Charter amendment attracted more than 80.5% of counted votes as of the latest count
San Francisco’s next mayor — no matter who is ultimately elected to the position — will have more control over how The City’s public-school district spends money from voter-approved funds that pay for student-achievement programs, mental-wellness initiatives, and arts- and physical-education resources.
Proposition J had attracted 81.2% of the counted votes as of Friday afternoon, with a lead larger than the number of estimated outstanding ballots. The measure’s passage enables The City to create an Our Children, Our Families Initiative, led by the mayor and San Francisco Unified School District superintendent to ensure that funding from previous voter-approved measures are spent effectively. Potentially increased oversight of district funds comes as district officials work to deliver a balanced budget to the California Department of Education by mid-December, or risk state takeover. Supervisors Myrna Melgar and Hillary Ronen co-authored the measure, which supporters said will improve oversight of how the district spends money from two voter-approved funds. The Public Education Enrichment Fund, totaling $94.3 million this year, supports physical education, libraries, art and music programs, while the Student Success Fund is devoted toward students’ mental wellbeing. The Student Success Fund was created because “the district was really not meeting the needs of kids academically or social emotional wellness” especially following the impacts of the pandemic, Ronen legislative aide Jennifer Ferrigno previously told The Examiner. Ronen had raised concerns in previous months of the district not effectively using voter-approved funds. At an Oct. 1 Board of Supervisors special hearing, she said that, as her term expires this year, she “doesn’t have the confidence that will continue” if there isn’t someone “checking constantly what’s really going on,” which Ferrigno said heightened the importance of Prop. J’s passage. Ex // Top Stories SF voters giving big thumbs-up to retirement measure for nurses, dispatchers Prop. I, which would revamp the retirement benefits of emergency dispatchers and city nurses, is drawing 70% of the counted votes With new leader, SF org sets standard for vets’ advocacy Swords to Plowshares remains an institution in The City under new executive director Tramecia Garner UCSF's Sam Hawgood continues to bet big on The City UCSF has long been one of the nation’s most revered and acclaimed medical institutions. The man at the helm of the hospital is no different Provisions of the charter amendment allow the Board of Supervisors and mayor to withhold funding from the district if it doesn’t meet certain benchmarks. The measure faced no organized opposition and was supported by Supervisors Melgar, Ronen, Shamann Walton, Catherine Stefani, Ahsha Safai, Matt Dorsey, Joel Engardio, Dean Preston and Rafael Mandelman, as well as Board of Education Commissioners Jenny Lam and Alida Fisher. Melgar said at a July Board of Supervisors meeting that it “works off what the voters already passed about 10 years ago, but adds teeth with budget accountability tools.” City Controller Greg Wagner said that Prop. J will have “a significant impact on The City’s finances.” The estimated annual staff costs to support the Our Children, Our Families Initiative range from approximately $140,000 to $570,000 for one to three positions in the Department of Children, Youth, and Their Families, Wagner said in a statement. SFUSD Superintendent Maria Su formerly ran the DCYF as the department’s executive director. Sherrice Dorsey-Smith, the DCYF’s interim director, told The Examiner that she is “thrilled that San Francisco voters have shown their support” for Prop. J. “This initiative will allow us to enhance oversight and accountability, ensuring that critical funds that support children and youth services are used to create meaningful outcomes for young people across our community,” she said. “DCYF is ready and excited to build out a dedicated team to implement these goals.”
Sf Board Of Supervisors Melgar Ronen Prop J San Francisco Student Success Fund Dcyf San Francisco Unified School District
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