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OCII presses SFUSD for answers after Mission Bay elementary construction update
Summary
OCII received a construction update on the Mission Bay elementary school and, after public concerns about outreach and inconsistent enrollment numbers, the commission asked OCII's executive director to send SFUSD a formal information request with a 30-day turnaround and to send district staff to a future meeting.
The San Francisco Commission on Community Investment and Infrastructure on June 18 heard an informational update on the Mission Bay South elementary school and pressed the San Francisco Unified School District for written answers about enrollment, outreach and bond oversight.
Gretchen Heckman, project manager in OCII's Mission Bay group, said construction is underway and that McCarthy, the general contractor, had completed site work and foundation elements; "If you went out to the site today you would see 3 floors of steel base already constructed," she said. She added that the district has requested to build the 1.5-acre play yard itself and will be reimbursed by Fossil, the master developer, under existing agreements.
Kate Levitt, SFUSD bond program communications director, described the district's resource-alignment timeline, noting the superintendent would share criteria at the June 25 board meeting and that recommendations on school closures, co-locations and mergers would be compiled and shared in September with a board vote expected in December 2024. Levitt said the district is waiting for board action before setting attendance-area decisions for Mission Bay.
During public comment, parent Bernice Casey said outreach to the district advisory committee "was all in English" and raised concerns about inconsistent enrollment figures that OCII, the facilities master plan and the California Department of Education (CDE) had reportedly received at different times. Oscar James urged the commission to ensure hiring and contracting opportunities are publicized to hyper-local contractors and local unions.
Commissioners pressed SFUSD staff for clarity. Chair Bevette Brackett asked OCII's executive director to draft a formal letter to the SFUSD superintendent listing the commission's questions and "require a response within 30 days," and requested that district staff able to answer those questions attend a future commission meeting. Several commissioners said they remain concerned that enrollment numbers presented previously differ across public documents and asked staff to follow up with specific enrollment and outreach data.
SFUSD told the commission the CDE's negative certification relates to the district's general operating budget and does not apply to restricted 2016 bond funds, which the district said are encumbered and subject to separate audits and oversight by the Citizens Bond Oversight Committee. SFUSD said it would follow up with additional enrollment, outreach and contracting information for OCII and the commission.
The commission voted to send the written request and await a formal response and attendance by SFUSD in a future meeting. No formal funding action on the project was taken at the meeting.
