Leland Yee: Local Schools Are a Matter of Survival

It's 6 a.m. on Monday and Mr. and Mrs. Jay are waking their two kids to get them ready for school. They're also getting themselves ready for work. The family had arrived home late the night before, after visiting relatives across the Bay, and they're running a bit late. Mr. Jay, who drives to his job at SF Airport, drops his son off at the local high school while his wife walks their daughter a few blocks to school and then hops on Muni to her job downtown.

Mr. Jay's boss tells him once again that he must report to work on time. Mrs. Jay's boss is tired of hearing her explain that Muni always runs late. Their son gets to school just before the first bell, and their daughter complains that she can't walk any faster than the length of her legs. Of course this family could get still less rest or they could change jobs and their lifestyle. They decide to do the latter.

The Jays cut back their contacts with family and friends, and take jobs that pay far less but are in their neighborhood. For the Jays, a top priority was that their children attend local schools. Mr. and Mrs. Jay know and support these schools with their time and effort and they know their children can get to school and back easily and safely.

The following Monday, Mr. and Mrs. Jay get a letter from the San Francisco Unified School District: "Dear Parent, Due to unforeseen circumstances your children will be assigned to new schools. We don't know where - it could be across town. Sorry for the inconvenience."

Mr. and Mrs. Jay take their kids out of public school and go back to the jobs they enjoy, that pay enough so they can put the kids in neighborhood private schools.

The losers in this scenario are the parents and youngsters who, unlike Mr. and Mrs. Jay, don't have choices. It's no wonder San Francisco schools are in the worst shape ever, that parents and students feel their needs are not being met, that teachers are demoralized, that operational dollars are dwindling or lost and that the mayor is talking about taking over the San Francisco Unified School District. The School District is broken.

Past funds still cannot be found, new facilities are a mirage, and now, as the story above indicates, the school district is on the verge of forcing more parents to abandon the public school system by introducing unacceptable new placement alternatives.

Adults with children choose to live in certain neighborhoods in part because of neighborhood schools. By and large, parents want their children in safe, convenient, quality learning environments. Parents do not want their children spending hours on Muni riding to and from distant schools, through neighborhoods they might not feel safe, to an environment that is unfamiliar and possibly hostile.

Children who must spend hours commuting are virtually excluded from participating in extra-curricular activities. Even the time necessary for doing homework is cut short by the lengthy and exhausting commute. Staying up late at night doing homework then deprives these youngsters of the rest they need to perform well at school.

Exclusion and lack of participation flows also to non-school-related activities. Neighborhood friends may become part-time acquaintances. The neighborhood drama class or basketball team may lose a key participant. It becomes impossible for these youngsters to escort their younger brothers or sisters home from their neighborhood school, as senior siblings often do.

Children who attend a public school, by choice or by default, must be offered a local school option in a functional environment. Forcing children to commute all over the City to attend school, with the losses of time for study, leisure and extra-curricular activities, is a burden our children should not bear. Community schools must be improved across the board, so that children may attend nearby schools and receive the full benefits of time, place and pedagogical skill. Anything less is unacceptable to me as a parent, as an educator and as a public servant.

Leland Yee is a SF Supervisor representing District 4. He is also a candidate running for the California Assembly.