Playing the hand that's been dealt

Here's a curious and unfortunate story woven from unexpected threads. Who knew there was a SFUSD page on Yelp? Did you know the Chron has a local news blog? Wasn't that formerly called 'the newspaper'? Did you know that the ed beat reporter, Jill Tucker, is a relatively frequent contributor?

Here's her latest post. I'm not sure it really means much, and it is definitely voyeuristic. But check this out: Oprah -- the ace in the hole for school assignment:

Many San Francisco parents will try to use whatever means they have available to get their children into a preferred public school: political pull, nagging and maybe some crying.

Kati Kim, whose husband James died in the Oregon wilderness in December trying to save his family, says she has an impressive ace in the hole: Oprah.

Kudos to Kati for her determination to go public and for working the process. I'm genuinely sorry for her and for any family that has not secured an assignment at any of their chosen schools. From a safe distance it is easy to note that most families have better luck. And from her perspective, any lever that can be pulled should be pulled. We can be as idealistic as we want, but when it comes to our own kids, anything goes. So if Oprah and Katie Couric are there for her, she should play that ace in the hole if it comes to that. Who could begrudge her?

Let's hope it doesn't come to that. With her evident diligence and patience, I doubt it will.