Tell SFUSD to Pause Harmful Budget Cuts Now
Call Script
My name is __________. I am a [parent/educator/community member] and my zip code is _______. I am a member of Indivisible SF.
I’m calling to urge Superintendent Su to pause the budget cuts and staffing reductions to newcomer and immigrant‑serving programs.
Newcomer programs like San Francisco International High School and Mission Education Center are essential for recently arrived immigrant students to learn English, feel safe, and succeed in school. Please work with immigrant families and educators on a better plan, and please listen carefully to the Safe Schools Committee at the Friday, March 6 meeting. Thank you for your time and for supporting immigrant students.
Email Script
Dear Superintendent Su,
My name is __________. I am a [parent/educator/community member] and my zip code is _______. I am a member of Indivisible SF.
I am writing to urge you to pause the proposed budget cuts and staffing reductions to SFUSD’s newcomer and immigrant‑serving programs.
Newcomer schools and programs, such as San Francisco International High School, Mission Education Center, and other language centers provide critical academic, language, and social‑emotional support for recently arrived immigrant students. These students have already experienced major disruption and trauma, and sudden cuts or transfers out of specialized settings can cause serious harm to their learning and well‑being. National research also shows that when districts underfund language development and newcomer supports, English-learner students fall further behind and long‑term educational gaps widen.
I understand that SFUSD is facing a difficult budget situation, but balancing the budget should not come at the expense of immigrant and English learner students who rely on these programs.
I respectfully ask that you:
1) Support a pause on budget cuts and staffing reductions to newcomer programs.
2) Work together with immigrant families, students, educators, and community organizations to design a better, community‑driven plan for any future changes.
I know that a group of immigrant parents and educators from the Safe Schools Committee is meeting with you on Friday, March 6, to share their vision for a high‑quality education for immigrant students. Please listen closely to their stories and recommendations, and stand with them in protecting and strengthening SFUSD’s newcomer programs.
Thank you for your leadership and for your attention to this urgent issue.
Sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]
[School / Neighborhood]
Background
San Francisco’s immigrant students are facing deep staffing and program cuts as SFUSD moves to close a projected budget shortfall of more than $100 million over the next few years. Newcomer schools and programs that serve recent immigrant and English-learner students—such as San Francisco International High School, Mission Education Center, and Visitacion Valley Middle School—are already facing proposed reductions to newcomer teachers and targeted funding, even as families and educators warn that one‑size‑fits‑all cuts will disproportionately harm these students. Research and national education advocates have repeatedly shown that when districts cut language and newcomer services, English-learner and immigrant students lose critical support and fall further behind academically.
The Safe Schools Committee, a partnership of Faith in Action Bay Area and United Educators of San Francisco, has a meeting with SFUSD Superintendent Maria Su this Friday, March 6, to share a community‑driven vision for high‑quality education for immigrant students and to ask for a one‑year pause on budget cuts to newcomer programs while we work together on a better plan.
Please add your voice before that meeting: email MariaSu@sfusd.edu or call 415‑522‑6769 and urge her to listen to immigrant parents, students, and educators, and to support a pause on cuts to newcomer programs that our communities rely on.