Rally at City Hall Saturday Will Urge Supervisors to Stop City College Layoffs

As many as 588 faculty members at City College of San Francisco are facing potential layoffs as early as May 15. The massive faculty loss is expected to impact several departments, forcing cuts to needed programs and classes. 

Students, staff and faculty attended a virtual rally Monday to push San Francisco supervisors into taking action before CCSF loses about 65 percent of its workforce. The call for action is joined by the American Federation of Teachers Local 2121, which represents CCSF faculty.

Among those informed of potential layoffs are 163 tenured and tenure-track faculty members and another 425 who hold part-time positions. The planned cuts were approved in February by the CCSF Board of Trustees in an effort to correct a $33 million budget shortfall. The trustees also cited a decline in enrollment and struggle to maintain accreditation status — an issue that has repeatedly plagued the college. Accreditation was nearly revoked in 2014 and was threatened again in late 2020, partly due to financial mismanagement.

What AFT 2121 and supporters are calling for is an expansion of the Workforce Economic Recovery Fund beyond the $500,000 allocated to support City College in November. The Board of Supervisors hold the power to increase emergency funding and stop the impending cuts, but they have yet to introduce a proposal to do so.

During the rally, Shaw San Liu of the Chinese Progressive Association said:  

“Today, we have a really simple message: In a city of millionaires, in a city of affluence and that sees itself as a leader in the nation on so many fronts, for truly just recovery and for communities of color and immigrant communities to not be left behind. To have a future in San Francisco, we must expand City College, not reduce it and we urge the Board of Supervisors to vote yes on the Expansion Workforce Recovery Fund.” 

Fully enrolled classes will be on the chopping block if supervisors do not quickly act to shore up needed funding.

The union has scheduled an in-person rally and march in front of City Hall this Saturday at 11 a.m.