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SFUSD unveils Fa'a'aSamoa Pacific Islander initiative, launches Samoan dual-language preschool
Summary
District staff presented the Fa'aSamoa initiative to build a Samoan pre-K-to-14 pathway, highlighted the Leola Havard Samoan dual-language preschool's rapid enrollment and cultural programming, and community speakers urged protection against budget risks.
The San Francisco Unified School District on Nov. 9 presented the Fa'aSamoa initiative, a newly implemented program to support Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students through culturally rooted education and a Samoan language pathway.
"Fa'aSamoa means living the Samoan way," Ursula Ann Sietaga, the district'a's policy analyst for the Fa'aSamoa initiative, told the board. She described a resolution originally passed in April 2018 and amended in September 2020 that directed staff to develop staff positions and program supports for Pacific Islander students. The initial classroom at Leola Havard Early Education School grew from two to 18 students within three months, officials said.
The initiative'a's year-one objectives include improving attendance and literacy and strengthening social-emotional skills (the presentation listed 10% improvement targets for some metrics), stabilizing a pre-K Samoan dual-language class, identifying school-site pathways, and launching a Fa'aSamoa web resource (www.sfusd.edu/fasi). Chief Minu Yashar explained that a task force and community partnerships, including the Samoan Community Development Center, helped rapidly develop curriculum and outreach.
Community members and advisory groups praised the initiative during public comment. "This is a beginning step to closing gaps for Pacific Islander students," said Manu Foley of the Jefferson Elementary School Board. Multiple speakers urged the district to protect promised program resources from budget reductions.
Board members asked staff how the program will be monitored and how it would fare under the district'a's budget-balancing process. Staff said the program is being monitored through site visits, data collection and planned reporting; commissioners requested clarity on how proposed district-wide cuts could affect program staffing and the policy-analyst role that supports implementation.
Next steps: staff will continue to report on implementation milestones and a town hall on district budgeting is scheduled for Nov. 30. The PAC and Matua Advisory Council will continue partnership work to recruit families and identify site pathways.
Provenance: Presentation by Ursula Ann Sietaga and Chief Minu Yashar; community comments recorded in the Nov. 9 meeting public comment record.
