Study Session 2 Recap

The Board wants more families to go to a school close to home. To do that, we first need to answer one question: Are there enough school seats near where children live?

Three options are still on the table. Link to this section

In Study Session 1, the Board looked at four ways to assign students to schools. They set one aside (large zones). Three options are still being studied:

• Small Zones. Families choose from a small group of 2 to 4 schools near home. They can also apply to citywide programs.
• Neighborhood + All Schools. Each family has a neighborhood school. Families can also apply to any other school with open seats, or to citywide programs.
• Neighborhood + Citywide Programs. Each family has a neighborhood school. Families can also apply to citywide programs.

Citywide programs are open to families from across the city. Examples are language programs, K-8 schools, and SF Montessori.

Some parts of the city do not have enough school seats. Link to this section

Most of the city has enough seats. A few areas do not. These areas came up short on every map staff tested: Bayview/Hunters Point, Visitacion Valley, Mission Bay, and the central part of the city. In Mission Bay, new housing will keep adding families even after a new school opens there.

The maps are illustrative. They are not specific plans or proposals.  Link to this section

No boundary has been drawn or proposed. Staff used the maps to test ideas. Every map shared with the public will now say this on the map itself. The boundary lines that decide which school is your neighborhood school have not changed since 2010.

Where programs are located matters.  Link to this section

In our current system, students can be enrolled in programs that serve students across the city. At any given school, there are several types of programs including general education, special education, and language programs. This affects the number of seats available to students at schools close to their home. Language programs, for example, are citywide programs that take up 40% of the seats at schools. That means these seats are not available for students who live nearby the school and students would have to travel further distances to get to the school that is close to their home. 

Families want strong schools:  Link to this section

Board members agreed that every family should have a strong school to choose. Fully enrolled schools means that schools can be fully resourced. Fewer resources makes it hard for schools to offer students what they need. Some Board members asked whether keeping more families in neighborhood schools could help stop that cycle. Others said the district should not limit choice until every school has what it needs. Many people said the same in public comment. There was agreement on one point: how we assign students and how we invest in schools must be planned together.

• A clear picture of what every strong school should have. For example: enough teachers and staff, safety, belonging, after-school programs, and enough classes in each grade for teachers to plan together.
• More voices from families, especially families we do not often hear from. This includes families who left SFUSD and families who never applied. The key question: What would need to be true for you to choose and trust your neighborhood school?
• A look back at what families already told us in past years, so we do not ask the same questions again.

• Post a family survey on the assignment options for current and potential SFUSD families. Responses will be collected by October 13. 
• Hold small group focus groups (virtual) with families before October 13.
• Attending listening sessions at community family summits being held across the city, held by the Our City Our Families Initiative.

• No option has been chosen.
• No program is moving.
• No school is closing or merging.
• Nothing changes for families applying to kindergarten this school year. Any new system would begin in the 2028-29 school year.

• October 6, Study Session 3. Staff will compare the three options in four areas: what families told us, whether there are enough seats near home, how each option affects the mix of students at each school, and what it would take to put each option in place. Staff will not recommend one option. The Board will work to narrow the choices to one or two.
• October 13. The Board gives direction on which option staff should keep building. 
• November and December. Staff work on where language programs, special education programs, and citywide schools (K-8 and SF Montessori) should be located, starting with design principles.
• April 13, 2027. The Board votes on the final student assignment policy.