Lakeshore parents object to feeder assignment to Denman, cite equity and commute harms

Several Lakeshore parents urged the board to reconsider a proposed feeder assignment that would send Lakeshore students to Denman for middle school. Parents said Denman lacks Lakeshore's Mandarin/Cantonese language offerings and GATE program and warned that assigning students away from neighborhood middle schools would reduce Lakeshore's enrollment and program strength.

Frances Vonlakanovich noted the school's extensive language offerings and said the assigned middle school "does not have an existing GATE program. It has no language program." Barbara Lou McDowell described transportation costs and commute time, estimating the change could cost her $500 a year in gas and add significant daily travel time; she said there are no SFUSD buses to Denman. Ben Polacco, Lakeshore site council chair, warned the change would undermine local enrollment and risk future program cuts: "By tying Lakeshore to a distant middle school, we expect this is going to negatively impact the ability of Lakeshore to attract, robust enrollment."

Parents proposed alternatives including modified feeder assignments to more local middle schools (Giannini, Aptos, Hoover) or retaining neighborhood feeders for existing students. One parent suggested allowing current Lakeshore families to remain on the previous feeder plan while applying the new plan only to new enrollees.

What happens next: board members heard the concerns and a committee or staff follow-up was implied; commissioners asked about committee schedules and the student assignment policy slated for potential inclusion on the June ballot.

This article quotes Lakehsore parents and their direct remarks as provided to the board during public comment.