We love our RMS community!

We all work hard to support our students, and as a fully staffed school with 3 counselors, a wellness center, and wheel classes that allow for our 7 period day, here are some amazing things we’ve accomplished so far this year:

• Reading and Math test scores are 20-25% higher than the district 
• ​25% decrease in tardies 
• Successfully implemented community days and advisory challenges (reportedly a favorite of RMS students!) 
• ​Support students through the counseling and wellness centers

The cuts that are proposed would drastically change our ability to make all of this happen. Roosevelt will not be the same school with these cuts. 

Cuts could include:

• Fewer teachers and much bigger (35+) class sizes 
• 6 period day, which means fewer elective options. 
• Only have funding for 2 school counselors instead of 3. 
• No additional elective for students in Mandarin or ELD. 
• No Accelerated Literacy or Math Support. 
• Fewer security guards. 
• No health class. 
• Less time for teacher collaboration. 
• ​Less supervision of students.

These are the things to share with other friends and family, and the school board members! 

​Your voice matters! What can you do about it?

1) Speak out at a school board meeting! You can attend in person or over zoom. 
The next school board meeting is: this Tuesday, January 13, 2026 at 6:30pm at 555 Franklin Street. 

2) Email the superintendent and the school board:

Dear RMS Families, 

In the face of looming proposed budget cuts from SFUSD, we need your help to support Roosevelt Middle School and our kids. Please take a moment to learn about active steps you can take in the very near future to help champion the education and experiences our students get here at RMS.

We need your voice

SFUSD needs to know that families are engaged and deeply concerned about the potential budget cuts and their impact on our schools. 

The PTSA recently shared how potential district budget cuts could impact RMS. This includes:
​

• Reductions to Support Staff (including Counselors, Wellness, Social Workers, Security)
• Cuts to Teachers and Programming (Potentially a shift from 7 periods to 6, loss of health class, reduced special education services)
• Cuts to Operational Staff (Clerks)
• Cuts to Site Administration
• Click here to view the full letter from RMS PTSA about potential budget cuts, what they could mean for RMS and how they could be detrimental to our students’ education. Please note these are examples only and no decisions have yet been made; however, this is a very realistic, educated conversation about what cuts might look like at Roosevelt.

How you can help

1) Attend the School Board meeting this Tuesday, 12/16 at 555 Franklin Street. (Public open session begins at 6:30pm.) 

• You don’t need to speak—a strong presence makes a difference. Caregivers showing up tells the Board and Superintendent that families are deeply concerned and are paying attention to the decisions they make.
• If you wish to give public comment

          - Each meeting includes one hour of public comment. 
          - You must sign in to speak. 
          - Comments are limited to 1 minute, so it helps to prepare your remarks in advance.

• Click here for more information about 2025-26 School Board meetings, including agendas and how to observe via Zoom.

2) Email the School Board Today
You may submit written comments to [email protected]. Email feedback is another way of showing the School Board that families are paying attention to the decisions they make. 

Click here to view the full letter from RMS PTSA and scroll down to view suggested talking points for public or written comments.

3) Please donate to the RMS Annual Fund
With budget cuts on the horizon, this fundraising is more important than ever. Our goal for this year’s fundraising drive is $115,000. These funds go directly towards the programs, materials, and experiences that make Roosevelt exceptional, including: 
​

• Upgraded facilities
• Lunchtime enrichment clubs
• Theater and arts programming
• Teacher stipends
• Teacher appreciation events
• Graduation and field trips.
  
  

Your donation to the Roosevelt PTSA (Tax ID #90-0809982) is tax-deductible and every single donation makes a real difference in the daily lives of our students and teachers. 

Click here to learn more and to donate.

Thank you for taking the time to stay informed! Please take a moment in the near future to write an email to the School Board and/or plan to attend the School Board meeting on Tuesday. 

​By showing up, speaking up, and advocating together we can help ensure that RMS—and all SFUSD schools—receive the resources our children deserve.

If you have questions, please click here to submit them to the RMS PTSA Board. We’ll do our best to track down answers and share with the community.

Sincerely, 
The RMS PTSA Executive Board
​

Dear RMS Families,

Following Ms. Leicham’s email last Thursday regarding the possibility of district-wide budget cuts, we know many of you may be wondering how these changes could affect RMS and what we, as a community, can do to support our school.

Below is an overview of the potential impacts and how we can mobilize together. These are examples only and no decisions have yet been made; however, this is a very realistic, educated conversation about what budget cuts might look like at Roosevelt.

How Potential Budget Cuts Could Impact RMS

1. Reductions to Support Staff  (Counselors, Wellness, Social Workers, Security)
​
What this could mean for RMS:

• Losing even one counselor would increase caseloads to more than 300 students each, significantly reducing the amount of academic, social-emotional, and high school transition support available—especially for 8th graders.
• If the Wellness Center is closed, we would lose nursing support and essential conflict-resolution and crisis-intervention services.

Why this matters: Student mental health and well-being must come first if SFUSD expects students to succeed academically. Wellness center staff, counselors, social workers, and nurses are critical in supporting students experiencing trauma, loss, instability, or other stressors. These staff also oversee 504 Plans, ensuring students receive their accommodations.

Campus safety would also be affected. With recent incidents in SF schools, including a shooting at a local high school, adequate supervision during arrival, departure, recess, and lunch is essential.
​
2. Cuts to Teachers and Programming (Shift from 7 periods to 6, loss of health class, reduced special education services)

What this could mean for RMS:

• Class sizes could increase.
• Students who need additional academic support (ELL, supplemental math, intervention blocks) may lose access to it.
• Health class could be eliminated.
• Fewer electives would be available, limiting students’ opportunities to explore interests.
• A 6-period day means longer classes and fewer elective choices overall; wheel electives may be removed entirely.
• Students in the Mandarin Immersion track would likely be unable to participate in any other electives such as band, art, or home economics.

Why this matters: Our current 7-period schedule provides flexibility to support students with IEPs, multilingual learners, and students who need intervention. It also ensures students are exposed to a broad range of learning areas (Spanish, Art, Computer Science) they would not experience otherwise.

3. Cuts to Operational Staff  (Clerks)

What this could mean for RMS:

• Slower response times to family calls and questions.
• ​Reduced accuracy and timeliness in attendance reporting.
• Fewer staff to manage school supplies, resources, and essential paperwork.
• Greater risk of payroll errors, which impacts staff retention.

4. Cuts to Site Administration

​Why this is critical: Consistent, accessible leadership is essential for school safety, family communication, effective decision-making, and smooth daily operations. Administrative cuts directly affect a school’s stability.

​What Our RMS Community Can Do

1. Attend the School Board Meetings on Tuesday, 12/9 and Tuesday, 12/16 at 555 Franklin Street. (Public open session begins at 6:30pm.)

You do not need to speak--a strong presence makes a difference. Large attendance shows the Board and Superintendent that families are deeply concerned and engaged.

2. If You Wish to Give Public Comment

• Each meeting includes one hour of public comment.
• You must sign in to speak.
• Comments are limited to 1 minute, so it helps to prepare your remarks in advance.

3. If You Cannot Attend in Person
You may submit written comments to: [email protected]

4. Advocate for All Schools, Not Only RMS

• Every student in SFUSD deserves a fully funded school with comprehensive academic and social-emotional support.
• Fewer, fully supported schools with inclusive programming are better for students than maintaining many under-enrolled schools with limited services.

(Click here for more information about 2025-26 School Board meetings, including agendas and how to observe via Zoom.)

Suggested Talking Points for Public or Written Comments

Support staff is essential to the academic and social-emotional growth of middle school students. Reduction in Counselors, Wellness, Social Workers, Security would strain if not eliminate student access to mental-health and wellness support and would also compromise campus safety.

Cuts to teachers and programming will limit the education our kids receive and increase the workload of already hard-working teachers. Additional academic support should be available to all students who need it, and teacher and programming cuts will endanger that support. Our current 7-period schedule provides flexibility to students who need extra academic support. It also ensures students are exposed to a broad range of learning areas they wouldn't experience otherwise; health education is also extremely important at this age.

Cuts to Operational Staff and Site Administration will directly negatively affect our school's stability and ability to efficiently communicate with families. Consistent, accessible leadership is essential for school safety, family communication, effective decision-making, and smooth daily operations.

How will cutting school budgets entice families to attend SFUSD? Cuts may close the deficit on paper, but they also weaken the schools themselves — which only reinforces the beliefs of families who choose independent options. The budget cuts risk creating a cycle of lower enrollment, which then leads to more budget cuts.

This is a new series highlighting RMS staff and departments, organized by RMS parent Hazen Sewell. Our next spotlight is on the RMS Library and our librarian, Ms. Cloues.

What is the vision of your department? What would you like RMS parents/caregivers/community to know about your department?)
SFUSD has a very strong Libraries department, with up-to-date libraries and teacher-librarians in every school! That is thanks to SF voters, who voted to allocate city money to SFUSD Libraries. 10 years ago, when I came to Roosevelt, I created this mission statement for our library: "The mission of the RMS Library is to inspire curiosity, build critical thinking skills, facilitate information literacy and research, support and advance curricular themes, and nurture life-long readers." I'd also add that our school library serves as a bridge between students and the larger public library system. 

What was your favorite class or subject when you were in middle school?
I grew up in Colorado, and my middle school offered Russian language (that was pretty unusual!). I took Russian and Spanish as my two electives, and I loved both of those classes. I continued studying those languages in high school and college.

Do you have a hobby you’d be willing to tell us about?
I love to backpack, hike, bike, and generally be outside--and in the mountains. Inside, I enjoy cooking, baking bread and dessert, and I also play the violin. I like playing complicated board games with my husband and our teenage son, too.

What do you like most about your job?
I love interacting with students in the library! Every day is a little different, and I have the resources and flexibility to do special projects and to support students and classroom teacher colleagues. Connecting students to books they may like is a really special and satisfying part of my job. I host a student book club, where we have cookies and tea and talk about a particular book each month, and that is always a wonderful day. 

What inspired you to pursue teaching?
I thought I was going to be a scientist. I've always loved science. In college I was taking an ecology class at one point, and the professor mentioned the importance of teaching people about caring for our environment; that really inspired me. Years later I decided to be an elementary teacher. I taught 4th and 5th grade for 8 years before I went back to graduate school and shifted to being a teacher-librarian. 

If you had one important piece of advice you’d like to pass along to all RMS students, what would it be?
Take a break from the screens and read some books. Seriously! Reading builds critical thinking skills, fosters empathy, and helps us understand the world. It can provide rigor and build stamina when that is needed, or be relaxing and fun when that is needed. I really truly believe that reading makes us better people. 

What is one thing you wish people knew about you, either as a teacher or in your life outside of RMS?
I spent 3 months backpacking through Oregon and Washington on the Pacific Crest Trail, and then over two years living in Honduras as a Peace Corps volunteer! Those were both transformative experiences for me after college. They helped me figure out who I am in the world.

How can RMS caregivers best show support for RMS teachers?
I think when families spend time talking with their children about school, it shows that school and learning is important. It's hard to know what students are working on sometimes, especially since so much schoolwork is digital, but your students are learning interesting things every day. Hopefully you can get them to share some of it with you!