The newest members of the San Francisco Unified School District's Board of Education (BOE) were sworn in this past Friday, January 5th. Jane Kim, Kim-Shree Maufas and Hydra Mendoza have now joined the small group of individuals charged with the responsibility of ensuring our school system is the best it can possibly be for all of our kids. No small feat.

Half-full and half-empty appraisals of our schools were invoked by speakers on Friday evening, and both assessments were correct. The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) has many excellent schools and programs throughout the City, far more than is acknowledged and far more than those uninvolved with our public schools think. These days it's getting harder to turn a corner without find parents who are promoting yet another "hidden gem" of a school, or who want to describe an innovative program that is succeeding despite the dulling uniformity pushed by the current hyper-reliance on standards. Exciting opportunities exist for our kids, side-by-side with the solid educational practices of our teachers and administrators.

But while there is much to be enthusiastic about, there is still much to be serioulsy concerned with. Racial and ethnic disparities, reflected in increasing segregation of more schools and programs and in the ever-present achievement gap are perhaps the gravest. Compounding this is declining enrollment, continuing at the predicted pace (at least for the next few years) of about 1,000 students per year.

Into this mix of what we both hope for and despair about is thrown the new board. And, as we do every year, we have expectations for this body to chart a course that holds on to what has served our students well while remedying any failures.

Again, no small feat.

This year our expectations for the BOE may be even higher as the new commissioners bring significant change to the composition of the group. The new members, all women of color, are committed, seasoned advocates and activists. Their presence increases the majority of people of color on the board and creates a majority of women. Two of them, Mendoza and Maufus, are also parents of currently enrolled SFUSD students, which along with Mar who has a child in an SFUSD elementary school, means that a significant number are personally living the day-to-day realities of families along the entire K-12 spectrum.

Kim, as a youth advocate, will no doubt bring a higher profile to the concerns of our older students. Mendoza and Maufus, respectively the Mayor's Education Advisor and a policy analyst for the Department on the Status of Women, bring the strengths of close ties to City Hall, and in the case of Mendoza, the task of maintaining a transparent independence.

Combined with the depth and breadth of experience, knowledge and perspectives of returning commissioners Eric Mar, Mark Sanchez, Jill Wynns and Norman Yee, these newest members most certainly render this a strong group.

That strength will get tested immediately and consistentely, as the list of issues confronting the BOE is not much different than the list facing previous boards. In addition to the matters of continued and increased racial segregation, the achievement gap and declining enrollment, there are other hot items waiting to be attended to:


The Budget Crunch: we know the budget is tight, due primarily to insufficient funding but also because we have fewer students. How will the gap between what we need and have be bridged this year? At the local level there has been talk over the last several months of proposing a parcel tax, an effort which if successful would bring in a welcome, steady stream of revenue at some point in the future. That doesn't mean help this year though. Even with a parcel tax, state funding is still significant and the Governor just announced expansive and expensive plans for increased health care coverage, more prisons, and more higher education class space. As Schwarzenegger is unwilling to look at taxes, one has to immediately ask if these increased costs in the Governor's program will once again met by raiding the K-12 Proposition 98 funds?

The Superintendent Search: the board has chosen a search firm and BOE President Mark Sanchez has proposed creating a specific board committee devoted to the task. Such a concentration of effort makes a lot of sense. The job of Superintendent is a complex one, made only more intense by the high level of collaboration, communication, leadership and innovation that we all hope for in the person filling this post next. Gwen Chan, the Interim Superintendent, has served well in this role, and hopefully she is still considering putting her name down as an interested candidate. But even with such a great candidate, a complete search still needs to be undertaken that not only identifies possible individuals to consider, but that fleshes out the requirements and expectations associated with the position, including when, how and for what the next superintendent will be evaluated.
The New Plan: the district is currently in the middle of an intensive community engagement effort as part of developing a long-term plan. The new board is coming in near the end of that process and will be weighing the analysis of the community meetings and the proposed plan itself. The results of these efforts should be a document that guides decisions regarding programs, school openings and closures and more. The implications will be long-lasting, which will be a good thing if the plan is solid.

Student Assignement: the long-term plan will need to be supported by a new student assignment policy advancing the goals of equity and opportunity. Luckily the community engagement meetings will have generated a significant amount of information about what people all over San Francisco are looking for in schools and what they consider when they are thinking of schools for their children. An assignment plan on its own can't solve all problems, but it can ameliorate some and can be designed to not cause many more. Still, it's a complex formula that will never be able to make all residents happy, especially given limited resources and the underlying inequalities in our society. Additionally, ambiguity remains regarding the use of race as a factor, as the Supreme Court isn't expected to make a decision about the Seattle school district's limited use of race until this summer.

No Child Left Behind (NCLB): George Bush's pet project is turning five this year, which means it's up for reauthorization, unless those in Washington get scared and decide to wait until after the elections. Reauthorization would be unlikely to result in just blanket renewal. Opportunities to change the law are there, but it's not clear to what degree. A lot of effort, from parents, teachers, students, adminstrators, unions, non-profits, school boards and elected officials will be required to create the solutions. We will need to put on the pressure to make meaningful changes to the law and to make sure that those who think they are helping education are not really hurting it in the way they did the first time around.

It will be a full year once again, but this board seems up to the task and willing for us to help them meet it head on.

Lisa Schiff is the parent of two children who attend McKinley Elementary School in the San Francisco Unified School District and is a member of the board of directors of Parents for Public Schools of San Francisco.