top of page
Writer's pictureVicky Keston

Help! SFUSD School Closures

Updated: 3 days ago

SFUSD announced this week a list of schools that might close or merge. Understandably, parents at these schools are upset, concerned about their children, and worried about losing their community and teachers. Should this list be approved by the school board, some schools would move students all to the same school, others would split the students to three different schools, and none of the teachers have been given clear direction on their assignments. 

This blog is intended to help parents understand the process and their options. This blog is not intended to opine on whether schools should close, or what parents should do, but rather to educate parents.


What is Process to Close Schools? 

This list of school closures was created by district staff and approved by the Superintendent, in a process called Resource Alignment Initiative, aka School Closures. The reason behind the initiative was the school budget and declining SFUSD enrollment. Many SFUSD schools are below capacity, and the district is now operating with some state oversight to ensure that they stay within budget. Regardless of any school closure decisions, SFUSD must operate with near-full classes, with approximately 22 kids per class in kindergarten thru 3rd grade and 30-35 kids per class in 4th thru 12th grade. SFUSD also must operate at the capacity of IEPs, in other words when a shared paraprofessional or special education teacher is required, placing enough students to fill that shared role instead of a private session. One way they could do this is closing schools so that classrooms are full; another way would be operating mixed-grade classrooms.

No school closures are final until the Board of Education approves this. Currently, the Board will review the list on November 12th, when parents can comment in person or online. They will then vote to approve the list on December 10th. The Board will then meet on December 12th to adjust the budget for the rest of the 2024-25 school year to balance the operating expenses with the revenue. 


Our School May Close – What Are My Options in SFUSD?

The summary of their process is in this document. SFUSD will give each student at a closing school (or one merging to a new site, i.e. closing the current site) an initial assignment, at some date that they have not yet shared. Families will have the choice to either accept this assignment or apply for a new school in the lottery, with a deadline of January 31st, except that Lowell High School and Ruth Asawa School of the Arts have different processes noted below. All students at schools that are closing will have a high tiebreaker in the lottery, likely just after siblings of returning students. 

If you prefer public school but don’t want the school assigned to your child, you should apply before the deadline and list several schools. If you have siblings for the same school levels (ie elementary, middle, or high), be sure to list the same schools in the same order for each child as they will also get a sibling tiebreaker. For example, if your elder child is currently in 1st grade and younger in preschool, you would apply for kindergarten and 2nd grade. The older child, if attending a closing school, would get the school closure tiebreaker, and the younger child would receive a sibling tiebreaker after the older child is placed. 

Let’s get into some specifics:

  • Check that you have a password for a ParentVue account. If your password isn’t working, you can reset or request assistance. The earlier you do this, the better you will feel. An operating account gives you access to your child’s records and does not require that you apply for a new school.

  • Review the plethora of SFUSD options in my SFUSD school spreadsheet.

  • Attend the SFUSD Enrollment Fair on October 19, 2024 from 10am to 2pm. If your child is a preteen or older, bring your student. Middle and high schoolers care a lot about where they attend school and will want to have a vote in the decision. Arrive early, as the fair gets very crowded. 

  • Post in parenting groups, such as the SFUSD Families Forum, to learn firsthand how parents are enjoying specific schools. You can speak with families at both your potential receiving school, as well as other schools of interest. 

  • For parents at closing schools, you may request a free 15-minute consultation on SFUSD options with me. Note, this is a no-cost option and, as such, will only include your public school options. 

  • For high school parents applying to Lowell or Ruth Asawa School of the Arts, take note of the process and deadlines for their applications, which are merit based. Currently Lowell applications are due on December 13th for 9th grade and June 20th for 10th thru 12th grades. RASOTA applications are due on December 13th for all grades. 


Our School May Close – What Are My Options Outside of SFUSD?

Let’s back up for a moment, because parents are not sheep, and you always have the following options:

  • Find another SFUSD school. This option is explored in depth above. SFUSD has many schools, and you can explore many options inside the district.

  • Find a public charter school. The city has a small number of charters. Each one allows you to apply on their website. Any charter school application is separate from your SFUSD application. As such, you do not need to rank charter schools, and you can apply online now as it does not commit you to selecting the school if you win it in their lottery.

  • Move to a different district. The best resource for comparing districts may be a realtor, but you can also post in this Facebook group. If you plan to move if your school closes, you might wait for the school board to vote on the closures.

  • Apply to private school. Private schools are in the following categories: parochial schools run by a religious parish (which typically cost around $10,000 per year for K-8 and around $25,000 for high school), independent schools (which are run by an independent board of directors and typically cost around $40,000 for K-8 and $60,000 for high school, but some are as little as $20,000 for K-8). Rather than cover the entire universe of private schools in this post, I’ll share some posts: Private School on a Budget, How to Choose a School, and Public vs Private School Decision


Role of a K-12 Consultant 

A consultant can help you craft your school list to be sure of a balanced list with the most likely fit to your student’s learning profile, the student’s interests, and parent’s values. For gifted students, a consultant should deeply understand giftedness, gifted assessments, and the needs of gifted children. Your consultant can review all admissions materials, in particular student and parent essays, to help focus them to each school’s admissions goals. A consultant can directly work with your child to brainstorm, draft, and edit their own essays. The consultant can provide feedback on whether the essays read as genuine and how to shine during the application process. 


Want more input on K-12 schools?

Vicky consults with families to help select, apply to, and communicate with public and private schools in the San Francisco Bay Area. Vicky maintains a principle of non-judgment. Hourly, VIP, and Season packages include a discussion to review school options, applications, essays, and key decisions. Vicky offers a limited number of packages each year to assure her availability. 

Vicky’s own children have attended both public and private schools, and have received both accommodations and curriculum changes; her elder is in high school, and her younger in middle school. New clients can email to learn more about her services, or see her website to learn about her packages.


143 views0 comments

Comments


Commenting has been turned off.
bottom of page