closures more than any other community. We know that's what has happened in the past even here in San Francisco," said Dudnick.
It's not just public schools feeling the impact of declining enrollment and staffing shortages.
Aaron Watson is chief of schools and programs for Gateway's two public charter schools in San Francisco.
"Gateway is not immune from the challenges of the changing education landscape and enrollment," said Watson.
Watson said they're also grappling with a 'slight' decline in applications and enrollment while informing potential student families that a charter school like Gateway might be a good option.
"We're in it together with all the schools in San Francisco to make sure how do all students and family have great public education options," said Watson.
Data over the last decade shows coastal areas including all nine Bay Area counties have seen enrollment declines, while inland areas like Sacramento have seen gains.
For Nadia Ahlsten, she understands the impact of looming closures will affect families to varying degrees..
"It's awful. It's happening nationwide and not just San Francisco. This is happening all over the country," said Ahlsten.
Parents can only hope for the best outcome as it's certaint that changes are on the way.
SFUSD will make a recommendation and present the much-anticipated list of schools to be closed or consolidated in September.
The school board then votes in December after a period for feedback from impacted school communities.
