SF Board of Education renews Creative Arts Charter after debate over diversity and outreach

The San Francisco Unified School District Board of Education voted unanimously on Nov. 12, 2013, to renew the Creative Arts Charter School’s five-year petition, following more than an hour of public testimony and board discussion that centered on student demographics, achievement metrics and outreach plans.

Supporters from the Creative Arts community, including school director Fernando Aguilar, told the board the charter’s arts-integrated, project-based approach nurtures students’ creativity and fosters strong family engagement. "This school was just an idea 20 years ago — today our students leave knowing their strengths and weaknesses and how they learn," Aguilar told the board during the group’s 15-minute public comment period.

Board members and committee reports had recommended granting renewal. District staff read the resolution under California Education Code section 47605, noting that committees (curriculum and budget) arrived at positive recommendations while flagging a small set of technical and cash-analysis items for staff follow-up.

But several commissioners seized on long-standing equity concerns. Commissioner Jeff Wynne pointed to the school’s enrollment breakdown, saying about 45 percent of students are white and roughly 30 percent qualify for free or reduced-price meals — figures that contrast with SFUSD averages. “These conditions are disturbing,” Wynne said, and asked staff and the charter operator to explain outreach efforts and why the school’s similar-schools ranking had been low in prior years. Wynne also asked that the charter’s enrollment timing be aligned with the district’s process; the school agreed to a condition limiting its application process so it would not precede the SFUSD enrollment timeline.

School representatives described new outreach steps: bilingual recruitment materials (Spanish, Chinese, Japanese), evening tours, a bilingual community-engagement coordinator and an expanded outreach calendar intended to reach families who work during the day. Commissioner Sophie Feuer and others said those steps were welcome but urged the school to accelerate measurable changes in recruitment and programming for underrepresented students.

The board also discussed the school’s support for restorative practices and unionized faculty, both of which several commissioners praised as assets. Superintendent Carlos G. Carranza, speaking earlier in the meeting, had highlighted the district’s restorative-practices work and districtwide achievement efforts, noting districtwide gains from federal School Improvement Grant (SIG) sites.

After questions and brief additional comments from board members, the clerk conducted roll call and the board approved the renewal. The district recorded the vote as unanimous.