If we are to succeed as a district, we need to move the discussion away from how best to assign students to good and bad schools, but rather how to make sure all schools are great so that no matter where you live, there is a school the community can be proud of and any parent would be happy to send their kids. Of course, quality requires resources. But even in tough times there are creative ways to bring resources to schools. To do this we must make budget choices that prioritize putting our money into school sites and build partnerships with the city and funders who can bring resources and services to our students. We must also target those resources to schools, teachers, administrators, and communities who try innovative approaches and get breakthrough results.
- Bringing new resources to our schools. We must prioritize getting our limited funds to school sites and teachers who deliver high-quality instruction to our kids. That in turn will help convince families to stay in San Francisco and through their ADA bring more resources to our schools. This year alone we will lose over $2 million due to decreased enrollment in our schools. In addition, we need to focus on new sources of funds, such as Prop 13 reform and partnerships with city and private funders to diversify our funding sources. I have spent the last two years working on a public/private partnership and have seen the power of aligning goals and bringing in private funding to support public efforts to change the system. We have brought in over $5 million in private funds to the city, and there are funders who are eager to invest in the schools with the right plan and leadership. Budget cuts are not the answer; creatively using our existing funds and expanding the base of funding for schools and students will help us break the vicious cycle.
- Nurturing best practices from within and without. As the field of education continues to advance, we must create opportunities to nurture best practices that grow within our schools and bring in new ideas that have had proven success in other communities. Prop A funds have been set aside to reward schools that demonstrate significant improvement, but we also need funds to encourage innovation and testing of new models and ideas, both within the school and in partnerships with the community, to help make our schools continuous learning environments for our teachers and administrators as well as our students.
- Building partnerships with the community. If we want great schools in all of our neighborhoods we must recognize that we cannot do this work alone. San Francisco has a rich network of community based organizations who can work with us to invest in our students and help them achieve. In addition, when we move towards community schools, parents and businesses in a neighborhood can come together to build community around a school, invest their time and energy in supporting the teachers and leadership, and ensure that every school gets the support it needs to succeed.
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