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SFUSD committee postpones model presentation, hears public concerns on equity, transportation and transfers
Summary
The SFUSD ad hoc committee delayed presenting proposed student assignment models and instead opened the meeting for public comment. Speakers urged attention to persistent achievement gaps, better transportation planning, transparency and supports for schools receiving late transfers.
At a meeting of the SFUSD ad hoc committee on student assignment, staff postponed presentation of proposed assignment models and opened the floor for public comment after board members requested more data. Orla O'Keefe, the district's staff liaison on student assignment, said a one-page handout summarizing the redesign is available in English, Spanish and Chinese and that board approval is now expected in May 2009, with implementation still targeted for fall 2010.
Parents, teachers and community leaders used the session to press the district on equity and logistics. Jeff Lucas, a parent of a first grader, said district data show achievement gaps by ethnicity and socioeconomic status persist across schools and over time and urged analysis of subgroup performance under different assignment systems. "The achievement gaps are remarkably consistent between all schools," Lucas said.
Bixin Ju, a parent leader from Visitation Valley, said the new process should respect families' school preferences, be more transparent and promote multicultural curricula. She described being assigned to an unfamiliar school after immigrating and later transferring her child to a school in Chinatown that better fit the family's needs.
Steve Linder, a parent, urged that assignment policies align with city sustainability goals to avoid increasing vehicle trips and emissions and called for decisions based on verifiable data to support working families.
Taika Shu, a math teacher at Mission High School, raised operational concerns including lack of direct transit from some neighborhoods to schools, lengthy commutes that contribute to tardiness, and a pattern of last-minute student transfers that can leave teachers without warning or resources. "We need the district to forecast transfers and notify schools so they can provide supports," Shu said, describing a recent student who arrived with little preparation for Algebra 1.
The committee did not hold board discussion or take formal action at the meeting; the ad hoc committee scheduled its next meeting for Monday, March 9 at 6 p.m., location to be determined.
