San Francisco Mayor London Breed on Monday announced a proposed measure intended for the June 2022 ballot to reform city services for children and families, as well as provide oversight for the San Francisco Board of Education.
According to Breed's office, if placed on the ballot, the Children First ballot measure will create "groundbreaking reform and accountability measures."
The measure would create the Children's Agency, which would streamline funding and services for youth and families.
Additionally, the measure would require the school board to make reform the way it operates in an effort to create transparency. Specifically, the board would be required to meet certain criteria around strategy, fiscal oversight, separation of duties, community engagement, governance standards, and professional development, according to Breed's office.
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If the school board doesn't meet the requirements, the city could withhold millions of dollars in city funding, Breed's office said.
"This pandemic has really impacted our kids, but we have to be honest that we've been struggling to efficiently and effectively provide quality services to young people and their families for years," Breed said in a statement. "By streamlining how we deliver services, by bringing more collaboration and transparency to our programs, and by creating real accountability for city departments and the school board, we can make a transformative difference for our young people."
Breed is planning on introducing the measure at Tuesday's Board of Supervisors meeting. In order to be placed on the ballot, the measure must be approved by the supervisors by February.
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Breed made the announcement on Monday with the support of Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, as well as several San Francisco Unified School District parents.
The school board has faced criticism over the last year, with critics accusing the board of focusing on political issues as a majority of the city's public schools remained closed amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
In October, the group Recall SF School Board announced it succeeded in gaining enough signatures to hold a recall election for three school board commissioners: Commissioner Alison Collins, Board President Gabriela Lopez and Board Vice President Faauuga Moliga.
The recall election is set to happen on Feb. 15.
