School Closures and Consolidations

The school closure debates we have seen in recent years have been sad and divisive for our community. Schools have been pitted against each other, each competing to convince the Board that their program deserves to be spared. The process has been secretive and unclear, relies upon sometimes questionable assumptions, and too often concludes in rushed decision-making that causes significant upheaval for families and school communities.

It is the responsibility of the Board to ensure that we use our limited state dollars wisely and to the maximum benefit of all students in SFUSD, so additional closures may be necessary. However, any discussion of school closures must be connected to the larger strategic plan the district is implementing. The Board must be able to explain to the community how a painful closure decision will result in better outcomes for students. As a Commissioner, I will:

• Work for community input, transparency and broad agreement on the criteria the staff uses to select closure candidates, and insist that these criteria be connected to academic equity and outcomes;
• Demand a clear process that sets timelines and establishes a detailed transition plan up front, in order to minimize the impact on families affected by a school closure;
• Push for a detailed and comprehensive analysis showing just how much closing a particular school saves the district going forward, so that we can honestly evaluate whether the savings are worth the pain;
• Take into account whether one neighborhood is bearing a heavier burden than others when selecting sites for possible closure;
• Develop an overall facilities plan so that we can help school communities plan well in advance if co-location or consolidations are necessary.

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