SFNext: San Francisco teacher’s odyssey getting to and from work a non-stop challenge

SAN FRANCISCO — Earlier than the break of daybreak, a routine kicks off in Harmony. Lisa Gaglioti grabs her lunch, stashes it into her bag full of work, and says goodbye to her cat.

Inside seconds she’s out the door, into the darkish, and on her approach. Gaglioti is in a rush. She does not need to miss the practice. 

“I obtained to catch BART to make it to San Francisco to go to work,” she mentioned.

Gaglioti works as a particular training instructor at Hillcrest Elementary Faculty within the metropolis’s Excelsior District. The general public college is about 30 miles away. Her commute is roughly an hour and a half if she’s fortunate and does not miss her connection. 

Fifteen BART stops and a packed bus trip later, she lastly arrives at her vacation spot and is lastly prepared to start out her day. 

Gaglioti heads up some stairs, down the corridor, and out onto the playground the place her college students are ready. They’re thrilled to see her, and vice versa. On a typical day, she assembles them right into a straight line, then they stroll again into the constructing and upstairs to her classroom. 

On this present day, the youngest little one grabbed Gaglioti’s hand and so they walked collectively up a couple of flights of stairs, with the younger pupil telling her about his morning. She works with 13 special-needs kids starting from kindergartners to fifth graders. They’ve a variety of challenges, and Gaglioti prepares classes which are applicable for every little one. The environment within the classroom is heat and caring.

The salaried instructor tried her finest to get some prep work performed on public transit, however the trains and buses stuffed up shortly and it was quickly inconceivable to work. 

Gaglioti works lengthy hours and infrequently leaves college as late as 7 p.m. to return house. She would like to dwell in San Francisco, but it surely’s simply not financially potential.

“I simply can’t afford it,” mentioned Gaglioti. “There is not any approach I can afford it on my instructor’s wage.”

Whereas San Francisco officers simply broke floor for an inexpensive housing challenge for academics, Gaglioti advised KPIX 5 that does not assist her college students. She recounted how their households can not afford to dwell right here, both.  

“Our enrollment has gone approach down as a result of our households – our Black and Brown households – cannot afford to dwell within the metropolis anymore. So, they’re transferring out,” she defined. 

Saturday, Dec. 3 at 6:30 pm. KPIX 5 will current “SFNext: Looking for Options” a particular challenge created by the San Francisco Chronicle. Hosted by Juliette Goodrich, this system will present how common residents are searching for revolutionary options to a number of the persistent issues that bedevil San Francisco.