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Parents and staff warn SFUSD board of gaps in after-school and preschool programs
Summary
Parents and staff told the board that new grant-funded after-school programming at Herbert Hoover Middle School and room assignments at Las Americas Children's Center left some children unsupervised or placed in unsuitable spaces; UESF and community speakers asked for administrative follow-up and better community engagement.
Several community members used public comment on Aug. 28 to press the San Francisco Unified School District for clearer communication and administrative follow-up after changes to after-school and preschool arrangements.
At Herbert Hoover Middle School, parent Jill Fox said the school site council had recommended noontime tutoring to accommodate students who ride buses home, but a School Health Programs grant established an after-school program without adequate community engagement. "We have children who are signed up for an after school program, who are wandering the streets, frankly, during these first few weeks of school," Fox said, and requested that the School Health Programs engage the school community before accepting or writing future grants.
On the Las Americas site, Berta Martinez, who said she had worked at Las Americas for 10 years, described children placed in a pre-K special education room she called inadequate for 28 children and lacking adapted toilets and other needed features. "It's not secure for my children," Martinez said, urging the district to provide options and a timely answer.
Dennis Kelly, president of United Educators of San Francisco, said staff had previously worked on a resolution to the Las Americas issue and that the matter required administrative follow-through; he also outlined UESF's ratification timeline for a tentative teacher agreement and said the union hoped the board would see a ratified agreement in September.
Board members responded by thanking speakers and asking staff to follow up. The superintendent acknowledged the need for better communication in grant-funded program rollouts and pledged administrative attention. The meeting record shows no formal action beyond requests for staff follow-up and UESF's explanation of its internal ratification timetable.
