Thirteen public schools in San Francisco learned this week that this school year might be their last, according to an announcement made by the San Francisco Unified School District.
One TK-8 school, two high schools, and ten elementary schools are under consideration by SFUSD to either close or merge at the end of this school year.
They include June Jordan High School, The Academy high school, El Dorado Elementary, Harvey Milk Civil Rights Elementary, Jean Parker Elementary, Malcolm X Academy, San Francisco Community Alternative TK-8, San Francisco Public Montessori, Spring Valley Elementary, Sutro Elementary, Visitacion Valley Elementary and Yick Wo Elementary.
The list comes after months of discussion and mounting resistance to Superintendent Matt Wayne’s plans to close and merge certain schools, which he’s dubbed the “resource alignment initiative,” which he says is a solution to deal with years of declining enrollment and teacher shortages.
Since the 2017-18 school year, overall enrollment has decreased by more than 4,000 students, according to the district.
“By aligning the number of schools we operate with our current enrollment, SFUSD can manage resources more effectively and ensure every school is fully enrolled and well-supported,” Wayne said in a letter released last month.
Wayne originally intended to send a list of potential schools to close or merge in September. However, growing pushback from the community along with commissioners on the Board of Education criticizing his plan for its haste and lack of detail led him to delay its release until October.
‘Devastating’ news for parents
Some parents first became aware of their child’s school being under consideration for closure or consolidation from media outlets.
Gaelan Spor is a parent of a second grader at the San Francisco Community Alternative School, which is featured on the list to merge with Paul Revere T-8. She said she first found out about her child’s school being on the list from a news article.
“It was a devastating way to learn,” Spor said. “The email from SFUSD then came out at 3:45 p.m.”
All of the schools on the list have small student populations compared to other public schools in the city, which was one of the many factors taken into account when determining what schools to close, according to the district. Each of the selected elementary schools have fewer than 260 students and the high schools have fewer than 400 students.
However, some parents of students who attend these schools say that their small size is a big reason why they like sending their children to these schools.
Some parents weighed in during public comment at a SFUSD Board meeting held Tuesday evening.
“There are children in San Francisco who need a small school environment,” said Miles Walker, a parent of a student who attends Harvey Milk Civil Rights Elementary. “You are going to drive those kids out of the San Francisco Unified School District.”
Another factor used to decide which schools to close or merge was “equity criteria,” which aims to minimize impacting students of color and other communities who have experienced historical inequities.
But some of the schools on the list have high rates of students of color and are located in neighborhoods with significant immigrant populations, such as the San Francisco Community Alternative School, Visitacion Valley Elementary, Harvey Milk Civil Rights Elementary, Malcolm X Elementary and June Jordan High School.
There are children in San Francisco who need a small school environment. You are going to drive those kids out of the San Francisco Unified School District.
Miles Walker, parent of a student at Harvey Milk Civil Rights Elementary
“I implore you to reverse your proposed decision regarding the closure of Harvey Milk,” Walker said. “It is one of the most diverse schools in San Francisco, it has a civil rights curriculum that is unmatched anywhere in the city … It would be a travesty to shut that down, it will be a travesty to the Castro community.”
Erica Gangsei is an SFUSD parent whose child just started kindergarten this year at the San Francisco Community Alternative School. She said she loves the school partly because of its diverse student body.
“San Francisco Community Alternative school is small by design, K-8, almost fully enrolled and is 75% students of color,” she said in an interview at a September protest against school closures. “One of the reasons that our school community has rallied against the resource alignment initiative process is we know what an important role our school has played in the lives of our families and for our kids.”
Communities of color most affected
The release of the list also captured the attention of some members on the Board of Supervisors, including President of the Board Aaron Peskin. He raised concerns about closures or mergers potentially harming students and families of color the most.
“SFUSD’s decision today disproportionately impacts Chinatown, Bayview and Visitacion Valley communities — three of the most historic communities of color,” Peskin said in a statement. “Recruiting and retaining our general education and special education teachers to staff up our schools is the priority for our students and families — not dealing with stressful school closures which tear communities apart and don’t save money.”
The district said it will meet with each of the selected schools to discuss the future of each school and explain why they think a closure or merger will be beneficial for the learning experiences of students. The final recommendations for closures and mergers will be heard by the Board of Education on Nov. 12, according to the district.
“The whole process has been so confusing, opaque and degrading,” Spor said. “It was all kids were talking about in class. It’s a huge morale hit.”
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