REPORT: San Francisco School District Has to Close Schools Because it’s Going Broke

 

Schools in the progressive haven of San Francisco are facing a major budget crunch. Things are so dire that the district may have to actually close some schools.

It’s amazing that these schools are having cash flow problems when you consider the taxes people pay to live there.

Officials from the school district recently met with some financial experts who gave them some tough love.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported:

Late last week, two fiscal experts — appointed a few years ago to give guidance to the district — were authorized to suspend or reverse financial decisions made by the superintendent or school board. It’s an extreme action the state superintendent of public instruction can take when a district is in a “distressed financial condition.”…

The school board spent Tuesday night reviewing the new reality, with state advisers and other fiscal experts detailing the stark financial situation and what it will take to dig out of the hole. They urged district leaders to enact an immediate hiring freeze, which Wayne agreed to enforce. State officials, who met with Wayne last week, acknowledged the district has been cooperative and is responding to requests more quickly…

This moment has arguably been a long time coming. The district has been overspending for years, failing to adjust for declining enrollment and relying on a flush state budget, savings and pandemic recovery funds to make ends meet.

Those bills are coming due, and an anemic state budget is making matters worse.

Back in October of 2023, CBS News reported that the teacher union fought for a pay raise and won:

Teachers and the school district in San Francisco have avoided a threatened strike following a marathon all-night bargaining session that resulted in a tentative agreement, the teachers’ union and the district announced Friday morning…

The tentative agreement includes a $9,000 salary increase for teachers this school year and an additional 5% raise for the 2024-2025 school year.

Maybe this is part of the problem. The teacher unions always seem to get what they want.