Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Facilities topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
SFUSD board moves to prioritize repairs at Buena Vista Horace Mann after gas leak, seeks 2016 bond reallocation
Summary
After parents and teachers described a gas leak and longstanding safety problems at Buena Vista Horace Mann, district staff said they will request reallocation of leftover 2016 general-obligation bond funds to fund design and short-term quality-of-life fixes and reported portable air cleaners were installed. The board set timelines for further action.
Parents, teachers and board members told the San Francisco Board of Education on Sept. 14 that Buena Vista Horace Mann Elementary—long the subject of facility complaints—had recently experienced a gas leak and other hazards that put students and staff at risk.
"This is wrong. No student should be in a school where they are unsafe because the building has not been maintained," said Chris Glass, a special-education teacher at Washington High School, describing parents’ and educators’ alarm after the incident. Several parents asked the board to authorize an independent inspection and immediate repairs funded from leftover dollars in the district’s 2016 general-obligation bond.
District buildings chief Kamala Nathan acknowledged the seriousness of the complaints and said staff will present a request to the board to reallocate 2016 bond funds to cover the full design of a modernization project for Buena Vista Horace Mann as well as short-term quality-of-life improvements. "I think this is important and we need to move forward with it," Nathan said, adding staff had prioritized portable air cleaners and completed a detailed electrical-load analysis at the site.
Why it matters: Parents, staff and several commissioners said the BVHM community has waited for improvements promised in earlier bond planning and that visible progress is needed now to rebuild trust. Commissioners asked for options that would allow the board to consider either funding the design now or allocating the full construction cost from existing bond funds.
What staff proposed: Nathan said the immediate plan is to bring a formal reallocation request to the board—she had targeted an early October meeting but said she would try to move the request up to the Sept. 28 meeting if staff could compile the required information. She described a two-part approach: (1) funding design work and necessary short-term fixes immediately and (2) pursuing a full modernization in a later bond or as further funds permit.
Response from the board: Commissioner Alexander urged staff to present both options—funding design only and funding full construction—so the board could consider trade-offs. Other commissioners requested clearer, ongoing reporting through the Buildings & Grounds committee and a capital-condition assessment to prioritize needs districtwide.
What was done so far: Nathan told the board that PG&E identified and tightened a loose fitting linked to the gas leak and that district and PG&E technicians verified the heating system was functioning; portable air cleaners were installed in affected classrooms over the weekend before the meeting.
Next steps: Staff will prepare a formal request to reallocate 2016 bond funds and return to the board, with Buildings & Grounds expected to provide ongoing status updates. The district also plans to complete a capital-condition assessment this year to provide comparative data on site needs across SFUSD.
Reported facts and sources in this article are drawn from public comment and staff responses during the Sept. 14, 2021 SFUSD Board of Education meeting.
