San Francisco Proposition G (2024)

On November 20th, 2023 the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a motion ordering the inclusion of Proposition G: Offering Algebra 1 to Eighth Graders on the March 2024 Local Ballot. Written by Supervisor Joel Engardio, the measure acts as a non-binding policy statement urging the San Francisco Unified School District to reverse their decision on delaying enrollment in Algebra I until ninth grade. The measure passed with 81.75% of the vote. The passage of the measure did not immediately change course offerings for students. The San Francisco Unified School District is a public agency that is separate from the City and retains jurisdiction in regards to when Algebra I is able to be offered to students. Passage of the proposal would inform the San Francisco Unified School District on the stance of the constituents in regards to their preferred math offerings for students. Additionally, the proposal would: support the School District's development of its math curriculum for students at all grade levels, explore differentiation options for students both below and above grade-level in math across all grades, and promote pathways for students interested in studying STEM at the university level.

Support
According to the Ballot Simplification Committee's digest for voters, written by members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, voting "YES" would make it City policy to encourage the School District to offer Algebra 1 to students by their eighth-grade year and to support the School District's development of its math curriculum.

Joel Engardio, the author of the proposal, argues that delaying algebra until 9th grade penalizes math-loving students, limiting their ability to take advanced math coursework by high school graduation and hindering college options. He believes that offering algebra in 8th grade will enhance public education, address declining district enrollment, and make San Francisco's public schools more competitive with private schools, ultimately benefiting the city's future by retaining families. Engardio also highlights the unintended consequences of the current policy, such as its impact on college applications, and emphasizes the need for better teacher and staff pay to support successful algebra education.

Additional support has been voiced by those that supported the 2022 San Francisco Board of Education recall.

Opposition
According to the Ballot Simplification Committee's digest for voters, a vote "NO" means that "you do not want to adopt this as City policy."

The lone supervisor voting against the measure, Shamann Walton, argues that the passage of the proposition does not address the challenges faced by students and teachers within the district. He states, "I don't like misleading the voters in making them think that we're putting something on the ballot that has any teeth or that actually does anything, because this measure does not do anything."

Proposal cost
On December 11th, 2023, the San Francisco Office of the Controller wrote: "Should the proposed declaration of policy be approved by the voters, in my opinion, it would have no cost to government." In effect, Proposition G is envisioned as a cost-neutral initiative, leaving the decision and implementation process of reintroducing 8th-grade algebra to the discretion of individual schools, offering flexibility to adapt the policy based on their unique circumstances and resources.

Results
The election was held on March 5, 2024. Proposition G passed with 81.75% of the vote, receiving 182,066 "Yes" votes and 40,638 "No" votes.