PPS-SF Supports Using City Windfall Funds for Teachers and School

PPS-SF urges using $60M in excess ERAF funds to support K-12 public education; at least $10M to support access to affordable early education.

Voice your support: tell the Mayor and your district Supervisor that education funding is a priority!

Please consider taking ALL of the following steps as soon as possible (first TWO are highest impact):

“If you have already sent an email, make a call. If you have already made a call, ask a friend to send an email!
”

— Kari Gray, Second District PTA President

1. Send an email or make a call to Mayor Breed and your Supervisor telling them why YOU support using some of the ERAF funds to support public education and early childhood education in San Francisco and why maintaining teacher raises matters for your school community. Find Supervisor contacts here: https://sfbos.org/roster-members. Mayor Breed: MayorLondonBreed@sfgov.org
   
   Things to include in your email: a) your connection to SF public schools or early child education; b) what city district you live in; c) examples of issues you have faced due to inadequate funding (teacher vacancies, insufficient staff support, programs cuts, lack of childcare, etc.); d) your understanding of the need to honor voter’s intentions in passing Prop G and Prop C in June 2018; and e) your desire to see $60M in excess ERAF allocated to SFUSD general fund and $10M used to support an early childhood education bridge fund.

2. Testify at a Budget Committee hearing Wednesday February 6th at City Hall from 10-2. It is best to arrive early to allow time to get through security at City Hall. Come and share a story of your or your child’s personal experience with the impact of school budget cuts, teacher turnover or instability, loss of important programs, supports, etc. Contact us at info@ppssf.org if you have questions about attending this hearing.

3. Show your support through social media.  Here are some sample tweets courtesy of the 2nd District PTA which also supports using $60M in ERAF funds for education.

   Sample Tweets

   Make sure SFUSD has enough $$ to support our teachers & schools. Support $60 million in the ERAF funds for SFUSD @sfgov @LondonBreed @SandraLeeFewer @SupStefani @AaronPeskin  @NormanYeeSF @HillaryRonen @Ahsha_Safai|  @RafaelMandelman @MattHaneySF @VallieBrown @GordonMar @shamannwalton @SFUSD_Supe

   Voters agree: SFUSD staff deserve a living wage. Make sure SFUSD has enough $$ from ERAF funds @sfgov @LondonBreed @SandraLeeFewer @SupStefani @AaronPeskin  @NormanYeeSF @HillaryRonen @Ahsha_Safai|  @RafaelMandelman @MattHaneySF @VallieBrown @GordonMar @shamannwalton @SFUSD_Supe

4. Sign this petition: the San Francisco Families Union has created an online petition calling on the city to allocate $60M in ERAF funds to SFUSD.

Background

San Francisco's Controller recently announced the discovery that $414.7 million will be returned to the city treasury due to excess payments into the city's Educational Revenue Augmentation Fund (ERAF) over the past two years. The Board of Supervisors will soon decide how the excess ERAF funds will be spent. After required set-asides, there will be an estimated $185 million in excess funds available to be spent for "any public purpose." Current proposals do not include funds for K-12 education.

PPS-SF supports the proposal to use $60 million in excess ERAF to support SFUSD and at least $10 million to create an early childhood education bridge fund. 

Funds Needed to Assure Teacher Raises Can be Sustained

SFUSD is facing a critical shortfall in funding to support teacher raises funded by Proposition G - approved by San Francisco voters in June. The raises are being paid and having a very positive impact, but the voter-approved tax funds meant to finance those raises are being held up in court and it is unclear how much longer the teacher salary increases can be sustained.

Superintendent Vincent Matthews has formally requested $60M of the funds go to SFUSD. Several Supervisors, including newly-sworn-in Supervisors Matt Haney, Shamann Walton, Gordon Mar and Supervisor Hillary Ronen have voiced support for using a portion of the funds for education.

Early Childhood Education Funding also a Priority

There is an undeniable need in our city for affordable childcare, affirmed by the voters through the passage of Proposition C, “Universal Childcare in San Francisco” in June. The money that was meant to fund this initiative is unavailable due to the same legal challenge facing Proposition G funds. Work needs to start now if we hope to make early childhood education accessible to all families. Therefore, PPS-SF also supports the request to allocate $10 million in excess ERAF to an early childhood education bridge fund. This proposal is one element of a plan to use the $181 million proposed on December 4, 2018, by Supervisors Peskin, Ronen, Mandelman, Fewer, Kim, and Yee.

We want our schools to get a fair share of these excess "educational" funds. If you support using these funds to support our schools and teachers now is the time to take action!

Questions?

We are happy to try to answer any questions you have about this issue. Please email us at info@ppssf.org

Learn more about ERAF and how this windfall came to be by clicking the link.