At the end of January 1997 Lowell received five more temporary bungalows
that were installed in the west parking lot. These bungalows helped to
relieve the classroom shortage, reduced the number of teachers having to
travel from room to room, and freed the resource centers for 100% usage by
students.
To address our facilities needs on a permanent basis district
Superintendent Waldemar Rojas recommended that Lowell be included in the
$140 million bond measure for "Educational Building Improvement" proposed
for placement on the June 1997 election ballot. The improvement proposal
for Lowell called for the demolition of all dilapidated bungalows and the
construction of a new science/academic wing at an estimated cost of $7
million:
"The new science/academic wing will be designed as a two-story structure
with 24 state of the art classrooms for science and liberal arts studies.
Also included in this new structure will be support spaces such as lab
storage, kiln yards, outdoor studios, art storage, staff offices, student
study areas, and restrooms. The addition of this new science/academic wing
will be in keeping with the exceptional academic standards of the Lowell
campus and be a prototype for future academic classroom environments."
(SFUSD Project Description, November 18, 1996)
In addition to the Proposition A bond measure, which passed, Lowell was
allocated $553,000 in spring 1997 to upgrade existing science labs and
implement other site/safety improvements.
In 1996, in an effort to raise student performance standards, the district
provided additional teachers to teach a 7th class for all 9th graders in
every high school. At Lowell, the district also allocated three
"above-formula" teachers to teach "Strategies for Success" classes in the
9th grade "value-added" support program. Furthermore, five
paraprofessionals were hired to staff the resource centers which were made
available to all students who needed academic remediation and/or enrichment.
The allocation of additional staffing and the establishment of resource
centers emanated from a dramatic change made by the Superintendent and
School Board in the Lowell admissions policy during 1995-96. The new
admissions policy prescribed that 80% of the freshmen (regardless of their
racial/ethnic background) are to be admitted under one cut-off score
computed strictly according to their composite score which is based on
their middle school GPA and CTBS percentile ranking. The remaining 20% of
the freshmen are selected from a pool of "value-added" applicants, who are
given extra points if they produce evidence that meets additional criteria,
e.g., took honors courses in middle school, lived in public housing, were
eligible for the federal lunch program, participated in extracurricular
activities, had parents who did not graduate from high school, etc.
Students in this 20% group are required to attend a summer school "Bridging
Program" and take a "Strategies for Success" class during the regular
school year. Due to the underrepresentation of students of African
American, Latino, and American Indian descent, the school has continued to
make special efforts to recruit and encourage students from these
communities to attend Lowell.
The Site Advisory Council (SAC) evolved from a WASC recommendation into a
living reality. Using the principal's March 1992 concept paper on the
formation of an SAC and ideas generated from the faculty, parents and
students during the WASC self-study process of 1993-94, Lowell was able to
create a functioning SAC in the fall of 1994. The SAC is composed of 26
voting members representing all the constituent groups in the Lowell
community--faculty, administration, students, parents, classified staff,
alumni, and the residential/business community. In its developmental phase,
the SAC met weekly to discuss its purpose and define its role and
responsibilities. Eventually, a constitution and by-laws of the "Lowell
Site Advisory Council" were drawn up and adopted in March 1995. Since that
time, the SAC has met twice a month during the school year to carry out its
myriad functions.
In spring 1997, membership in the SAC was modified to 50% staff and 50%
parents, students, and community to bring it in line with district
guidelines governing the formation of SACs that empower them to determine
the expenditure of federal/state funds.
Finally, in the spirit of continuous collaboration, problem-solving and
mutual support, the Lowell PTSA sponsored a second Lowell Retreat in
February 1997 involving 85 participants representing all segments of the
school community. At this one-day retreat, the participants had an
opportunity to discuss current issues such as student safety, campus
overcrowding, stress, and proposed increased graduation requirements.
Recommendations addressing each of the concerns were developed and shared
with all the constituent groups in the Lowell community.
