Chron Series: SF Schools In Crisis

The Chronicle has been running a series of articles about San Francisco schools this week titled Schools At a Crossroads. Nanette Asimov, Heather Knight, and the other contributors to the series do an admirable job. Here is a complete table of the articles in the series:

• Sun.: The education
• Sun.: Intricacies of choosing a school
• Mon.: School assignments and resegregation
• Mon.: Shifting numbers tell story of S.F. schools' makeup
• Tue.: Lots of toddlers, fewer school-age kids
• Wed.: Many reluctantly choose private school
• Wed.: Diversity lacking at many private schools
• Thu.: Dollars don't add up
• Fri.: The politics

The series covers a lot of ground that is familiar to those of us who've been in the trenches over the years. I think they have chosen their topics well and focused their attention on the really important issues, the most salient issues facing San Francisco. The historical decline of school age kids in SF, the changing demographics of the city, the impact of our insane housing market, the unusually high private school enrollment figures, the history of school desegregation in SFUSD... are all given a thorough treatment. After reading through the entire series I'm impressed.

Where the series falls short (so far, the Friday installment is yet to arrive) is in explaining the challenges and dangers ahead. The new enrollment system, more school closures on the horizon, and enormous budget challenges are issues that are sketched in, but in very broad strokes that fail to convey the dangers that lie ahead. They've done a good job of setting the stage and filling us in on the history and background behind these issues—useful work that sets the stage for the challenges ahead. But the real stories will have to be written in the coming months as we choose the new leaders in the district and in the city who will have to face these challenges and find creative solutions for the problems they have so ably described.

Chilling civics lesson

In case anyone had doubts that the Patriot Act really is a significant threat to our civil rights, check out this story in today's NYT. Notice how the Bush DOJ kept the librarians from making any public statements about the case until the Patriot Act had been reauthorized. Maybe this isn't a perfect fit for sfschools, but this is a civics issue, and these are librarians who are being coerced into spying.

NYT: Four Librarians Finally Break Silence in Records Case:

Four Connecticut librarians who had been barred from revealing that they had received a request for patrons' records from the federal government spoke out yesterday, expressing frustration about the sweeping powers given to law enforcement authorities by the USA Patriot Act.

[...] "I was shocked by the restraints the gag order imposed on me," said Mr. Christian, who said that after receiving the request he was unsure whether he could consult a lawyer or his board of directors.

"The fact that the government can and is eavesdropping on patrons in libraries has a chilling effect, because they really don't know if Big Brother is looking over their shoulder," he added.

Being free to speak now, weeks after the Patriot Act was reauthorized for several more years, was "like being allowed to call the Fire Department after the building has burned down," he said.

SfSchools weekly calendar

Friday, May 26

James Lick Talent Show

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

James Lick Middle School, 1220 Noe St., parking lot entrance on 25th St.

Lots of great acts from our multi-talented students and a Fashion Show with 22 students wearing the hottest trend in teen attire. All clothes and accessories have been donated to the school .

Lets fill the house! There will be a donation jar at the welcome table - with this awesome talent showcase we suggest $5 per family to help defray some of the cost of the production. You can also buy an awesome JL Carnaval t-shirts to wear to the parade for only $20!

Watch for James Lick in the Carnaval parade on Sunday morning-- we will be #13- with our student and parent drummers, dancers and float created by the JL community.

for more info: 695-5675

Basic Theatre: A Year in Revue, Drama Studio at SOTA.

Saturday, May 27

"Granito de Arena" Screening

4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Roxie Theater, 3117 16th Street

Film synopsis: Granito de Arena is a story of resistance - the story of hundreds of thousands of public schoolteachers whose grassroots, non-violent movement took Mexico by surprise, and who have endured brutal repression in their 25-year struggle for social and economic justice in Mexico's public schools.

This event will benefit Teachers 4 Social Justice and New College Scholarship Program for Bilingual Students.

Join us afterwards for refrescos and dancing with Los Mocosos Live! at New College Cultural Theater - 766 Valencia. This event is free of charge!

For more information visit http://www.t4sj.org or call
415-516-0338.

Basic Theatre: A Year in Revue, Drama Studio at SOTA.

Tuesday, May 30

James Lick PTSA Special Speaker on "Moving From Middle to High School: Guiding Our Teens"

6:30 PM - 8:00 PM

Room 22, James Lick Middle School, 1220 Noe St. at Clipper.

This will be a thought-provoking presentation by Jeffrey Leiken, M.A.., a nationally-recognized expert teen mentor.

Wednesday, May 31

SAT Workshop at the Library

6:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Parkside branch library

One remaining workshop for students who have previously taken the real SAT are being offered at the Parkside public library. Students must call to reserve a spot. The workshop is a four-day series. Juniors and seniors get priority registration.

"advanced" session for students who scored above 1150

415/355-5757 for more info

Thursday, June 1

BOE Buildings, Grounds, and Services Committee Meeting

Another air quality issue for kids: school buses

Speaking of air quality, here's another place where kids are at risk: school buses. I spotted a post about the problem on the WorldChanging blog: School Bus Pollution Report Card 2006. The report paints a gloomy picture where kids are exposed to high levels of pollution on aging, dirty diesel buses. Thanks to a recent exchange on the sfschools list, I know the picture is not so bad here in San Francisco.

The Chron ran a story on May 3rd, Lawsuit over diesel fumes on school buses, that reported on suit brought by the Environmental Law Foundation and Our Children's Earth Foundation against Laidlaw. The reporter was unable to get anyone from Laidlaw or SFUSD to comment on the suit, but a union official was more than willing to comment on our list:

[...]Anyone that had been going to the board meetings during the contract bidding process knows that the district required ALL new buses...that's right, in November we brought 200 brand new buses from LA to SF which run on the "green diesel" that Parent Voices and UTU 1741 advocated for during the bidding process. (thank you Maria!)

Interestingly the plaintiffs were quoted saying that "Diesel is a dirty fuel. It will never combust completely or cleanly." That may have been true in the past, but no longer. The most efficient new engine technology in the industry and the best hope of alleviating air pollution quickly without major infrastructure changes comes from modern, clean-burning diesel engines. In Europe, advanced diesel technology is outselling hybrids by a wide margin. They deliver better efficiency and are far more affordable. I'm glad to see some of this technology make its way onto our streets.

Good to know that San Francisco students will be riding in a fleet of clean, green, new buses. One less problem for us to have to concern ourselves with!

School Beat on Green Schools

This week's School Beat column covers initiatives to make our schools cleaner, healthier and greener: Making Schools Clean and Healthy

[...] there may be some renewed interest and ability to attend to making our schools healthier, as shown by the fact that a goal of creating cleaner facilities was actually a negotiated item in the most recent contract with the teachers. Luckily, in terms of environmental health in our schools, there are a few relatively easy starting places for parents, students and school staff.

The article covers a handful of pragmatic steps that are being taken in the district. We all know well how inertia can impede change in our schools, so read the article and help make some of these changes happen in your school.

The article mentions a number of websites, but in typical BeyondChron fashion, does not provide the links, or sidebars, to help readers delve into these resources. So here you go—here are a list of sites referenced in the article:

• On the federal level, the EPA offers a program called Tools for Schools devoted to improving indoor air quality in schools. An offshoot of that program is the EPA's Environmentally Preferable Purchasing program that offers a wealth of resources.
• San Francisco Department of the Environment, whose charter is "to improve, enhance, and preserve the environment and to promote San Francisco's long-term environmental well being" has published a page of resources on Less-toxic purchasing. The article refers to their final report (PDF).
• The article also refers to some non-profits that have been active on these issues, including SF's Healthy Children Organizing Project. Nationally, the Healthy Schools Network and New American Dream are sponsoring the Green Schools Sweepstakes which sounds like a fun way to engage your school community in the effort to make ours schools greener

School Board Notes 5.23.06

School Board Notes 5.23.06
By Nicole Achs Freeling
GreatSchools.net Correspondent

• Parents Fear Loss of After-School Care
• Board Takes Up Plan to Replace Junior ROTC
• District Allocates Funds to Televise Meetings
• Prop A Bond Projects Reviewed

Parents Fear Loss of After-School Care

Toting young children and holding aloft banners in English and Chinese, anxious parents of youngsters enrolled in the Filipino Education Center (F.E.C.) at Bessie Carmichael in SOMA expressed outrage that the district's recent vote to turn Carmichael into a K-8 could deprive them of preschool and after school care. F.E.C. serves a largely low-income community, the children of metal workers, factory workers, hotel maids and others.

"I was here at the board meeting when the decision to turn (Carmichael) into a K-8 was made," said Betty Robinson Harris, head of the Child Development Committee for United Educators of San Francisco, who works at F.E.C. "The next day, architects and district personnel appeared with tape measures telling staff we were going to be displaced. There had been no official communication from the district. The 100 families and 16 staff people who are affected by this are justifiably outraged."

The board voted earlier this month to continue a process it began last year of converting Bessie Carmichael to a K-8 school. To do that, however, would require using at least some of the classrooms currently being used by the Child Development Center. Speaking after the meeting, Commissioner Dan Kelly said F.E.C. would need to be relocated but stressed that it would not be closed. Superintendent Gwen Chan said no F.E.C. classes would be cut when the program is moved.

Parents at Kate Kennedy Child Development Center also appealed to the district to retain their program. According to District Advisory Council member Melissa Juedeman, who spoke on behalf of a number of Spanish-speaking residents, 15 families who had been told they would be enrolled in the summer program were later told there was no longer room for them due to cuts in the program. The families, among the neediest in the district, had less than a month's notice about this turn of events, Juedeman said.

Board Takes Up Plan to Replace Junior ROTC

Although months from being scheduled for an up or down vote, the introduction of a plan to replace Junior ROTC packed the house, with students staging a boisterous demonstration outside the district to protest the plan and a somewhat smaller but equally impassioned crowd gathering to cheer it.

The resolution, introduced for first reading Tuesday, calls for phasing out the JROTC program to be replaced with "alternative, creative, career-driven programs…." The resolution would terminate all district JROTC programs by the end of `06/07. The initiative seeks to end the relationship to JROTC because of its relation to the military (JROTC is run by the Department of Defense), whose policy of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" goes against the district's commitment to equal opportunity. The resolution describes "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" as "an unjust, indefensible, unintelligent, state-sanctioned act of homophobia."

The resolution will go to a series of committees before appearing on the Board agenda for a vote, probably in August or September, according to Kelly. The Curriculum Committee will likely take up the issue at its meeting Thursday.

Those in favor of the plan offered a range of reasons for supporting the initiative, including objection to the military's policies regarding homophobia, as well as objection to the war in general and concern over what they saw as a tool for recruiting young people to the military. "There are hundreds of different programs that offer the same positive influence for these kids without a likelihood that they'll end up going to war in Iraq or Afghanistan," said Lacey McCallie, a member of Students Against War.

Opponents, however, said that JROTC had nothing to do with the anti-gay policies of the military, and did not discriminate against youngsters based on sexual orientation. Opponents also discussed the value of JROTC, its influence in bringing discipline and stability that some youngsters couldn't get at home, enabling athletic and physical development, and developing confidence and self esteem.

"All the research I've done says `Don't ask, don't tell' doesn't apply to us, to anything in our program or to who is hired for the program," said JROTC cadet David Zeman. Another cadet, Talen Lee, said he is openly gay and has been treated with the same respect as anyone else in the program. JROTC is administered by the Department of Defense but, according to its literature, does not impose any obligation on participants to enlist in the military and is not explicitly a military organization.

District Allocates Funds to Televise Meetings

The Board voted to allocate $26,334 for the express purpose of televising board meetings through SF Government Television, Channel 26. The cost represents the annual cost of televising the meetings, but the initial capital outlay that will be required to enable the broadcasts is not yet known, a factor which concerned some board members.

Several board members said televising the meetings would offer an important option for parents, many of whom have small children and cannot attend evening meetings. They noted, however, that the meetings are also broadcast live on radio station KALW, 91.7. The broadcast would have some drawbacks. It would not be live, but would be aired some time after the meeting. It would also only be available to families who had cable TV.

In a separate matter included on the same resolution, the Board agreed to allow the City to provide some of its Prop H funds to the District as in-kind services (free services instead of cash). The resolution recommended the Prop H Community Advisory Committee include not less than $250,000 of its `07/08 budget as in-kind services. The board also voted to begin the development of a working group between Prop H Committee members, district staff and the City Controller's Office to look at a "menu of options" for the types of services the City could provide.

Prop A Bond Projects Reviewed

District facilities officer David Golden gave the board a presentation on where the district is in relation to the Proposition A bond passed in 2003 allocating upwards of $340 million for facilities projects over a five-year period. "We are really moving into this program full-bore," he said.

The Prop A bonds are slated to go to 32 individual school sites. Architectural and engineering design has been approved for 18 projects, and construction is currently in progress at 13. Fourteen more projects are in the design phase or awaiting design approval. Additionally, 16 elementary schools are in the design phase for a $2 million green schoolyard program.

Current projects include:

• $11 million for new classroom corridors and other improvements at Thurgood Marshall High School.
• $3.2 million at Alvarado for construction both inside and out.
• $2.3 million at Bret Harte Elementary School for accessibility fire prevention and other upgrades.
• $1.4 million for new restrooms at Bryant Elementary. (This project was completed in March.)
• $3.8 million for upgrades at Clarendon Elementary including fire sprinklers, new bathrooms and accessibility upgrades.
• $2.3 million at Commodore Sloat Elementary
• 2.5 million at Charles Drew Elementary
• 8 million at Horace Mann Middle School for major interior reconstruction.
• 2.8 million at Rosa Parks Elementary
• $2.3 million at Sherman Elementary School
• $3 million at E.R. Taylor Elementary
• $1 million at Gloria Davis Middle School

Email comments to sfschoolnotes@greatschools.net

School Beat: The Revised Budget Gives Less Than You Think

Lisa Schiff has penned another outstanding School Beat column. This one explores the latest budget proposal from the Schwarzenegger administration -- The Revised Budget Gives Less Than You Think:

Once again the Governor is playing the public education community like his favorite set of puppets. Using the end-of-year revenue upsurge to enable a reprise of his role as an education hero, Schwarzenegger has returned (sort of) a piece of what he took from public school coffers and will portion out the rest over the next seven years. And this is not only supposed to make us happy but make us re-elect him too. Hopefully voters in California will be able to see through this obvious sham.

Her main point is that too much of the new money is one-time money that comes with too many strings attached. This was one of the main themes we heard at the recent community budget workshop. As Jill Wynns pointed out, we may get millions of dollars more next year than last, yet still have to cut WSF budgets. So much of the new money is tied up in restricted funds that it simply cannot be allocated to many of the pressing needs in the district. As Lisa notes in her conclusion:

Along those lines, the PPIC study reports that while California residents want schools to have more money, they also believe that schools could do better with the money we have. Maybe if we were actually allowed to make decisions about how to use that money that statement would be true. Cutting some of the strings and trusting local school districts to make the right decisions about their students would go a long way towards eliminating administrative costs and allowing districts to bend, not break during these lean times. This may be the best we can hope for right now, as changing the structure of funding, as opposed the structure of taxes, is a lot less scary for elected officials.

Update on High School Graduation Requirements

One news story that we have so far neglected to track here is the ongoing lawsuit to block requirement that all students pass the the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) in order to earn a high school diploma. This is clearly an important issue for many San Francisco families, so let's catch up with the story.

Last week a Superior Court Judge stuck down the exit exam requirement on the grounds that "Students in economically challenged communities have not had an equal opportunity to learn the materials tested." The state is preparing an appeal. Today we learn that Superintendent O'Connell plans to take the appeal directly to the California Supreme Court to get a final ruling quickly. In a separate but related case alleging that the state failed to consider alternatives to CAHSEE the same judge ruled in favor of the state. But this judgement does not have any effect on his ruling on the CAHSEE graduation requirement. It's worth noting that the CAHSEE requirement has already been waived, at least for this year, for special education students.

Eric Mar provides a sympathetic report on the judges ruling which places the plaintiff's case in the context of the struggle for equity and civil rights. There is no doubt that the CAHSEE requirement would have a pronounced negative impact on minority students, who have disproportionately studied in inferior schools. According to statistics cited by KPFA a majority of those who have not passed the test are students of color. 2% of whites taking the test have not passed while %20 of African Americans and %13 of Latino students have not passed.

On the other hand, proponents of the test argue that we need to set standards and demand that students achieve a minimum competency in order to earn a diploma. Superintendent O'Connell, an obvious supporter of the exit exam, has been making some odd arguments to support the test. In a report aired on KPFA O'Connell claims that striking down the requirement lowers California's standards, lowers expectations, and somehow signals to struggling student that the state is giving up on them. and that "allowing students to graduate with high school diplomas that have not mastered this minimum skillset is really doing a disservice to those very students." I think there are many reasons for supporting an exit exam, but this argument is pretty tortured.

TMAO, teacher / author of Teaching in the 408 offers a nicely grounded, nuanced view in his post Obligatory Blogging About CAHSEE:

There is much to the coverage that feels sloppy and inaccurate. Do not report the total number of students failing without also reporting the total number of students failing who also lack the GPA and credits to graduate.

Almost all articles about the CAHSEE suit talk about the 47,000 seniors who have so far failed to pass the exam as if they would all get a diploma if not for the CAHSEE requirement. Clearly this cannot be the case. The real number of affected students is probably unknowable, but it is the only number that counts.

Stay tuned for lots more turbulence ahead as this case works its way through the courts.

SfSchools weekly calendar

Busy weekend for school fairs!

Friday, May 19

Magic Show FUNdRAISER at Lakeshore School

6:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Lakeshore Community Room, 220 Middlefield Drive, SF 94132

Its Magic Time!!!!!!!
Magic Show FUNdRAISER at Lakeshore School
Featuring Jay Alexander and Friends (New magicians this year!)

Order your tickets now for a magical evening as world renowned magician, Jay Alexander, will headline Lakeshore Elementarys 4th Annual Magic Night. Jay Alexander has performed for the Rolling Stones, many Fortune 500 companies, various celebrities such as Robin Williams, David Crosby, and Francis Ford Copolla; and has produced several books and dvds on magic. Also performing will be Super Gigi and magician, Big Al Catraz

$9 per person advance purchase
$10 per person at the door
Special Family Package rate of 4 tickets for $32 (advance purchase only)

More info at http://www.lakeshoreelementary.org

SOTA Dance Concert

Saturday, May 20

Kids' Fitness Challenge

8:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Kezar Stadium

Free, noncompetitive 5K run, walk, and bike ride

This exciting Family Lifestyle Festival features San Franciscos after school youth sports providers and fitness agencies in one place for a full day of fun, activities and information for kids and parents.

brochure: http://www.cifsf.org/Information/KidsFitnessChallenge2006.pdf

Carnaval Time at Paul Revere Elementary

11:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Revere ES, 555 Tompkins at Folsom, Bernal Heights.

Fun for all!

Fairmount Festival

12:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Fairmount ES, 65 Chenery St @ Randall

Come to Fairmount's 4th Annual Fiestaval celebration and fundraiser. We have student performances, fabulous food, kids activities and games, and a silent and live auction. It is a day to show off our community and also to raise much-needed funds to help pay for our PE, Arts, Choir, Gardening, Drama and Dance programs. Fairmount is a school with a strong community and a continuous commitment to improving our kids' educations. Please come and help support that commitment.

Visit our website at www.FairmountSchoolPTA.org to review our current silent auction items as well as our raffle prizes. For more information call the school 415-695-5669.

Grattan Family Fun fund raiser

12:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Grattan Elementary School, 165 Grattan St

We're going to hold our first annual Family Fun fund raiser.

Admission is free and there will be free parking on the upper yard, also it's close to various MUNI lines.

There will be food, games, music, street entertainment and a silent auction.

For more information please visit www.grattanschool.org

Aptos Middle School 75th Anniversary Celebration

2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Aptos MS

Aptos Middle School holds an open house celebration at the school, 105 Aptos Ave. off Ocean. Please pass this invitation on to all Aptos alumni from every era!
RSVP by calling 415/469-4520.

SOTA Dance Concert

Sunday, May 21

SOTA Dance Concert

Tuesday, May 23

BOE Regular Meeting

7:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Everett Middle School

Regularly scheduled meeting. Check SFUSD web site to confirm and to review the agenda

SOTA Jazz and Latin Concert

Wednesday, May 24

2nd Annual Youth Summit

10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Fort Mason

The third annual youth summit meeting's theme is "Step Up" and the goal is to provide information and networking opportunities for the district's student leaders.

SOTA Senior Art Show

SAT Workshop at the Library

6:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Parkside branch library

One remaining workshop for students who have previously taken the real SAT are being offered at the Parkside public library. Students must call to reserve a spot. The workshop is a four-day series. Juniors and seniors get priority registration.

"advanced" session for students who scored above 1150

415/355-5757 for more info

Special Ed Citizens' Advisory Committee

7:00 PM - 8:30 PM

Open Gate, 2601 Mission St., 6th floor conference room.

(This is the U.S. Bank Building at 22nd and Mission). Parking is available in the lot, enter from 22nd St. Childcare and translation services are available by registering in advance with Open Gate, 920-5040.

Email cac_specialed@hotmail.com for more information.

Community Music Center's monthly faculty-student jazz jam

Thursday, May 25

SOTA Vocal Finale, Act One

BOE Rules, Policy, and Legislation Committee Meeting

SOTA Vocal Finale, Act Two

Community Members Selected To Advise District on Long-range Plan

Community Members Selected To Advise District on Long-range Plan
5.19.06
By Nicole Achs Freeling
GreatSchools.net Correspondent

Addressing a contentious round of school closings this year and an even more contentious school assignment system, several members of the Board of Education met as an ad hoc committee to discuss an initiative on student enrollment, recruitment and retention. A key piece of the initiative is the formation of a Community Advisory Council to advise the Board on this issue.

Earlier this month, the board had accepted applications for the CAC, an eight-member committee to include people with expertise in a number of specific fields. Before Thursday's meeting, Chief Development Officer Matthew Kelemen culled the applications, reviewed them and made a list of recommendations as to whom his office felt was most qualified. After reviewing the list, the Ad Hoc Committee – Norman Yee, Jill Wynns and Mark Sanchez – agreed unanimously to forward it to the board with a positive recommendation.

The recommendations for members to the CAC on Student Enrollment, Recruitment and Retention (CACSERR) are as follows:

1. Two members with expertise in design and implementation of high quality educational materials and educational reform strategies:
   Karling Aquilera-Fort, principal at Fairmont Elementary School, a school with a dual-language Spanish immersion program that has seen significant increase in student achievement. *Marlene Ligsay, a National Board Certified Teacher and Chair of the Mathematics Department at Philip and Sala Burton High School.
2. One member with expertise in outreach to diverse families:
   Maria Fernandez-Gonzalez, who works for GreatSchools.net to represent parents in underperforming SFUSD schools and who did her doctoral work in how parents make choices about schools.
3. One member with expertise in community engagement strategies:
   Mollie Matull, an SFUSD parent who has been an active parent leader in SFUSD's Child Development Program.
4. One member with expertise in demographic planning and analysis:
   Dwayne Jones, the City's Director of Community Investment and Outcomes, who formerly directed the Mayor's Office of Community Development. Also runs the City's Communities of Opportunities initiative covering Bayview-Hunters Point and the Western Addition, two areas of key concern to the district.
5. One member with expertise in school facilities design and use:
   Tony Irons, currently with the SF Public Utilities Commission, who formerly served as SFUSD's Chief Facilities Officer and helped developed the first phase of the Facilities Master Plan.
6. One member with expertise in school finance:
   Ruth Grabowski, Coordinator of the Parent Advisory Council and a parent member of the School Site Council at San Francisco Community K-8 School.
7. One member representing the voice of youth:
   Vienna Luu, a student at Lincoln High School.

The Committee will also recommend to the Board that former SFUSD Superintendent Ray Cortinez, who has expressed interest in participating, be included as an ex-officio member, which means he would not vote nor be counted toward a quorum. Cortinez, who only lives in the city part time and is a member of several other boards, did not want to be made a full member because he could not commit to being at every meeting. But Board members agreed he had a wealth of experience to share, having served as Superintendent for Los Angeles and New York City schools in addition to SFUSD.

The Committee also agreed to recommend waiving the San Francisco residency requirement for two of the suggested CAC members, Tony Irons and Marlene Ligsay, who live outside the city.

Close to 20 people submitted applications, according to Kelemen, but most were in one or two areas of expertise. The district had to recruit possible members for a number of areas, such as facilities design and demographic planning. It sought to recommend people representing diverse constituencies and also including City representatives.

A couple of attendees voiced concern that there were a few gaps in the areas the CAC represented. "Somebody's going to get blamed again when all the emotional parents show up," said SF PTA President Carl Barnes. He suggested the PTA put together community meetings and workshops to help gather wider public input.

The district also outlined a timeline for its activities relating to student enrollment, recruitment and retention. In June, district staff will complete an analysis of current conditions and an initial community engagement effort. In September, the district, with the advice of the CAC, will complete a draft of a long-range action plan. In December of 2006, just ahead of the Round 1 enrollment process for `07/08, the district will adopt an interim plan. During the rest of the school year, district staff, the CAC and the BOE will work to revise the draft, to come up with a finalized process by the end of the `06/07 school year.

Email comments to sfschoolnotes@greatschools.net

School photoblogging: Ceasar Chavez ES

A short distance from Leonard Flynn, the last school we featured in this photoblogging series, I got this shot of Ceasar Chavez Elementary taken from Folsom Street. I love the green canopy on Folsom, and the way the mural of Ceasar Chavez radiates over the yard and into the neighborhood.

Donors Choose, kids win

Today one of our sfschools list members posted the following information about the Donors Choose website, and a timely matching donation program. Check this out:

I know end of the year fund raisers can create some hectic weekends. You can support Marshall Elementary School and any other SFUSD school through DonorsChoose anytime. Some of you may have heard of Donors Choose. It is a website that matches teacher/student needs with donors from around the country.

During the month of May, Bank of America is funding 50% of most proposals. That doubles your donation! All SF public schools are eligible and many have proposals that qualify for the matching funds. Our school, Marshall Elementary, has a number of proposals posted, so please take a look and see if you'd like to donate to one today.

Please take a moment and visit the Donors Choose website. I think this is a brilliant idea. And the Donors Choice website is very nicely done.

This idea of connecting teacher needs with donors is not new. A few years back craigslist partnered with Cole Hardware to create a similar site. I see that Cole Hardware has continued and refined the effort with their Wishlist Program. Both are excellent programs, but right now the donation matching by BofA makes the Donors Choose site very appealing.

One complaint I have about the Donors Choose site is that it is hard to figure out how to search for proposals from specific schools or specific cities. Eventually I found this search page where you can select the "San Francisco Bay Area" region and the "San Francisco" community. From there you can pick an individual school and review the school's proposals. For instance, Marshall Elementary's proposals are listed here. Or check out all of the programs originating from all schools in San Francisco here. There are so many worthy programs to choose from, and this website makes it so easy to connect your charity with a specific, tangible need. Out of town visitors can zoom in on their locale using the same region, community, and school menus.

And the best news of all? It works. After posting the request earlier today, we heard back from the same person (a teacher at Marshall I presume) with good news:

Within just a few hours of posting here, I saw that at least three of the Marshall proposals had been fully funded so I have to think it has something to do with the generous and kind-hearted public school supporters who read this list[...] So a very big thanks to everyone involved!

Go ahead and make someone's day.

Highlights from the May 5, 2006 PEN Newsblast

Every now and the the PEN Newsblast is loaded with interesting items. I try to be selective when I cite them, but there are too many good choices this time. So here are my favorites from the May 5th eidtion.
Enjoy.

continue reading...

Top Five Special Education Issues

Thirty years ago, Congress announced that more than half of American children with disabilities were not receiving appropriate educational services. Today, American schools have a world-class system for differentiating instruction for all students, regardless of cognitive, emotional or physical limitations. That's quite an accomplishment, and something about which educators should be proud.[...] Whether it's because teachers and administrators are all leery of being called prejudiced, embarrassed about some of their past policies or simply too overwhelmed with day-to-day work to get their arms around the bigger issues, the result is the same: There are a number of seemingly insurmountable challenges in special education, and not much is being said about them: (1) Not all special ed students have gotten the education they deserve; (2) Special education teachers are often considered second-class citizens; (3) Special education paperwork overwhelms teachers and administrators; (4) A disproportionate number of children of color end up in special education; and (5) Numbers of special-ed students grow as number of dollars shrink.

Harassment of Gay Students in School Still Too Commonplace

The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, or GLSEN, announced findings from the 2005 National School Climate Survey (NSCS), the only national survey to document the experiences of students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) in America's schools. The survey reveals that anti-LGBT bullying and harassment remain commonplace in America's schools... Overall, LGBT students were twice as likely as the general population of students to report they were not planning to pursue any post-secondary education. The average GPA for LGBT students who were frequently physically harassed was half a grade lower than that of LGBT students experiencing less harassment (2.6 versus 3.1). On a positive note, the report indicates that trained and supportive staff, the presence of Gay Student Alliance clubs, and anti-bullying policies all lead to reductions in harassment.

Other Demands Outmuscling Physical Education Instruction

Most states require physical education for elementary and high school students, but the time in these classes is often short and is being gobbled up by other academic demands, a new report says. Some classes are even offered online. The trend could undercut efforts to stave off obesity in children, the researchers say... "Schools have a difficult time squeezing everything in," says Bruce Hunter. "PE and the arts have gotten pushed to the side a little because administrators, principals and teachers are trying to get in as much instructional time as they can to prepare for state achievement tests."

Race, Income Influence School Experience, Survey Suggests

"African-American students are far more likely than white students to report that their teachers have low academic expectations for them," finds a new report from the Education Alliance, a local education fund. "African-American pupils are also less likely to indicate that there are sufficient caring and mentoring relationships between students and teachers." Researchers surveyed 19 West Virginia schools -- four in central cities, two in mid-sized cities, three in small towns and 10 in rural areas, reports Anna L. Mallory. "This may be the most important research we've done," said Hazel Palmer, director of the alliance. "We're not saying [students’] perception is reality. But, it is now."...

Paying for College: The Rising Cost of Higher Education

At the same time that a college education has become the ticket to the middle class, college has become less affordable. The situation in New England is worse than it is nationally. Even though incomes are higher in the region, families are likely spending a higher share of their income to pay for college. In 2003-04, families with students attending a community college in New England spent 17 percent of their annual income to cover the costs of college. Families are stretching even more to attend a public four-year college in the region, spending 21 percent of their income. Private colleges are the most expensive, requiring that families spend a stunning 33 percent of their income. Although family incomes and grant aid have increased over the past decade, they have not increased enough to offset the increases in tuition prices. As a consequence, more students and parents are taking out loans to finance their college education, and the amount of debt that students are carrying has increased significantly during the past ten years...

Are Charter Schools Closing the Achievement Gap?(PDF)

Charter schools have been lauded for reasons ranging from increasing parental choice to introducing innovative practices to reducing educational bureaucracies. However, most charter schools are located in urban centers and enroll lower-income and minority students. Serving disadvantaged students is a principal goal of charter school reform. Assessments should account for this purpose. An article by Ron Zimmer and Richard Buddin examines the effect that charter schools are having on student achievement in general, and on different demographic groups, in two major urban districts in California. The authors find that achievement scores in charter schools are keeping pace, but not exceeding those of traditional public schools. The findings in this study show that charter school effects do not vary systematically with race/ethnicity or English proficiency status of students.

A Portrait of America’S Teachers from NEA

In a recent press release The NEA posted some interesting stats about teachers, and noted a few key trends:

The teaching profession has changed dramatically over the past 40 years. The majority of the nation's 3 million teachers have at least a master's degree and an average of 15 years of experience. In addition, more than 75 percent of all teachers participate in professional development related to their grade or subject area.[...]

According to NEA's research and other sources, today's teachers are primarily white, female, married, religious, and on average are 43 years old. More than half hold at least a master's degree. Forty-five years ago, in 1961, only 23 percent held advanced degrees. Additionally, 21st century teachers:

• Spend an average of 50 hours per week on all teaching duties, including noncompensated school-related activities such as grading papers, bus duty and club advising.
• Teach an average of 21 pupils (elementary). Secondary schoolteachers have an average class size of 28 pupils.
• Spend an average of $443 per year of their own money to meet the needs of their students. Elementary teachers spend about $498 per year.  Secondary teachers spend about $386. Teachers of color spend about $470 per year, more than the $434 spent by white teachers.
• Make an average starting salary of $31,704 per year, not including supplemental pay for extra duties.
• Enter the teaching profession to help shape the next generation.  Nearly three out of four (73%) enter teaching because of their desire to work with young people. And nearly seven out of 10 teachers (68%) cite it as the reason for remaining in the profession.

The five trends they identify are:

• America's public schoolteachers are the most educated, most experienced ever.
• The work of teachers is being transformed.
• The number of teachers leaving the profession is increasing.
• The teaching corps in public schools does not reflect the diversity of the student population.
• Male teachers are a dwindling breed.

They have a lot of interesting details backing up each point. Check it out. Hat tip to the PEN Newsblast for finding this.

Impressions from the Community Budget Workshop

Writing about the workshop is harder than I expected. I don't know where to begin. The budget workshop was such a welcome opportunity to get immersed in a wealth of information about school financing, the SFUSD books, and the breaking news about the state budget. The handouts alone will take some time to digest and review. Many thanks are due to Jill Wynns for putting this program together, and to Vernon Billie for updating us on the increasingly promising, if not arcane, prospects for this year's state ed budget, and to Myong Leigh for his insights into the top level structure and fundamental realities of the district finances. I know that I was engaged and learning a great deal from all of the speakers.

I was only able to attend the scheduled 2:00 hours of Saturday's budget workshop. The weekend vortex of family life pulled me right out of the room at noon, much to my chagrin. I would have liked to stay to the end to meet the many list members who were in attendance. I could tell the room was full of questions and I would have loved to stick around for whatever discussions ensued.

One of the handouts was a compilation of the questions received. Nancy W — aka bdget@swfusd — clearly had a problem with her out-of-office auto-responder on Friday, but she did get the emails and did compile a comprehensive set of questions. The presentations did not address specific questions from that list, but I think they were responsive to the topics that people wanted to hear about. Again, it will take time to review and digest all that I learned and review what was cover and what was left out. The speakers were very open to questions from the floor, which was great. It may have derailed their schedule and affected their ability to cover all that they wanted. But I think we all appreciated their responsiveness and their answers.

Jill talked about scheduling a series of workshops, perhaps in collaboration with PPS, that would allow them to go into more depth on specific topics. I hope this happens. There was so much ground to cover, so much complexity, and so many more questions to answer. If anything, I have more questions now than before. More importantly, if we can sustain this open exchange of informative I think a lot of the mystery and a lot of the suspicions about district fiances and be put to rest. School financing in California is a byzantine mess. Rube Goldberg could not have imagined anything so obscure, accidental, and indirect -- so Gordian. District books will never be accessible. But with more efforts like Saturday's at least the books can be more open and more intelligently reviewed by those of us odd enough to dig it.

As I digest the information I hope to write a series of posts about what I've learned. I'm not a reporter, so there is no use in me trying to recite the events of the day. Thanks to Nicole for her able reporting. For my part, if I can find the time, I hope to be able to relate some of what I heard, and share the web resources available to us. I hope some of the other attendees will share their thoughts and impressions with us here.

Community Budget Workshop Notes

Community Budget Workshop Notes
5.13.06
By Nicole Achs Freeling
Greatschools.net Correspondent

• District Officials Detail Impact of May Revise
• 'Like Buying Curtains for a House You're Burning Down’
• SFUSD Budget Outlook Today

District Officials Detail Impact of May Revise

A day after Governor Schwarzenegger released a revised budget allocating billions more in funding for schools, SFUSD representatives met with members of the public at a community budget workshop and addressed the impact of this additional money on local schools.

The aim of the workshop was to educate the public about the district's budget and its finances. District representatives provided a detailed discussion of where the district's money comes from, how it is earmarked, and where it is spent. These materials, as well as a copy of the district's recommended budget, are available through the district office. People may send questions to budget@sfusd.edu.

Coming on the heels of the governor's May revise, the workshop also provided an opportunity to take an updated look at budget assumptions based on the new funding projections.

Finding a windfall of unexpected tax revenue in state coffers, the governor has proposed allocating $3 billion in new funds to schools, largely by providing more than the minimum required by Proposition 98, the voter-approved measure that sets school funding formulas. Included is a 5.93 cost-of-living adjustment to the base amount the state is required to pay schools each year, especially valuable because it represents money schools should continue to receive whatever the future years' budget outlooks. However, district representatives noted that even with the new money, Proposition 98 is still being funded well below the level lawmakers promised.

The governor also proposed $933 million in one-time payment to help cover money the state owes to the schools for mandated programs. The state is supposed to give the schools funds to carry out programs and actions state law requires; however, millions of dollars worth of state-required programs have gone unfunded over the years, and districts have had to pay for them out of their own budgets. The governor's proposal covers about half that currently owed to school districts for unfunded mandates.

'Like Buying Curtains for a House You're Burning Down’

SFUSD representatives met the news of the potential new funding with extremely guarded enthusiasm. The problem, according to Vernon Billy, a lobbyist who represents SFUSD in Sacramento, is that fully two-thirds of the money the governor has proposed is earmarked for specific programs, including $250 million for classroom supplies, $250 million for physical education facilities and programs, $250 million for art and music supplies and $250 million for textbooks.

"We might end up with (millions) for new playground equipment and new counselors, and still not have the money to pay our teachers," said Commissioner Jill Wynns. The restrictions are so limiting, she noted, that districts have gone bankrupt with millions of dollars in earmarked funds. "It's like buying curtains for a house you're burning down," she said.

Over the next couple of months, especially toward the end of June when the state adopts its budget, lawmakers will be jockeying over just how much school funding gets allocated for specific programs and how much is given to districts directly. SFUSD representatives urged community members to contact their lawmakers and ask them to push for unrestricted funds.

SFUSD Budget Outlook Today

Before the May revise, the district had been expecting a deficit of $6 million for the coming school year and almost $14 million the following year, according to Myong Leigh, chief of policy and planning. Those budget projections account both for increased costs due to recent bargaining agreements, such as that with the teachers union; the savings accrued through school closings, representing about $2.5 million; and a one-time increase to revenue of about $5 million for the long-term lease by City College of the current site of Newcomer High School and other facilities.

The new money the governor has promised would bring about $3 million in ongoing funds to the district and as much as $8 million in one-time monies. It is unclear when the money will arrive, however, or what restrictions will be placed upon it. That makes adjusting its current budget difficult.

The $6 million deficit represents a gap in unrestricted general funds; therefore, the degree to which the new money can help cover the deficit depends upon how much of the new state money comes through as unrestricted funds.

The school board’s budget committee has proposed the following cuts to cover this year's deficit: (see update below)

• $2 million in cuts to the “weighted student formula,” which allocates funds directly to schools based on the makeup of their student populations
• $500 less for student nutrition (some of these expenses this year were due to a sick-out and threatened strike by cafeteria workers)
• $800 less for transportation, which could be accomplished by changing school start times to more efficiently configure bus routes.
• $500 in central office cuts
• $1.2 million less for special education funding

Before passing its budget in June (it is due by June 30), the board will discuss which of these cuts could be restored if more funding becomes available.

"The silver lining is that, although we have a lot of reason to prefer this cornucopia of funds be unrestricted, if you look at the programs that are being funded – art, school supplies, PE facilities – they will go (to restore) a lot of the things we've cut or are thinking of cutting," Leigh said.

The BOE will be introducing a discussion on the budget at its next regular board meeting, May 23. A more thorough discussion will take place at a Committee of the Whole meeting, date to be announced. The board is scheduled to adopt the budget on June 13, its first regular meeting that month.

Email comments to sfschoolnotes@greatschoolsnet

Update: The notes for the workshop on May 13 incorrectly stated the size of cuts proposed to cover this year’s budget shortfall. Here are the correct numbers:

• $2 million in cuts to the "weighted student formula," which allocates funds directly to schools based on the makeup of their student populations
• $500,000 less for student nutrition (some of these expenses this year were due to a sick-out and threatened strike by cafeteria workers)
• $800,000 less for transportation, which could be accomplished by changing school start times to more efficiently configure bus routes.
• $500,000 in central office cuts
• $1.2 million less for special education funding

Kim's notes for Special Meeting on School and Program Relocations

Kim Knox has published extensive notes for last night's Special Meeting on School and Program Relocations over on the Left in SF blog. The meeting was called with very little notice, and Nicole was unable to attend. Thanks to Kim for keeping us informed.

SfSchools weekly calendar

Friday, May 12

SFUSD School Registration Deadline

"Class Act" Documentary

5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Roxie Cinema, 3117 16th St., S.F.

Arts education in America is on life support.

CLASS ACT weaves teacher extraordinaire Jay. W. Jensen's personal story with the fate of arts education in America today, giving us a report card on what lies ahead for America's children.

SFUSD Parent Advisory Council Community Fish Fry

6:00 PM - 9:00 PM

SouthEast Community Facility, 1800 Oakdale (at Phelps)

Come for great food, important information and community conversation about our schools. Student assignment policies are likely to change for SFUSD schools. Tell the school board what you think about school choice. Your family is welcome! Childcare will be provided .

More information: PAC, (415) 263-0308 or pac@sfusd.edu

SOTA Band Concert

Saturday, May 13

Argonne Elementary annual carnival FUNraiser

10:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Argonne Elementary

Games, BBQ, silent auction, used book & video sale, entertainment, face painting and balloon lady - fun for the whole family!

Game/food tickets and raffle tickets (first price: 2GB Ipod Nano and iTunes gift card; need not be present to win; there is also a separate kids' raffle) available at the gate; BBQ starts at 11 and lasts until 1:30 p.m.Silent auction closes at 2 p.m. Great items to bid on!

Enter on Cabrillo between 17th and 18th Aves. in SF's Richmond district. Info: 415-750-8460

Community Budget Workshop

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Everett Middle School

This will allow the Community to look at the first draft of the budget numbers. It also includes the project budget for FY 06-07. The District never includes the actual spent figures nor even what they budgeted in the previous year in the document given at the Community Budget Workshop.

SOTA Orchestra / Wind Ensemble Concert

Monday, May 15

"Class Act" Documentary

7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Little Roxie, 3116 16th St., S.F.

Arts education in America is on life support.

CLASS ACT weaves teacher extraordinaire Jay. W. Jensen's personal story with the fate of arts education in America today, giving us a report card on what lies ahead for America's children.

Tuesday, May 16

Save School Arts Rally

5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

City Hall rotunda

The goal of this event is to draw attention to the crucial need to
ensure that the $100 million line item for School District arts education programs remains intact, so each child in California can enjoy at least a basic exposure to arts and music.

Co-sponsored by:
Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services and San Francisco State
University


If you would like to volunteer, make a contribution, or learn more
about the rally, you may contact us directly at (415) 392-9010 or
on-line at
http://www.mustcreate.org

Music in Schools Today is a Bay Area non-profit organization that acts
as advocate and arts provider, serving over 20,000 Bay Area school
children annually.

Music in Schools Today
www.mustcreate.org
info@mustcreate.org

SF School Volunteers Volunteer Recognition Event

5:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Le Colonial (20 Cosmo Place, SF)

This year's Volunteer Recognition Event will be Tuesday, May 16, 2006 between 5:30pm-7:30pm @ Le Colonial (20 Cosmo Place, SF) See Map. Space is limited, please RSVP by Tuesday, May 9.

If you would like to RSVP, please visit http://www.sfsv.org/Vol_Recognition_RSVP_May06.html

Wednesday, May 17

SAT Workshop at the Library

6:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Parkside branch library

One remaining workshop for students who have previously taken the real SAT are being offered at the Parkside public library. Students must call to reserve a spot. The workshop is a four-day series. Juniors and seniors get priority registration.

"advanced" session for students who scored above 1150

415/355-5757 for more info

BOE Budget and Business Services Committee Meeting

SOTA Piano Recital

Submit your budget question here

If you want to submit a question fore the SFUSD budget workshop, ask it here. Just add a comment to this post by clicking on the comment icon, . We'll try and report back here with the answers.

Fire away!

Last chance! Bumping this to the top since the budget workshop is tomorrow. Don't miss your chance to learn about the mysteries of the SFUSD budget.

Chron: Oakland teachers approve contract

It's official. Oakland teachers approve contract—but it was a whole lot more contentious and close than the UESF vote:

Oakland teachers approved a contract deal Wednesday evening that will end their contentious two-year battle with the school district over a pay hike and health care costs.

The contract, which is retroactive to July, gives teachers a 6.25 percent pay increase spread out over three years and increases their contribution to health care premiums.

According to union officials, 931 members voted in favor of the deal and 639 voted against it. About 56 percent of the 2,800 Oakland Education Association members eligible to vote cast ballots at the Scottish Rite Center at Lake Merritt.

The article confirms the contract details we heard from the Daily Planet. This should set up an interesting union election in Oakland this week. A few years back the current UESF leadership came to power as a result of rank and file anger over not getting a better contract.

Oakland Teachers Vote

Oakland teachers are voting on their contract today, and there is some uncertainty about the outcome. The Oakland district is lobbying teachers to approve the contract while the union has declined to take a stand for or against the deal.

When UESF voted on their proposed contract there was no doubt about the outcome. The union was solidly behind the deal and there was little organized dissent.

Details of the proposed contract are only known through unconfirmed leaks, so it is hard to pinpoint why this agreement is so controversial. According to the SJMerc there will be a %6.5 raise over two years. But Oakland teachers endured a recent 4% pay cut, and they will be expected to pay more of their health benefits. A report in The Berkeley Daily Planet suggest the precedent for sharing health care premiums may be the controversial part. Other districts have passed increasingly burdensome health costs onto their teachers, so this could be a big deal for future negotiations.

And we thought the UESF negotiations were stressful...

School Board Notes 5.9.06

School Board Notes 5.9.06
By Nicole Achs Freeling
Greatschools.net Correspondent

• Controversy Roils Around Proposed Moves
• SOMA to get K-8 School
• District to Cut 64 Classroom Positions
• Rooftop Bungalows Approved

Controversy Roils Around Proposed Moves

Although not on the agenda, the issues dominating the meeting centered around several controversial facility decisions the district has made behind closed doors involving moving and co-locating certain schools. Just as at the last meeting, chambers were standing room only with overflow crowds gathered outside, many waving signs stating their objection to proposed moves. Those moves are: *Newcomer High School into extra space at Mission High School *Leadership charter school into space at Balboa High *Merging three county community programs – RAP, Phoenix and Community Scholars for Success – together at what is currently John Swett Elementary. (That school, in another controversial decision, is to be merged with John Muir this fall.)

Yesterday afternoon, the board announced it would hold a special session Wednesday at 6:30 to address the issue directly.

Families and teachers at both Newcomer and Mission High schools objected to a plan to move Newcomer into Mission. According to the current proposal, the schools would operate separately, with a wall between the two. Critics said the move would leave teachers at Mission without classrooms, threaten school programs for lack of space and alter the balance at a school that enjoyed improved success in recent years. Mission, along with Lowell and George Washington, was just named to Newsweek's Top 1,000 High Schools list, representing the top 5 percent of high schools in the nation.

Newcomer families expressed frustration at being moved around and "treated like footballs" according to one speaker. The school was supposed to move to the site of Edison Charter Academy, but the board changed tack after Edison threatened to sue.

Leadership High School has long been seeking a more adequate facility within the district than its current building, an aging, former elementary school. The district has been trying without success to find it a home, and recently offered it the opportunity to be co-located at the same building occupied by Balboa.

The Balboa community has strenuously objected to this move and Tuesday night, its representatives were out in force, staging a protest in front of the district, waving flags and passing out leaflets. Balboa members who stood to speak, mostly students and teachers, said bringing in Leadership would deprive Balboa of needed space and facilities and reverse the trend that has helped the school become increasingly desirable in the last couple of years.

"The district is working very hard to have Leadership not be at Balboa," Board President Norman Yee said and added that the issue would be discussed more thoroughly Wednesday.

There were also a number of community members – many of them county community students – who expressed serious concern over the plan to merge three county programs at Swett. Bring the schools together would put members of warring such as the Nortenos and Surenos, and Hunters Point and Fillmore gangs, together at one school. Some students said they wouldn't attend such a school for fear of their lives. At the last meeting, some county and alternative school administrators had expressed support for the move, saying it would offer the students better facilities and enriched programs.

SOMA To Get K-8 School

The Board voted to expand Bessie Carmichael in South of Market to a K-8 school, completing a process it began last year in making the school a K-6. The resolution will add a seventh grade class for 06/07 and an eighth grade class the following year.

The community has been pushing heavily for the expansion, as there is currently no middle school in the South of Market neighborhood. Last year, the board voted to add a sixth grade as part of a transition to a K-8. Although some board members had concerns about the plan (Jill Wynns cast the sole no vote), most felt the board had an obligation to continue with the expansion. Not adding another grade would put the current sixth graders at a disadvantage in selecting a middle school as many are already at capacity by 7th grade.

The expansion could put into jeopardy two preschool classes and a special education preschool class currently in place at the school. One pre-K class is in a classroom needed for the new grade; another, the special ed class, is in a building that would also house middle-schoolers, raising licensing issues.

Wynns expressed concern about the cost of the project. The expansion will incur an estimated $600,000 in one-time expenses to build, which could be recouped through school impact fees the City is working to collect from the more than 10,000 new housing units being built in the neighborhood. The Carmichael expansion will also incur $270,000 in yearly operating costs, which could not be funded through impact fees.

District to Cut 64 Classroom Positions

Struggling with budget cuts, declining enrollment and school closures, the district will not renew positions for 64 teachers and paraprofessionals next year, comprising a total of 54 full-time equivalent positions. The cuts include numerous art, English, social studies, science, and language teachers, as well as coaches and peer resources counselors.

Rooftop Bungalows Approved

More than a dozen Rooftop parents stayed until after midnight to urge the board to replace aging, seismically unsafe bungalows at Rooftop K-8 school in Twin Peaks. A $670,000 project to replace the bungalows failed to pass at the last meeting by a tie vote (one commissioner was absent), so it was back on the agenda this week.

After hearing testimony from parents expressing frustration and concern that their children had been housed for years in unsafe buildings, the board voted six to two to approve the bungalows, with Commissioners Sarah Lipson and Mark Sanchez casting the dissenting votes. Commissioner Eric Mar reversed his no vote from last week, saying that the inadequacy of the buildings overruled his desire in this instance for the district to move away from the use of bungalows.

Critics objected to an expensive plan to replace bungalows when the district has an expressed plan to move away from using bungalows. They say the bungalows perpetuate a system in which over-subscribed schools pack in students to the disadvantage of under-enrolled schools.

However, supporters said there was little alternative but to replace the bungalows, as there are no other ways to re-house those students in a timely manner. "There are times we have to modify our decision not to have portable classrooms," Wynns said.

Email comments to sfschoolnotes@greatschools.net

NYT Editorial: Reining in Charter Schools

How very nice to see the editorial board of the NYT singing one of our favorite songs! In today's paper they come down hard on the need for greater oversight and controls on charter schools.

Reining in Charter Schools:

The charter school movement began with the tantalizing promise that independently operated schools would outperform their traditional counterparts — if they could only be exempted from state regulations while receiving public money. It hasn't quite worked out that way. With charter laws now on the books in about 40 states and thousands of schools up and running, the problem has turned out to be too little state oversight, not too much.

Even states with disastrously low-performing charter systems can point to a handful of outstanding schools. But several studies have shown that on the whole, charter schools perform no better than other public schools. Beyond that, some states have opened so many charter programs so quickly that they can barely count them, let alone monitor student performance. Where charters have clearly failed, the states often lack the political will — or even a process — for closing them down. …

So far, the national experience with charter schools shows that they are not a magical solution to the achievement problem. The only way to improve public schooling is to provide well-trained teachers and orderly schools, and to monitor them to make sure that the students are actually learning. To salvage the charter movement, the states will need to abandon the strategy, now discredited, that consists largely of giving public money to what are basically private schools and then looking the other way.

I totally agree that more controls are necessary. But doesn't that just beg the question, if charters are subject to rigorous controls, what's the point?

I contend that charters, by their very nature, are a Faustian bargain. In order to give a charter operator enough freedom to innovate, you have to accept greater risk of fraud and failure. So if one concludes that price is too steep, and that more regulation is required, then why have charters at all?

SFWeekly critique, part 2

Small schools are a fine thing for many students who struggle with the bustle of a larger setting. They’re not for every kid, especially high school students who seek the programs that larger schools can offer, such as a wide choice of electives, foreign languages, arts, athletics and clubs.

Small schools are also the trend of the moment among a segment of the "school reform" movement. The May 3 San Francisco Weekly published a badly flawed article about the San Francisco Unified School District that — while nominally disclaiming that small schools are a panacea — portrayed them as a panacea.

The article was marked by inaccuracies and firmly stated claims about data that is actually misinterpreted, unattributed, confusingly spun or unverifiable. Its story line about an uncaring bureaucracy spurning a shining opportunity does not hold up to scrutiny.

The article, "A Study in Size" by Ryan Blitstein, created an inaccurate impression that achievement at SFUSD small schools is surpassing that at larger schools with comparable populations. Yes, some students find the small-school setting ideal, but the notion that small schools are resoundingly successful and are turning away students — and that SFUSD is missing an opportunity in failing to create many more — is not borne out by fact.

Here are some points about the San Francisco Weekly article, which showcases the June Jordan Small School for Equity in the Excelsior District.

continue reading...

• The article misleadingly indicates that June Jordan students are outperforming their peers districtwide on the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE). But the most recent publicly available data on the CAHSEE for 10th-graders (the only valid comparison, as June Jordan is too new to have graduated a class of 12th-graders yet) shows a pass rate of 66 percent in math compared with a districtwide pass rate of 72 percent. June Jordan’s English Language Arts (ELA) pass rate, at 71 percent, is slightly higher than the districtwide average of 66 percent, but June Jordan has significantly fewer English-language learners than the districtwide average for high schools — 11 percent compared with 18 percent districtwide (a factor strongly impacting ELA test scores). The article cited a claimed, unverifiable pass rate for June Jordan 11th-graders this year of 93 percent, but that figure is not yet publicly available.
• The article creates an impression that small schools are achieving "impressive performance" compared with other schools. But the facts don’t support that claim.
  • The article used students’ grade point averages to back up that statement about June Jordan, though grade point averages are never viewed as a reliable measure. That’s because grades are subjective, and standards of rigor can vary widely from school to school. It’s unknowable whether high grades at a particular school reflect improved achievement or grade inflation.
  • Standardized test scores for Leadership Charter High School, one of the small schools cited as a success, have dropped steadily for several years. Nearby Balboa High School, a traditional high school, is cited in the article as the low performer to Leadership’s success. Yet Balboa’s test scores have been steadily rising as Leadership’s have fallen. In 2001, Leadership outperformed Balboa by 271 points on the state’s API (of a total 800 points), while by 2005, Balboa's steadily improving test scores had narrowed the gap to 69 points.
  • John O’Connell High School, also cited as an unsuccessful traditional model, has posted an API increase of 24 percent over four years. June Jordan’s API has been reported for only two years, but dropped slightly from the first to the second year.
  • Aim High, a small middle school also portrayed as a success in the article, failed to achieve almost all of its mandated Adequate Yearly Progress targets under the No Child Left Behind federal requirements. And the school, which is in its third year of operation, improved its API score by only one point (on an 800-point scale) from its first year of operation to its second year.
• As previously noted, the article indicated that "record numbers" of applicants are trying to get into the small schools mentioned. But actually, both June Jordan and Aim High had considerably fewer first-choice applicants than openings. Also as noted, the article claimed that no other small schools had opened in the district, overlooking the Academy of Arts and Sciences on the School of the Arts campus. In fact, the Academy of Arts & Sciences was the only small school that attracted more first-choice applicants than openings (105 first-choice applicants and 606 total applicants for 80 openings for fall 2006).
• The article focused on one student, showing him as disengaged at O’Connell High before successfully transferring to June Jordan. Of course the student’s and his family’s satisfaction with June Jordan is a valid and significant point to report. However, the actual measures of success as described in the article were an apparent slight increase in grades — from "B’s and C’s" at O’Connell to B’s at June Jordan — and improved attendance. But the student lives across the street from June Jordan, as opposed to 4 miles from O’Connell — a huge confounding factor strongly likely to improve attendance.
• The article gave a figure that perhaps inadvertently revealed significant student turnover at June Jordan, with no further comment. The fact, mentioned in the article, that 20 10th-graders transferred into June Jordan, indicates that 20 students left June Jordan, in a school with about 100 students per grade (publicly available figures show that the student population remained constant). A separate indicator, the California Basic Educational Data System, shows that 39 11th-graders arrived at June Jordan partway into the 2004-05 school year. That amounts to alarmingly high student turnover of 20 to nearly 40 percent in those grades.
• The article noted that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation slashed its grant funding for small schools in SFUSD, implying that this was due to flaws in SFUSD’s implementation. The article didn’t mention that the Gates Foundation has done the same thing in school districts around the country as results from investments in small schools fell short of expectations. "In our early grant making, small became the goal. To the extent it became the main focus, that wasn't productive," Gates Foundation spokesman Tom Vander Ark told the Seattle Weekly in July 2005.
• The article portrayed Oakland Unified School District flatteringly, as far more welcoming to small schools. But troubled Oakland Unified compares unfavorably to SFUSD on every possible gauge, making it a startling and unlikely choice of role model. Oakland test scores are far lower than SFUSD’s, and the Oakland district was taken over by the state a few years ago after its financial management imploded.
• The article noted almost in passing that Aim High, a small middle school, is in management turmoil and its future is in question, and blamed "lack of support from the district." But the article didn’t mention the crucial fact that Aim High has not met its mandatory Adequate Yearly Progress targets. In assigning blame for the school’s problems to conflict with SFUSD, the article vaguely attributed the charge to "several people who have spoken to Aim High board members and executives" — indicating that the reporter had not spoken with Aim High officials himself but was merely repeating gossip, sourcing that falls far short of professional journalistic standards
• Aside from the measures already mentioned — such as the unverifiable claim about CAHSEE success and the methodologically irrelevant use of GPAs — the article relies entirely on the Similar Schools rank from California’s Academic Performance Index system. The API uses both a statewide absolute rank and the Similar Schools score, which attempts to control for demographics. The statewide rank is considered the essential one, with the validity of the Similar Schools rank continually debated. As one school superintendent (John Rieckewald, Fremont Unified) put it, the Similar Schools rank "is imperfect at best, because schools aren’t always compared to those that have the same demographic characteristics, the comparison schools can change yearly and the characteristics seem to be weighted differently. … Although interesting, the comparison rank is not as important to us as the API score itself." Statewide ranks dropped from 2004 to 2005 for both Aim High (from 3 to 2 on a 1-10 scale) and June Jordan (from 5 to 4).

We do not mean to disparage either June Jordan or Aim High, and we recognize that many students