A crowd of parents, teachers and students from the San Francisco Unified School District rallied outside the SFUSD headquarters in opposition to the superintendent’s proposal to close several schools.
SFUSD superintendent Matt Wayne announced plans earlier this year to possibly close schools as a solution to deal with declining enrollment and to consolidate resources.
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 Sunday.
He originally intended to release a list of potential schools to close or merge on Wednesday. However, mounting pushback from the community and commissioners on the Board of Education criticizing his plan for its haste and lack of detail led him to delay its release until October, he said Sunday.
“This delay is to ensure a thorough review of all aspects of the plan,” Wayne said. “We want to make sure we get this right.”
But those who oppose the plan think more than a few weeks is necessary to ensure that the negative impacts school closures can have on students and their families are taken into account.
Erica Gangsei is an SFUSD parent whose child just started kindergarten at the San Francisco Community School, a small, K-8 school in the Excelsior neighborhood. She participated in Wednesday’s protest calling for the district to take the time to develop a more comprehensive plan that prioritizes community engagement.
“A longer timeline is needed that allows for genuine collaboration and a responsible transition plan. Eight months is not enough time to propose closing 10 to 15 schools,” she said in an interview. “They need to think about how to undertake the proposal to close, merge or co-locate schools in a way that is thoughtful and methodical instead of hasty.”
Gangsei brought a sign to the protest that read “Stop School Closures” and featured a drawing on the back that her child created. She has decided not to tell her kindergartner about the impending school closures so that they do not become anxious.
“I have heard from everybody involved with the district in any capacity,” said Gangsei. “Teachers, other parents, students and community members. They are worried sick about this. The process has been so confusing and rushed.”
SFUSD has also been facing a shortage of teachers. The district estimates that for this school year, 15% of classrooms are staffed by substitute teachers or teachers on special assignment.
San Francisco President of the Board of Supervisors Aaron Peskin does not think that closing schools is the correct solution to solve the staffing deficit and low student enrollment, he said in a statement.
“While SFUSD could be focusing on teacher hiring incentives and the bare necessities to take care of the families we have now, they are instead contemplating closures that will lead to the loss of even more families,” he said.
BIPOC youth at greatest risk
Although Wayne stated that the purpose for merging and closing schools is to “improve the experience for students and teachers,” those who oppose the proposal argue that school closures have the opposite effect.
“If schools shut down or merge, the immediate impact is most acutely felt by students who are suddenly displaced from their familiar learning environments,” said Brandie Bowen-Bremond, policy director of Coleman Advocates. Coleman Advocates is an organization that advocates for equitable opportunities in education for BIPOC youth. “This displacement often results in academic setbacks, emotional strain and social disruption.”
There are indeed concerns that closures or mergers could harm students and families of color the most.
“We fear that these school closure would look a lot like other ones that have happened around the nation, where black and brown neighborhood schools are the ones that suffered the most,” said Raquel De La Cruz, a graduate of June Jordan High School in San Francisco. “We are demanding that SFUSD listens to the community, pause school closures and show us the plan where our black and brown and family’s needs are met holistically.”
Ahsha Safai, a supervisor who represents District 11, agrees that the SFUSD’s proposal does not clearly demonstrate how closures will mitigate negatively impacting students of color.
We fear that these school closure would look a lot like other ones that have happened around the nation, where black and brown neighborhood schools are the ones that suffered the most.
Raquel De La Cruz, a graduate of June Jordan High School in San Francisco
“I’m not convinced these closures are necessary, despite their claims that they are inevitable. I don’t buy it,” he wrote in a statement. “We need a comprehensive plan to ensure that any closures do not disproportionately affect schools in San Francisco’s southeast neighborhoods, where working and middle-class families and communities of color predominantly live.”
Gangsei, who lives with her family in District 11, said she is advocating for her child’s educational opportunity and to preserve the San Francisco Community School.
“We know what an important role our school has played in the lives of our families and for our kids. We’re ready to ready to fight for a more equitably designed process that is transparent and engages in meaningful community dialog,” she said. “I’m fighting for my daughter’s future.”
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