Thread by @PPSSFBoardWatch

Starting at 5 PM is the Ad Hoc Committee on Student Assignment. We will be live tweeting until the end of tonight's meeting #BoardWatch

The meeting is being called to order and there is one thing on the agenda: the student assignment policy #BoardWatch

Orla O'Keefe will be presenting. This is the 11th working meeting about a new student assignment policy starting with elementary school #BoardWatch

"Above all else, parents want to send their students to quality schools. School assignment policy do not alone create quality schools." Orla O'Keefe #BoardWatch

What problems are we trying to address?
1. School segregation 2. Burden on families 3. Disconnect between schools & communities 4. under enrollment #BoardWatch

Redlining still affects communities in San Francisco based on socio-economic status, and race and ethnicity. And this impacts our schools #BoardWatch

Here is a link to the slides being used tonight go.boarddocs.com/ca/sfusd/Board… #BoardWatch

Prioritized policy goals: 1. diversity 2. predictability 3. proximity #BoardWatch

What do we hope to achieve through the new policy? 1. Equity 2. Anti-racism 3. Simplicity #BoardWatch

Recommended: This policy will establish zone-based choice with the opportunity to apply for all types of unique programs in SFUSD. The assignment process simplifies current tiebreakers and applies diversity categories to prevent segregation #BoardWatch

There are two questions we want answered: 1. Which students have access to which schools? Answer: Zone 2. How are students assigned to schools within their zone? Answer: Tie breakers and diversity categories #BoardWatch

Every elementary school will be a part of a zone & families’ choices will be based on the zone in which they live. #BoardWatch

Every family will have access to
K-5, K-8, Language, and Special Education
programs, and will be assigned to a school within
their zone #BoardWatch

It's incredibly difficult to look at every school and those that have resources like time and money have a greater ability to view schools #BoardWatch

Parents also rely on word of mouth about which schools their friends recommend and that can make schools even more segregated than some neighborhoods #BoardWatch

The board will NOT be voting on a map of zones in December, this will come after the policy is approved #BoardWatch

When creating zones the following will come into play: 1. reflect the diversity of the city 2. Capacity 3. Limit the number of schools in each zone 4. Reasonable geographic distance 5. Accessibility to public transit 6. zone boundaries may be revised over time #BoardWatch

Younger siblings, equity, and preK programs co-located at certain elementary schools will help determine tie-breakers #BoardWatch

The assignment algorithm will include diversity categories to prevent segregation and will attempt to match families with
one of their choices #BoardWatch

Usually higher levels of choice usually lead to higher levels of segregation #BoardWatch

Other districts, like Berkeley Unified, have found success with controlled choice and diversity categories #BoardWatch

It is not enough to just restrict choice to zones but adding diversity categories improves all measure of diversity #BoardWatch

An example of how this could potentially work #BoardWatch

Student assignment alone does not create quality schools; site budgets, staffing, facility maintenance, transportation, and portfolio of programs also plays a part #BoardWatch