Board of Supervisors:

Recommendations 5

• R1
  Provide the Bayview Hunters Point District With Neighborhood Schools SFUSD should provide the Bayview Hunters Point district with neighborhood schools commensurate to its population of eligible local students. Response Arlene Ackerman Superintendent of Schools San Francisco Unified School District August 30, 2004 This recommendation does not acknowledge the existence of the SFUSD student assignment system mandated by Consent Decree, which provides students with the right to select schools from any neighborhood within the District. Therefore, students are not limited to available seats in the schools within their own neighborhood. This student assignment system may only be changed by agreement of the parties or by an order of the Court. Currently, there is adequate capacity within the schools in BVHP for students who opt to attend those schools. The SFUSD Master Facilities Plan provides objective criteria for planning educational facilities to meet the changing needs of the community, and to provide options in allocating facility resources to achieve the district’s goals and objectives. The Master Plan includes a capacity study for the District, and included the following conclusion: “The 10-year enrollment projections, in 135 conjunction with the Capacity Study, forecast excess capacity at San Francisco Unified School District’s school facilities of nearly 7,600 seats, or more than 12%, on a district-wide basis for the time frame addressed in this Master Plan.” As of August 25, 2004, there remained 363 open spaces across all grades in K-12 schools located in the 94124 zip code area. Only 6 of the 35 grades offered in the 94124 zip code area are at capacity. However, in order to maximize the quality of the schools located within the BVHP area, SFUSD has initiated the Dream Schools Initiative, and has participated in the STAR Intervention Program and the Secondary School Redesign Initiative. Dream Schools The first three Dream Schools are all located in Bayview/Hunters Point. These schools will provide a pre-kindergarten to grade 12 continuum housed on three campuses: Charles Drew, Twenty-First Century, and Gloria R. Davis. The pre-kindergarten to third grade campus at Charles Drew will be focused on early learning and literacy. The fourth to sixth grade campus at Twenty-first Century will focus on academic development in the upper elementary and middle grades, and the seventh to 12th grade campus at Gloria R. Davis will be focused on academic attainment and college and career preparation. These Dream Schools will be based in part on the Frederick Douglass Academy in Central Harlem, New York started by Dr. Lorraine Monroe. Each of the Dream Schools will incorporate seven core components: (1) Academic Achievement, (2) Varied Learning Opportunities, (3) Parent Empowerment and Support, (4) Alternate Learning Models, (5) College Connections, (6) Career Preparation, and (7) Safe and Friendly Learning Environments. In particular, each of these Dream Schools will provide additional assistance and resources to students and parents to improve academic achievement and transform previously under- performing schools into models for other schools in the District. For example, these Dream Schools will use a longer school day, which will run approximately from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and will incorporate after-school tutoring and enrichment programs to help students who need mentoring in particular areas and to provide different kinds of learning experiences to students and families who might not otherwise have them. A wide range of extracurricular activities – including several kinds of dance, drama, employment development, chorus, and sports – will be offered to students attending these Dream Schools at all grade levels. In addition, these Dream Schools will offer various personal development programs, including through partnerships with community organizations such as the Career Resource Development Center, Enterprise for High School Students, Job Corps, and others, to assist students with career and college planning. These Dream Schools will provide students experiential learning opportunities as well – such as internships, job shadowing, and other off-site programs. Each of these Dream Schools also will provide additional resources and activities to encourage parental involvement and build parents’ capacity to support student learning. For example, the pre-kindergarten curriculum at Charles Drew will be delivered through home visits and group 136 meetings that facilitate parent education and development. Parents will be trained by means of sample activities and role-playing, and will be paid to deliver services to other parents through weekly home visits or group meetings. In addition, these schools will offer Saturday sessions that will include family programs that emphasize parental empowerment to permit parents to participate actively in their child’s education. Parents at these Dream Schools may also be able to participate in General Educational Development (“GED”) test preparation, computer training, job skills and employment search skills programs. Faculty members and other administrators at these Dream Schools will be held to the highest standards. For example, all faculty members will be required to participate in designated development activities, including the “Dream School Institute” and an intensive academic professional development training program. Each faculty member also will be expected to sponsor or supervise an after-school activity, communicate with parents extensively, including through at least two parent conferences per year, and participate in schoolwide and community activities. STAR Intervention Program The central goal of the STAR Intervention Program is to increase student achievement at currently underperforming schools. SFUSD provides three categories of targeted interventions – site personnel, District support, and additional resources – to improve student achievement. Each school in the STAR program receives additional site personnel, including an instructional reform facilitator, parent liaison, and volunteer tutors/mentors, to support instructional improvement. In addition, the STAR program provides additional resources to establish new parent centers at each school, transportation services to increase the accessibility of after-school programs, and extended learning packets for distribution to parents and families. Several BVHP schools have participated in the STAR Initiative, including schools such as Charles Drew Elementary, 21st Century Elementary, Hillcrest Elementary, Malcolm X Elementary, Gloria R. Davis Middle School, Martin Luther King Middle School, and Thurgood Marshall Academic High School. Secondary School Resdesign Initiative Finally, Gloria R. Davis has been selected to be part of the Secondary School Redesign Initiative next year, which utilizes funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in order to provide small, personalized learning communities, rigorous academic curriculum, opportunities for applied learning, and access to qualified teachers. Arlene Ackerman Superintendent of Schools San Francisco Unified School District June 30, 2005 As noted in the District’s original response, the recommendation does not acknowledge the existence of the SFUSD student assignment system mandated by Consent Decree, which provides students with the right to select schools from any neighborhood within the District. Therefore, students are not limited to available seats in the schools within their own neighborhood. This student assignment system may only be changed by agreement of the parties or by an order of the Court. Currently, there is adequate capacity within the schools in BVHP for students who opt to attend those schools. The District continues to be subject to the Consent Decree. The District continues to provide additional support and resources to the Bayview Hunters Point community through the provision of Dream Schools, the STAR Initiative and the Secondary 137 School Redesign Initiative, as described in the original response. Despite severe budget limitations, the District has offered summer school for all elementary students in BVHP Dream Schools, while elementary schools in the rest of the city only had the option to provide summer school for the 5th grade.
• R2
  Confront the Perception that Local 798 Is Running the Department Department leadership should confront the commonly held perception that Local 798, rather than the Chief, is “running the department.” Response Joanne Hayes-White Chief of Department Fire Department August 23, 2004 Disagree. The Department has had three Chiefs over the past seven years. This procession of Department Heads had difficulty in achieving the momentum necessary to effect substantive change. Chief Joanne Hayes-White and the current Command Staff is committed to providing, and has already displayed the strong leadership necessary to facilitate change and promote the accountability and professionalism throughout the ranks of the Department. IAFF Local 798, as the authorized bargaining unit for most members of the Department is involved in any decision that has the potential to impact the wages, hours or working conditions of its members. The Chief, however, is the sole arbiter of decisions that affect the operations and administration of the Department. The current leadership has already displayed its willingness to exercise independent authority, often in opposition to the opinion of the labor union. 28
• R3
  Undertake Greater Outreach to Ensure Eligible Students Are Enrolled in Dream Schools. SFUSD should undertake greater outreach in order to insure that eligible students get enrolled in Dream Schools and that students not eligible are given every opportunity to attend their current school next year with equal or improved resources. Responses Arlene Ackerman Superintendent of Schools San Francisco Unified School District August 30, 2004 This recommendation has already been implemented, as described in Section 3.8, above. Over 280 new students have been assigned to the Dream Schools, and there is a wait list for the entering kindergarten class. The District will continue its efforts to inform families and students about the Dream Schools Initiative. Arlene Ackerman Superintendent of Schools San Francisco Unified School District June 30, 2005 As noted in the District’s original response, the District took detailed and thorough action to ensure that students were aware of their opportunities and choices within the District, including the opportunity to attend a Dream School. Students who were attending a school that was converted to a Dream School were assigned to remain at that site unless they affirmatively chose to transfer to another school. There were no eligibility requirements to enroll in a Dream School.
• R4
  Undertake Greater Outreach to Ensure Eligible Students Receive Free or Low-Cost Lunches. SFUSD should undertake greater outreach in order to insure that students who are eligible for free or low- cost lunches are receiving them. Responses Arlene Ackerman Superintendent of Schools San Francisco Unified School District August 30, 2004 This recommendation has already been implemented, as described in Section 4.3, above. Arlene Ackerman Superintendent of Schools San Francisco Unified School District June 30, 2005 As noted in the District’s original response, the District took detailed and thorough action to ensure that parents and guardians filled out free and reduced lunch applications. Additionally, the District explained that SFUSD does not deny any student a free or reduced price lunch due to their parent’s failure to return the appropriate documentation. If a parent fails to return such documentation, the result is that the District will not be reimbursed for the lunch that is provided to the student. In the fall, the free and reduced cost lunch program application will be included in the August welcome packet sent home to all students. The forms in this packet all must be filled out and returned at the beginning of the school year, and are stapled together to ensure that parents understand that all of the enclosed forms must be filled out and returned. General Responses Dan Kelly, M.D. President Board of Education August 30, 2004 After receiving the Civil Grand Jury reports on the School District's programs in the Bayview Hunter Point and in the County Community Schools, I requested the Superintendent of Schools and her staff to review the Civil Grand Jury's findings and prepare the required responses. I greatly appreciated the Civil Grand Jury's interest in the education of the children of San Francisco and in particular in these two critical and important areas of our work. Having reviewed the Civil Grand Jury reports and the staffs responses, I am confident that you and the Civil Grand Jury will be reassured about the integrity and quality of the District's services both in the County Community Schools and in the Bayview Hunter's Point programs. As the responses we are submitting indicate, the District shares and even anticipates many of the concerns expressed by the Civil Grand Jury and is taking steps to address those concerns. In other areas, however, the Civil Grand Jury's expressed concerns did not represent accurate portrayals of the District's efforts or the community's desires. On the whole, the Civil Grand Jury has been a helpful exercise for us and the community in drawing attention to the importance that we place on the education of every child in San Francisco. Arlene Ackerman Superintendent of Schools San Francisco Unified School District August 30, 2004 The issues raised in the Civil Grand Jury Report are subject to active, ongoing federal court jurisdiction in the cases of SFNAACP v. SFUSD and Ho v. SFUSD. A Consent Decree was entered in the former case in 1983, and was amended as a result of settlements reached in the latter case in 1999 and most recently in 2001. The Consent Decree addresses a wide range of issues related to student assignment and educational equity. The District’s current student assignment system is mandated by the Consent Decree, as amended in 2001, and can only be changed by agreement of the parties or by order of the Court. The case is under the active supervision of Judge William Alsup of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. Adele Destro Assistant Clerk of the Board Board of Supervisors October 25, 2004 The following is a follow-up report on the 2003-2004 Civil Grand Jury Report The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same: The City and County of San Francisco and The San Francisco Unified School District Are Failing to Address the Educational Needs of the Bayview Hunters Point Community. The Board of Supervisors’ City Services Committee held a hearing on Thursday, October 21, 2004 on the Civil Grand Jury Report. The hearing was continued to the call of the Chair to be held at a time to allow for the attendance and participation of Supervisor Maxwell, parents and students. Adele Destro Assistant Clerk of the Board Board of Supervisors December 6, 2004 The following is a follow-up to the 2003-2004 Civil Grand Jury Report The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same: The City and County of San Francisco and The San Francisco Unified School District Are Failing to Address the Educational Needs of the Bayview Hunters Point Community. The Board of Supervisors’ City Services Committee held a hearing on Thursday, December 2, 2004 on the Civil Grand Jury Report. Representatives from the San Francisco Unified School District responded to all the recommendations by the Civil Grand Jury. Parents and members of the community were heard during public comment and the matter was filed at the conclusion of the hearing. Adele Destro Assistant Clerk of the Board Board of Supervisors June 29, 2005 The Board of Supervisors’ City Services Committee held a hearing on Thursday, December 2, 2004. Representatives from the SFUSD responded to all the recommendations by the Civil Grand Jury. Parents and members of the community were heard during public comment and the matter was filed at the conclusion of the hearing. TERMS SFUSD -San Francisco Unified School District BVHP -Bayview Hunters Point HP -Hunters Point CGJ -Civil Grand Jury 151 Civil Grand Jury Recommendations Board of San Francisco SFUSD and Department Reponses Education Redevelopment Agency SFUSD should provide the Bayview Hunters Students have right to select Point district with neighborhood schools 1 schools from any neighborhood commensurate to its population of eligible within the District. (Disagree) local students. SFUSD and the Redevelopment Agency Based on consultant should forge a plan to build additional schools The SFUSD Master Facilities Plan data, SFUSD has not 2 in the Bayview Hunters Point region in order projects excess capacity at the determined that to address projected needs arising from District. additional schools will development of new housing. be required. SFUSD should undertake greater outreach in order to insure that eligible students get enrolled in Dream Schools and that students 3 Implemented not eligible are given every opportunity to attend their current school next year with equal or improved resources. SFUSD should undertake greater outreach in order to insure that students who are eligible 4 Implemented for free or low-cost lunches are receiving them. For each recommendation, the Civil Grand Jury did not require responses from all departments. The table only identifies those departments that responded to specific recommendations. CHAPTER 4 COUNTY COMMUNITY SCHOOLS: POOR STEPCHILDREN OF THE SAN FRANCISCO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
• R6
  Provide Comprehensive Leadership and Command Training for All Officers The Department should provide comprehensive leadership and command training for all officers prior to their assumption of command. Periodic training should emphasize professionalism, responsibility and accountability and be given on a regular, ongoing basis. Training should include conflict resolution and team building. Responses Joanne Hayes-White Chief of Department Fire Department August 23, 2004 The roles and responsibilities of the officer-as-supervisor have changed dramatically over the years. At one time, a supervisor just needed to be respected by their peers to perform adequately. The role of the supervisor has evolved dramatically. Today, a successful supervisor in the Fire Service must not only understand and know operations and tactics about a broad scope of potential challenges, but be well versed in modern management and personnel theory. Assistant Deputy Chief Tom Siragusa and his training staff are currently researching leadership and command programs for all SFFD Officers. Examples will be drawn from civilian corporations, uniformed public service agencies and even officer training programs from the Armed Forces. In fact, the Department recently completed a comprehensive three-day Battalion Chief Academy training program. Joanne Hayes-White Chief of Department Fire Department August 1, 2005 STATUS AS OF JUNE 2005: The recommendation has been implemented In the last nine months, management and supervisory classes were held for members accepting provisional promotions into the officer ranks. Curriculum included modules in customer service, professional demeanor, conflict resolution and teambuilding, administrative responsibilities, review of fire tactics, dealing with high risk, low frequency operations such as high-rise fires, BART / MUNI responses, management multi-casualty incidents and disaster operations. Accountability is a key element to the success of any organization, and is expected from every member of this Department regardless of rank. This administration continues to hold all its members accountable for performance and behavior. While the administration continues to hold all members accountable for their actions, promotional exams and permanent appointments are crucial to executing this recommendation. The Department looks forward to resolution between the Civil Service Commission and Local 798 regarding the promotional certification rule.