San Francisco Stories: Kindergarten countdown

Allow me to introduce you to the San Francisco Unified School District website. Right off the bat, is there anything on the homepage that raises alarms?

click above graphic to view larger

Maybe it's the fact that there is no superintendent.  Or that they are desperately seeking success stories. Or the calls for new teachers.

(As an aside: When I was a new teacher, I applied to the SFUSD the summer before the starting school year.  I never heard a thing.  Then I went to the HR office where the secretary had a hard time finding the application. When she finally located one, I filled it out again, handed it to the secretary, and...nada.  ...until January of the following year when I was half-way through my first year of teaching in another school district when they called and asked me if I wanted a job. Where were they five months prior? Get it together, San Francisco.)

My favorite part of the SFUSD website is the FAQ, with reassurring exhanges like this:

Q: How many schools should I list on the enrollment application and in what order?

A: Parents/guardians should put down the highest number of school choices (up to a maximum of seven) that they believe would suit their children's educational needs. Parents/guardians should list their choices in order of preference, with one (1) being the first choice and seven (7) being the seventh choice. Families have a better chance of receiving a requested school assignment if they list multiple school choices on their enrollment application. If spaces are not available at the schools requested on the application, students will be assigned to a school selected by SFUSD. There is no disadvantage to listing 7 schools. Parents who do not list up to 7 choices run a higher risk of getting assigned to a school they did not request.

Q: Will my child be guaranteed placement in the school nearest to my home?

A: No. If there are enough spaces at a school to accommodate all students who want to attend, all applicants will receive assignment offers. If there are not enough spaces at a school to accommodate all students who want to attend, there is no guarantee that a student from the attendance area will receive an assignment offer.

Q: What happens if my child does not get assigned to any of the schools that I have listed on the enrollment application?

A: Your child will be assigned to a non-requested school, taking into account your home address and any language programs or other special needs your child may have.

Isn't it nice to know that in San Francisco control over a child's education is removed from the parents' hands almost from the get-go?  Or, I should say, I have a 1-in-7 chance at steering my children towards an acceptable school.

As a former public school teacher, I absolutely support public education and think it can only improve if parents get involved (really involved, not just "talking the talk") and help to foment change.  The hardest part for me to reconcile is that I'm just not sure I have it in me to "walk the walk" right now. And that's why we'll be looking at private schools, too.

I just want what's best for my child, you know?

Comments

[Janet]

Yikes,
Superintendent, teachers and success stories needed...Maybe you should send the kids to boarding school in switzerland. It may be closer than the school you get in the "lottery".
Good luck.

[pixie sticks]

Crap. I literally cringed when I saw the subject line in bloglines. This just might be the thing that finally kicks my ass out of the City. Finding a preschool almost sent me to the looney bin. I'm screwed.

[weigooksaram]

The San Francisco system is a nightmare. I don't envy you.

Half Changed World has been writing a lot about public schools lately, and there's a lively comment discussion about it on her blog and some others. You might want to check it out.

[Phc]

The PHPA had an email discussion about this recently- well, about SF schools and the concern about sending your child to one. 100% of people who replied said they sent their children to public schools and LOVE it. It was reassuring to hear, even though we aren't worried about it quite yet.

This blog should also prove helpful to you: http://www.sfschools.org/

[CityMama]

Pixie, I almost think the way to go is to find a school that is preschool-8th (or, better yet—12th), then you only have to go through hell once.

We didn't have to go through the preschool hell because my friend is Bunny's teacher.

I'm just starting the process now and apparently, I'm already behind. I should have set up my school tours in August.

Sigh.

[Gretchen]

See, you should have moved to Oakland - there you ONLY have to list 3 schools, not 7!

[Allie]

I feel your pain. We have 2 girls, 4 and 2, and are in SF. However, I feel it is my duty to say that despite all the "playground talk" and off-hand comments one hears in this town about how difficult it is to get into the school you really want, I am finding more and more folks (whose kids actually go to SFUSD schools) who assure me that in fact the process is not as bad as everyone would have us believe. For example, although the first round of "acceptances" may not include your desired school, the wait-list frequently opens up to let you in. I've heard it likened to a popular college course. You just have to be a bit persistent, but you can get in. Also, the bad rap the public schools get is really unfortunate. We have some incredible elementary schools in this city.

I say all this because as a fellow SF parent, I felt so discouraged by all the information that gets passed so casually out there, I had all but given up entirely on our kids going to sfusd. Now, however, I have a really different perspective and really want to be part of the movement to use the public schools. Check out Parents for Public Schools if you haven't already. It may change your mind a bit.

[CityMama]

Allie, thanks for your comments. I actually have heard it both ways: that's it's hard and that it's easy. I'm one to find out for myself, I just wish it didn't have to be this way. If PPS really wants parents to be involved, they should push for a return to neighborhood schools. I'd love to get involved in a school IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD. There is an elementary school 3 blocks away that I'd love to send Bunny to. Being that it is in my nabe I'd be compelled to volunteer there. Getting to a school across town in harder. I'm not as invested as I would be if my kids' school was down the street.

[Marivi]

Just remember that many private schools expect lots of parent volunteer hours (20-40/year) and even cash donations on top of the $16-20,000/year tuition.

You certainly won't be off the hook for getting involved.

How great would SF public schools be if upper middle class families volunteered *half* the time they end up volunteering for their private schools or donating a third of what they would have paid in tuition?

[Allie]

CM, I understand what you mean about the neighborhood thing. We have a brand new school 6 blocks away and it's quite surreal that we are not sure whether we will get in there or not. I really can't speak "for" PPS or its' agenda, as I see it more as a resource for information, but I can say that it would appear that there still are a lot of folks who really feel the return to neighborhood schools isn't yet warranted and that the reasons for the Consent Decree/weighted lottery system still exist. Maybe PPS would is trying to accomodate all the different opinions on that issue by not overtly pushing neighborhood -- not sure. Ironically, however, as you probably know, the Consent Decree ended in 12/05 and is now just operating as I understand it in some sort of extension quasi-state. Point being, it would appear that some sort of change is ahead shortly for sfusd and its admission/placement policies.

BTW, love the pix of your yellow house! Wish we were looking in Portland.

[CityMama]

Yes, Allie, I thought we'd be done with the whole lottery by now. Maybe changes are a-comin'. I don't see the 2007-2008 info on the site yet (unless I'm not looking in the right place) so let's hope.

[honglien123]

Holy crap...and I thought we had it bad in Oakland! Amazingly, I was able to get my girl into our good neighborhood school. Have you gone to the school in your neighborhood and talked to the administrators or the teachers? I've heard that sometimes they can help you out. If San Francisco is anything like Oakland then neighborhood children should have first dibs on enrollment.

[sweetchaos]

I think I'm one of the success stories. We got into our 2nd choice and it's 5 blocks from the house.

The school itself is lovely and wonderful and the little man loves it.

The afterschool program is crap. I wanted to stick it out and raise funds for it, but it comes down to the inability of the teachers to want to change the program.

Too many days of the little man in tears and then telling me he's slow to want to stick it out.

That said, the school itself is great and I'm very excited that he's in such a good public school.-

[marivi]

Are you willing to drive across town for a private school?

We are actually considering traveling all the way to Oakland from SF for the only private, academically rigorous Spanish-immersion program in the state...

[OTRgirl]

I attended a public Montessori elementary school in Cincinnati. I, too, believe deeply in public education and it must be heart wrenching to not be able to just trust that your child will be in school in your own neighborhood and/or school of your choice. You should be able to get at least one of those options!

[melissaS]

Neighborhood schools are just dropping like flies.

The school three blocks down the street from us is closing next year and our kids are supposed to go to a huge school for 900 elementary schoolers.

Way too big in my opinion and the reason we'll be moving to a different neighborhood.

[madmom]

Oh, CityMama (and all the rest of you who are at the mercy of a school lottery) how awful for you that your school choice isn't guaranteed!

Really, SF school system sucks. The state shouldn't have so much control over your child's education. Has it always been that way? Why can't ya'll go to your nabe school? Doesn't make sense...*shakes head*

Our neighborhood Elementary school is half a block from our house; the Middle school is two blocks north; and the High school is two blocks east. It takes five minutes walking and two minutes biking to get the girls to school, which is great because I hate driving anywhere.

Also, we're (purposefully) in an older neighborhood so most of the teachers who work at the school were students there and they send their own children there, too. It's a great community - just what we wanted.

I hope it all works out for you. And you, too, SB!

[L.]

We moved to SF in July of 2005, with an incoming third grader and fifth grader. My kids went to public school in Tokyo, and I assumed we could find an acceptable, nearby public school. So I came over in March by myself and met with a SFUSD placement counselor, at their downtown office on Franklin Street.

She told me, "Get your kids over here RIGHT NOW -- by July, it will be open enrollment, you will have missed all rounds of the lottery, and there`s no guarantee we can even get them in the same school." But there was no way we could move four months early.

So that`s why they ended up at their Catholic school, within walking distance of our house. Fortunately, it turned out to be a creative, diverse, gay-friendly, non-holy roller Catholic school (with lots of non-Catholics), and overall, it`s worked out well -- and it costs much less than a "real" private school.

[gena]

Move to Berkeley! We didn't get into ANY of our 7 choices in SF. Here in Berkeley we got our second choice, and we walk 5 blocks to school! We also have excellent after school classes for a nominal fee. I am so happy.
Added bonus-- the schools really are diverse.
Private schools are so $$$$-- my friend's kid just started at CAIS for $1700 a month per kid, no sibling discount, and they expect a $1500 donation right off the bat.

[Desertbitch]

Have you seen the John Stossel special called "Stupid in AMerica"?

It is a great program for all of us to see who are depending on our public school system.

If you haven't seen it , you can watch the first airing of it on YouTube.

Also, I was talking to a friend who lives in a rent control apartment in Santa Monica. At her public school they expect a one thousand dollar donation for every child atttending.
Good luck with your school. Our school is one block away. whew.

[Fog Mom]

Do you know for sure that your neighborhood school gets more applications than it has places? As noted in the FAQ, if it doesn't and you choose it, your child will go there. This information, as well as lots of other info is available fromSFUSD and PPS

[SF Mom of One]

Neighborhood school assignment does not equal parent control unless you have the resources and luck to choose a home in the narrow slice of "neighborhood" assigned to that school.

I am glad I could look around, find programs that were good for our daughter and family (language immersion, late start time, short drive away). The neighborhood school didn't have many attractions, beyond being in the neighborhood.

Not that the school is without problems, but that's true of public schools in general, starving for funds.