School Board Notes 12.13.05

School Board Notes 12.13.05
By Nicole Achs Freeling
GreatSchools.Net Correspondent

After hearing emotional public testimony for close to three hours Tuesday night, board members gave few signs of which, if any, of 18 schools up for possible closure, consolidation or relocation it would consider removing from the list.

A resolution on Tuesday's agenda which would merge five schools, close at least seven and move six ignited an emotional public outcry, with hundreds of stakeholders thronging the district, many of them children carrying handmade signs, and 152 people signing up to speak. The resolution was intended largely for the purpose of discussion, according to Board President Eric Mar. It contained several mutually exclusive items which will have to be resolved before action can be taken.

The board will not make a decision on school closings until its January 10 meeting, three days before Round I enrollment applications are due. After listening to public testimony the board discussed a number of concerns about the list -- including its disproportionate impact on African-American students -- and even tossed out new suggestions, like not opening the planned Diane Feinstein Elementary or giving displaced students first dibs on enrollment at that school. While a few board members voiced opinions about schools they did not want to see closed, the board decided not to take anything off the table until the January vote.

Board members expressed agreement that Jose Ortega and Sheridan should be considered for merger rather than closure, as they are the only two elementary schools in District 11, which has one of the city's fastest-growing public school populations. Commissioner Mark Sanchez suggested closing Enola Maxwell rather than merging it with ISA. Eddie Chin said he would move at the next meeting to take Peabody off the list. Peabody did not meet the district's initial criteria for closure, but was added in an effort to minimize the impact of closures solely on the east and south side of town. Norman Yee expressed some reservation to merging New Traditions with Grattan Elementary.

Between now and January 10, the district will hold a number of community meetings at affected sites to gather more public input. At the suggestion of Commissioner Mark Sanchez, it is considering reserving the January 10 meeting entirely for the school closure discussion, with a separate meeting to be announced for other district business. The district may also hold the January 10 meeting at a larger venue like Everett Middle School so it can better accommodate the crowd.

Most who tried to attend Tuesday's meeting where turned away from the standing-room-only chamber and listened to the meeting outside on loudspeaker. They filled the chairs lined up several rows deep in the vestibule and spilled onto the sidewalk outside. School children shifted restlessly in their seats, waiting long stretches for their school's turn to address the board.

Large contingencies appreared from Jose Ortega, Sheridan, Malcolm X, McKinley, JBBP, ISA, New Traditions, John Swett and Daniel Webster to entreat the district to save their school. Many families from Newcomer also came, to object to its proposed relocation from Pacific Heights to 22nd Street in the Mission District. One parent said the move would put the school smack in an area of turf battle between the Sureno and Norteno street gangs. Families from Edison Charter School, which is the current tenant at the 22nd Street sight, also appeared to protest the move.

Those affected by mergers seemed as upset as those with schools proposed for closure. Many expressed concern that being merged into another school would dilute the school's character or endanger special programs. This was of particular concern for families at New Tradition and John Swett, which have alternative, arts-based curriculums, and at JBBP, ISA and Daniel Webster, which have language and cultural immersion programs.

In other business, the board voted unanimously to approve the creation of a public advisory committee to assist in the search for a new superintendent. It also voted to authorize the district to enter into a new three year contract with SEIU, Local 790, based on the tentative agreement it reached with the union last month. It will conduct a public hearing on the agreement at an upcoming meeting.

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