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School board directs plan to reconfigure grade spans at Phase 1 Dream Schools in Bayview
Summary
After community testimony and staff presentation on low enrollment at three Phase 1 Dream Schools, the board voted unanimously to direct the superintendent to develop a specific plan to reconfigure grade spans and return for a vote at the first January 2007 meeting.
The San Francisco Unified School District board on Dec. 7 directed the superintendent to work with Bayview community members to develop a plan to reconfigure grade spans for the district—s Phase 1 Dream Schools and return that plan for a board vote at the board—s first meeting in January 2007.
Superintendent Gwen Chan and district staff framed the action as a response to persistent low enrollment at three Phase 1 Dream Schools. "Willie Brown has 138 students, Davis has 147, and Drew... has 266 students," the district presenter said, describing options to create traditional entry points at kindergarten, sixth and ninth grade to boost enrollment and program sustainability.
The board heard more than an hour of public comment from Bayview parents, teachers and community leaders. Amos Brown, president of the San Francisco NAACP branch, urged deeper community involvement before decisions: "Not 1 time has this leadership given me a document indicating the concerns," he said, asking the board to "put the brakes on and sit down and have a huddle with those persons who start this program from the very beginning." Teachers and parents from Gloria R. Davis pressed the board to allow the school to grow to high school grades so students would not have to transfer after one year.
Board members debated the options presented by staff, raising questions about building capacity, use of space (including senior centers housed in school facilities), resource allocation and the legal requirement to find facilities for charter schools seeking buildings in the area. Commissioner Wins moved an amendment that the district develop a "plan" (rather than just "recommendations") to reconfigure the grade spans and to present it for a vote at the first meeting in January; the amendment passed and the amended resolution then passed unanimously by roll call.
What happens next: The board—s amended resolution directs the superintendent to work with Bayview stakeholders to produce a single plan for the Phase 1 Dream Schools (Drew, Willie Brown and Gloria R. Davis) and return it to the board at the first January 2007 meeting for approval. The plan is to consider enrollment entry points, facility capacity and programmatic goals, and to identify any necessary outreach or resources to implement the chosen configuration.
The board did not adopt a final configuration on Dec. 7; instead it set a procedure and a timetable for a community-informed plan to come back for a formal vote.
