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Indybay Feature
SF Board of Education Halts Decision on School Closings
Bowing to overwhelming public pressure, the San Francisco Board of Education voted last night to put off a controversial decision on school closures as city leaders scramble to avoid displacing thousands of students next year. At issue was a proposal to close five schools and merge or relocate nearly two dozen others to balance the San Francisco Unified School District budget. The schools were selected because of low enrollment or proximity to other schools.
Last year, San Francisco schools lost around 1,000 students, a loss of $5 million in funding. Thursday evening’s special meeting at Everett Middle School was to be the last venue for schools to state their case before the board made a final decision in time for new parents to begin selecting schools in next year’s lottery.
The board’s decision followed more than five hours of emotional testimony from opponents of various aspects of the consolidation plan. Much of the testimony from parents, teachers, and students focused on statistics and anecdotes reflecting what students and parents continue to assert are quality schools. The raucous, standing room-only crowd employed a plethora of creative methods to implore the board to save their programs, including colorful signs, t-shirts, multi-lingual presentations, and local celebrities.
The meeting came to a standstill for several minutes when San Francisco Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, a vocal opponent of school closures, came to the podium with an offer from the Board of Supervisors of a loan to allow the school district to take more time to consider its options.
Read More
http://www.beyondchron.org/news/index.php?itemid=2839#more
The board’s decision followed more than five hours of emotional testimony from opponents of various aspects of the consolidation plan. Much of the testimony from parents, teachers, and students focused on statistics and anecdotes reflecting what students and parents continue to assert are quality schools. The raucous, standing room-only crowd employed a plethora of creative methods to implore the board to save their programs, including colorful signs, t-shirts, multi-lingual presentations, and local celebrities.
The meeting came to a standstill for several minutes when San Francisco Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, a vocal opponent of school closures, came to the podium with an offer from the Board of Supervisors of a loan to allow the school district to take more time to consider its options.
Read More
http://www.beyondchron.org/news/index.php?itemid=2839#more
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Mirkarimi Shows Leadership in School Closure Fight
Tue, Jan 17, 2006 7:56AM
NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS NOW!!!
Fri, Jan 13, 2006 8:21AM
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