Kindergarten enrollment meltdown: meeting 2night

A foulup in enrollment threatens to disrupt the assignments of 23 kindergartners who had been placed in Spanish immersion programs at Alvarado and Leonard Flynn elementary schools. A forum TONIGHT will address the problem. Parents for Public Schools-San Francisco has put up a web page with updates on the issue. An explanation of the problem from PPS is pasted below:

PPS-SF has recently learned about an error made by the school district in enrollment of English and Spanish speakers in the Immersion programs at Alvarado and Flynn. This is information we have as of this writing:

• The desired balance of English to native Spanish speakers in Spanish Immersion programs is 50%/50%, but due to an error in coding siblings in the system, a disproportionate number of English speakers were assigned to each school.
  
• 23 families will receive phone calls and letters offering to enroll them into a new Spanish Immersion program at Daniel Webster Elementary.
• Families who don’t choose this option are being given the option of priority in the waitpool for any other school.
• Spanish-speaking families who listed the immersion programs at Flynn and Alvarado as their first choice but who didn’t get assigned there are being contacted to offer them spaces in the immersion program at Flynn, Alvarado and Webster.
• Additionally, Spanish-speaking families from Marshall and Paul Revere may also be contacted to offer them spots at Flynn, Alvarado and Webster, opening up spots up for the displaced English-speaking families.
• The district is having an informational meeting on Tuesday, July 29 at 6pm at Daniel Webster to give more detailed information and to clarify any concerns or questions.
  

PPS-SF is hosting a forum:

Monday, July 28 at 6pm
The Women’s Building
3543 18th Street between Guerrero and Valencia.
We recommend public transportation as parking is limited.

Please RSVP for KidsWatch and Spanish translation to 861-7077 or info @ ppssf.org

The purpose of this meeting is to have a forum for parents to share their viewpoints around this issue. As there are many perspectives within the parent community, all viewpoints will be respected. PPS-SF is compiling and summarizing notes from the forum and all other comments, phone calls, and emails to share with the district. Please note that SFUSD representatives will not be present on Monday to clarify or answer questions.

Please help us reach people who are interested in this issue to invite them to this meeting.

My view, for the record, is that SFUSD cannot rescind these assignments and must find another way to deal with the problem -- either accept the imbalance or find room to open a new class at Flynn or Alvarado, presuming that a few families would have to accept that move.

Discussion is heated on TheSFKFiles blog about this foulup.

For more info: Parents for Public Schools-San Francisco, 415/861-7077 or info@ppssf.org