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Board Grants Renewal Petition for Gateway High School After Extended Public Support
Summary
The San Francisco Board of Education voted to grant Gateway High School’s charter renewal petition after staff reported academic performance at least equal to comparable SFUSD schools and extensive testimony from Gateway students, parents and staff. The vote passed 6–1 on related procedural items; one commissioner voiced concerns about charters’ service to students with severe disabilities.
The San Francisco Board of Education voted April 9 to grant the renewal petition for Gateway High School, following staff review and extensive public testimony from students, parents and school staff.
Michael Davis, director of policy, planning and charter schools, told the board that staff found Gateway’s academic performance “at least equal to the SFUSD schools that the GHS students would otherwise attend,” while noting required petition amendments to clarify admissions timelines and to remove an exemption that would treat antique firearms differently in the suspension and expulsion definitions. Davis said staff received revised petition language addressing those items in March.
Dozens of Gateway community members urged the board to approve renewal. “Gateway is the personification of student hope,” said Tony Rogers, a longtime educator, who described the school’s restorative practices and inclusive campus culture. Rachel Kamen, Gateway’s director of partnerships, highlighted community partnerships and pathways to internships and college-readiness opportunities. Students and alumni also described the school’s small size, close teacher relationships and supports that helped them succeed.
Several teachers and parents described concrete supports at Gateway, including counseling services and partnerships with community organizations. “Gateway’s teachers are dedicated to developing relationships with each student and supporting them with getting their needs met,” said Sandre Allen, director of counseling services at Gateway.
During roll-call voting, the board recorded the motion to grant the petition and completed the routine roll call; the board approved the item by the recorded tally. One commissioner, however, pressed staff on whether charter schools enroll students with severe disabilities, noting that charters typically do not serve “all students” in the way district-managed schools do.
The board’s action authorizes grant of the petition subject to compliance with applicable law and any staff-identified conditions. The district will continue to track and verify the petition’s revised admissions timeline language and the corrected disciplinary definitions specified in staff recommendations.
The board recessed for additional business and a planned closed session after completing the item.
