Addressing Achievement Gap

By Mark Murphy

San Francisco Unified School District must continue to address a diverse student body.

1.) In San Francisco, almost half the children enrolled in our schools live in poverty
2.) Nearly one third begin school not speaking, reading or writing English

While funding and staffing changes within the District have improved with the passing of Proposition 30 (http://www.sfusd.edu/en/about-sfusd/budget/how-does-proposition-30-affect-sfusd.html), the state's continued economic recovery, and soon the Local Control Funding Formula (http://www.sfusd.edu/en/news/from-the-desk-of-the-superintendent/2013-superintendents-column-archive/12/getting-to-know-the-local-control-funding-formula.html) will help shore up critical recent historic losses to the district's budget, the ongoing conversation addressing the largest numbers of underachieving students is paramount.

As a School Board member, Mark's Co-Chair role of the PEEF CAC (http://www.sfusd.edu/en/about-sfusd/initiatives-and-plans/voter-initiatives/public-education-enrichment-fund.html), providing guidance on nearly $50M annual District program expenditures, many addressing access and equity, will provide him the unique background and oversight experience to continue advocating for those children in the San Francisco School District with less, so they can do more.