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Matua Advisory Council urges more disaggregated data and support for Pacific Islander students
Summary
The Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Matua Advisory Council presented demographic data and recommendations for SFUSD programs, languages, staffing and a dedicated Pacifica Center to support NHPI students, citing attendance declines and learning loss and requesting disaggregated data.
The Matua Advisory Council (MAC) presented to the San Francisco Board of Education on cultural priorities, student demographics and a set of recommendations aimed at improving outcomes for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) students.
Speakers from the advisory council described the Pacific Islander student population in SFUSD, reported disproportionately high rates of housing insecurity and special education service needs among some NHPI groups, and called for disaggregated enrollment and outcome data to better target supports. A presenter cited (as presented) roughly 929 Pacific Islander students enrolled and noted that Samoan students make up a majority of that count, with high rates of public-housing residency in some ZIP codes (presenters cited 94124 in the presentation).
The council requested continued support for the Samoa initiative, expansion of Samoan dual-language pre-K, targeted recruitment of NHPI staff, improved interpretation and translation (Samoan/Tongan), a Pacifica Center dedicated to NHPI students and inclusion of MAC representation in planning. Presenters also shared work on mentorship, tutoring programs and a list of recommended actions the council would like district staff to sustain.
Board members asked clarifying questions about implementation, recruitment and data sources. Public commenters and allied advisory groups expressed support for the council's recommendations and urged the district to maintain funding and follow-through.
Staff responses: district staff described ongoing recruitment and support efforts, including targeted outreach to Hispanic- and minority-serving institutions, substitute training modules and collaboration with human resources to cultivate bilingual candidates.
Next steps: district staff and MAC will continue coordination; the board asked staff to keep working on disaggregated data reporting and to consider staffing and budget implications in future planning.
