San Francisco, CA
Meet the District 2 candidates: How should SFUSD students be assigned to schools?
Welcome back to our “Meet the Candidates” series, where District 2 supervisor candidates respond to a question in 100 words or fewer. Answers are published every Tuesday.
District 2 covers neighborhoods in the north of the city including the Presidio, the Marina, Cow Hollow, Pacific Heights, Presidio Heights, Anza Vista and portions of the Western Addition and North of the Panhandle.
Every year, confused parents of children entering San Francisco’s public schools have to confront the lottery.
The system is theoretically simple. Parents provide a ranked list of their top choice San Francisco Unified School District picks by late January. SFUSD runs a lottery, and a few months later the district tells parents where their kid is assigned.
But parents hate it.
Making the list of schools is time consuming and the wait is anxiety-inducing, parents say. Plus, the results can be disappointing — an assignment to a school they didn’t want, or one with a start or end time that is impossible to coordinate around work schedules.
So why have a lottery system? The lottery started in 2002 after a court case that prohibited the district from considering race when making school assignments. But SFUSD didn’t want to simply send students to their nearest school, which would result in schools segregated by class and race, mirroring the city itself. So, it started using a lottery.
In the end, though, SFUSD data showed that the lottery system exacerbated inequality in the school system.
So, in 2020, SFUSD’s Board of Education voted to move San Francisco back to a zone-based system of school assignments. The hope was that the new zone system would lead to more predictability, students enrolled in schools closer to home, and more diverse classrooms.
In reality, figuring out how to divide the city into zones that allow for all three of those factors — predictability, proximity, and diversity — is a tall order. Though the new zones were supposed to be implemented by the 2026-2027 school year, there is no current proposal for what the zones would look like and no timeline for SFUSD switching over.
This week’s question: How should SFUSD students be assigned to schools?
Lori Brooke
- Job: President, Cow Hollow Association
- Age: 62
- Residency: Homeowner, moved to the district 31 years ago
- Transportation: Driving and walking
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara
- Languages: English
When assigning schools to students, SFUSD should prioritize accessibility, strong education and ensure schools across the city are equally resourced.
I have heard complaints from many parents that they would like the option to walk their kids to school and not have to send them an hour across the city every day.
We can improve the selection process to ensure that students can choose a school in their neighborhood. Limiting travel time will also give kids one less thing to worry about and ensure that they are more focused on their education.
See Brooke’s full response here.
Endorsed by: Former District 2 Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier, former State Senator and Supervisor Quentin Kopp, UESF, CA Working Families Party … read more here.
Stephen Sherrill
- Job: Appointed District 2 Supervisor
- Age: 39
- Residency: Homeowner, moved to the district 11 years ago
- Transportation: Driving, public transportation, biking
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from Yale University
- Languages: English
SFUSD should move to a simpler, more neighborhood-based assignment system. Families deserve a fair chance to attend a school closer to home, without a confusing citywide lottery or long commutes.
Assignment reform also has to be matched by a serious focus on school quality. In a district facing budget cuts and hard decisions about its footprint, resources should be concentrated so neighborhood schools can offer students the staffing, support, and academic programs they need. While the Board of Supervisors does not control SFUSD policy, I will continue to use this office to advocate for that approach.
See Sherrill’s full response here.
Endorsed by: Mayor Daniel Lurie, GrowSF, Nor Cal Carpenters Union, San Francisco Police Officers Association, SF YIMBY, Northern Neighbors … read more here.
Candidates are ordered alphabetically and rotated each week. Answers may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, and grammar. If you have questions for the candidates, please let us know at io@missionlocal.com.
You can register to vote via the sf.gov website.
Two of San Francisco’s favorite summer events return to the city’s streets next month.
The merrymaking begins with one of the longest running street festivals in San Francisco.
Union Street Festival(Courtesy of Sunset Mercantile)
The two-day long Union Street Festival, presented by Sunset Mercantile in partnership with the Union Street Association, brings together neighbors, locals, and visitors alike to celebrate local business, culture, and community on June 6th and 7th from 11am to 7pm
That weekend, the charming and walkable Cow Hollow neighborhood’s Union Street will transform into an open-air market between Fillmore and Gough with live music, dance, food, art, cocktails and mocktails, plus family-friendly games and activities.
Don’t miss out on San Francisco traditions like the iconic Waiter Relay Race on June 7th at 12pm. The high-energy, crowd-favorite competition where local restaurant, bar, and hospitality teams run a relay race while balancing trays is an only-in-SF-style homage to the city’s vibrant service industry and community spirit.
Just two weeks later, on Saturday, June 20th, and Sunday, June 21st, from 11am to 7pm, is the 70th anniversary of the North Beach Festival, presented by Zoox.
North Beach Festival(Courtesy of Sunset Mercantile)
The heart of the festival is at the intersection of Columbus Avenue and Green Street, and this year it will be bigger than ever with more than 200 vendors spread out across 11 blocks. Along with live music, delicious food, and outdoor bars featuring craft beer, wine, and cocktails, you’ll find activities for all ages, including jewelry making, live silk screening, and a kid-friendly zone with Legos, bubbles, chalk drawing, and more.
The Blessing of the Animals, a cherished San Francisco tradition where pet owners are encouraged to bring their furry friends for a special ceremony, will be held at 1pm on both Saturday and Sunday. There’s plenty to do while you’re in the neighborhood, too, like checking out the epic views from Coit Tower and browsing the stacks at City Lights Bookstore.
Even if Karl gets his way, the summer vibes at both events will be powerful enough to cut through the June gloom.
// Learn more at sunsetmercantilesf.com
SAN FRANCISCO – The children in one of San Francisco’s most historically challenged neighborhoods now have a new playground to call their own. The park has undergone its first major overhaul since it was opened in 1995, and is now officially kid approved.
Revitalized family-friendly space
What we know:
The children of San Francisco’s Tenderloin welcomed visitors to the newly renovated Tenderloin Children’s’ Playground. Upgrades include a new basketball court, new mini-soccer field just in time for the World Cup, and a new climbing structure that will thrill a new generation of kids.
Azzam Alameri, the District 5 youth commissioner, grew up just blocks from Tenderloin Children’s Playground and he remembers the outdated old park.
“It’s a drastic difference. Before, it was very desolate. It was very dark,” said Alameri.
Now he said the kids would have a destination. “I can relate to these kid,” Alamaeri said. “This place is like their safe spot. Their parents can drop them off and have not too many worries about the neighborhood and have them be kids, you know.”
The park reopened earlier than anticipated following a $3.8 million public private partnership. Sarah Madland from San Francisco Recreation and Parks said: “For more than three decades, Tenderloin Rec has not received a full renovation. But, with the support of our park partners, today we are celebrating this completely reimagined space.”
Upgrade ‘long overdue’
Supervisor Bilal Mahmood said the upgrade was long overdue. “This is a neighborhood with 3,500 hundred kids and it deserves to see the same love as the rest of the city does as well.”
The park drew fans big and small, including Mayor Daniel Lurie. “I want to be brief because I want to go up there,” he said, pointing to the top of the slide.
The new park brought out the kid in Mayor Lurie who couldn’t resist a quick climb into the structure, and a slide to the bottom. The mayor says this park is only the beginning. “This community deserves all of this and so much more and so, this is just a start.”
What’s next:
Until now, the park was only available Monday through Friday, but now it will be open on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to welcome as many kids as the park can hold.
-
Lifestyle15 minutes agoIf you attend a David Sedaris reading, you’re helping him edit
-
Technology27 minutes agoAll the news about Ferrari’s polarizing Luce EV
-
World33 minutes agoUS ally pledges support for Trump’s push to break Iran’s grip on Hormuz: ‘We are ready to contribute’
-
Politics39 minutes agoJohn Thune goes ‘all in’ for Ken Paxton after bitter primary ripped GOP apart
-
Health45 minutes agoER doctor reveals how pneumonia can suddenly turn deadly after Kyle Busch’s death
-
Sports51 minutes agoNew York Attorney General Letitia James joins FIFA investigation into possible ticket price gauging
-
Technology57 minutes agoYour health app may be failing you
-
Business1 hour agoAngry Ferrari fans say the Italian company’s new EV is too Californian
