SFUSD adopts 'Small Schools by Design' policy after wide public input and bargaining safeguards

The San Francisco Unified School District Board of Education on Feb. 27, 2007 adopted a new Small Schools by Design policy (P6400), following months of task-force work and an extended public comment period. The policy passed after debate about how much of the task-force'crafted text should remain in board policy versus administrative regulations and after insertion of clearer language on labor negotiations.

Task-force members and community advocates described the policy as the outcome of a five-year, community-driven process. "This policy has been 5 years in the making," Shane Seifer, cochair of the small schools task force, told the board during public comment, urging that the policy's specificity be preserved and not moved wholesale into regulation.

District staff and legal counsel explained that administrative regulations (AR 6,400 and related ARs) could operationalize implementation details while the board's policy would set overarching direction and safeguards. Legal staff and union representatives sought explicit language that the district must negotiate with bargaining units over any provisions that could affect compensation or conditions of employment. The board accepted a clarified "be it further resolved" provision requiring that any policy provisions reasonably affecting compensation, terms, or collective bargaining matters be negotiated with the appropriate bargaining units prior to implementation.

Budget implications and funding sources were central points of discussion. Budget committee staff recommended seeking outside funding for a senior-level staff position and professional-development days associated with implementation; commissioners debated whether the policy should be contingent on outside funding or treated as a board priority to be resourced if external funds were not secured. Several commissioners asked the task force to reconvene with staff to resolve operational questions on budget autonomies, custodial allocations, and the interaction with district programs such as STAR and Prop H-funded services.

Union leaders (United Educators of San Francisco and United Administrators of San Francisco) said they participated in the task force and supported the policy's intent but urged that collective-bargaining protections and negotiation responsibilities be explicit. Dennis Kelly of UESF said bargaining language should be stronger than a clause that "seek[s] to" negotiate; the board amended the resolution language to require negotiation.

The board approved the resolution and attached policy (resolution 71-23 SP1 as printed) by roll call; the transcript records the outcome as 7 ayes. District staff said administrative regulations implementing the policy would be brought back to the board for public vetting. Several commissioners also requested an interim evaluation process and suggested the task force refine implementation details over the next months.

Why this matters: the policy creates a formal pathway for community-initiated small schools with specified autonomies and accountability provisions. It also establishes a structure for RFPs, curriculum planning, and district support; the bargaining-protection language aims to protect unionized employees'rights during implementation.

Next steps: staff will return with administrative regulations and implementation plans and the board expects follow-up reporting and a multi-year evaluation framework for the initiative.

Sources: Staff presentations, task-force testimony, union statements, and board roll call during Feb. 27, 2007 meeting.