temporary member and sandy fewer and i believe we'll be joined shortly by commissioner mendoza. i want to acknowledge that our committee clerk is joining us from the school district and, madam clerk, you call the first item on the agenda. >> thank you. 0005, blow low achieving schools and the improvement grant. >> i want to welcome supervisor campos and thank him for organizing our discussion today and -- ask that he cannot vene and share this item for us. >> thank you so much. and thank you to the commissioners for from the school board to being here today. and i want to thank the clerk, miss casco having worked with her in a different capacity, it is great to see her here and we're lucky to have her here. i also want to thank the chair

of the committee, supervisor dufty, for cosponsoring this item. this item came about because a lot has been said in the last couple of months about what is happening with low achieving schools in the san francisco unified scoot district and specifically what is happening with the -- with the student improvement grant program. s.i.d. and i want to nange sheila, and my office for helping to put the hearing together. as a supervisor who represents district nine, i thought it was especially important for us to simi hear from the school district about what is happening with this program. we have in the last few weeks received a lot of calls and concerns were raised by members of our community just about how

this process works and i think that the concern is mainly stemming from the fact that i think people just wanted to have a -- additional information. of the 10 skiles that are affected -- 10 schools that are affected five are in my district, bryant and chavez and revere and conal high school and you have car ver in district 10 and john muirer in five and willy brown and everett middle school in district eight and mission high school in district eight. i also want to thank members of the community who have come out for the hearing and i imagine that there are people that were probably watching or will be watching the hearing today and as i understand it, the timeline for the school district to submit proposals for the school

improvement grant is approaching quickly. and that's june 1st of this year. and so we will -- we would like to understand the steps that the district is taking to meet those -- that timeline. and -- so with that, i -- i also want to thank the school district for coming here for putting the presentation together. it has been a pleasure working with you. and as i understand it, kevin true it who is the associate superintendent on leadership equity achievement and design for the unified school district will present and of course, mr. true it has a long history of doing excellent work at san francisco unified and having been a principal at mission high school. it is only appropriate that he's here with us and i also want to thank superintendent garcia and the deputy superintendent for -- for helping us put this hearing

together. i know we have it right now. but commissioner mendoza. mr. truitt, thank you for being here. >> thank you, supervisor campos and good afternoon supervisors and commissioners and board of education and members of the select committee. can you hear me? is the mic on? all right. we want to inform you today about the -- the school improvement grant process, with the -- what the options are and where we are as a school district in the process. this is a little background information. and the school improvement grant program. the school improvement grant program is a frlly funded grant with award ranges from 250,000 to $1 million a year for a period of four yoors. the california department of

education was asked to list the 5% lowest performing schools in the state by march 15th, to be eligible for federal funding. and the participation in the school improvement grant process is a state law, s.b.x. 51. and how was the school selected? the state used data grades second through eighth mr. mathematics and california high school exams data over a period of three years. the schools were then ranked by their percentage of students scoring at proficient and advanced. the state then selected the lowest 5% after the entire ranking of all of the schools in the state. and the -- the state selected the lowest performing 5% for grid eligibility. and original my, you pay have heard that we had 12 schools on the list. schools were removed from the

list if any of the following criteria applied. if they had less than one valid test score or 50 points or more on the i.p.a. and that was the case for two schools or they had an a.p.i. of over 800 in the spring of 2009. and san francisco has 10 schools as supervisor campos mentioned. and on the state persistent liloest achieving schools, bryant and carver and muir and willy brown and revere and two middle schools everett and forest man and two high schools, mission and john o'connell. and school data and -- and this just -- shows the data for all of, the 10 schools and -- this is part of it. and that's -- that's the data that they used to, to rank the schools.

and there were four options that the -- that the school improvement grant process asks the school district to identify for each of these schools. and these four options are the turnaround model and the restart and school closure and i'm going to explain what each of those are. the turnaround model, this option requires that you replace the principal if the principal has been at the school for less than -- for no more than two years and the turnaround model states that you will change at least 50% of the staff and sometimes that's worded as you won't rehire more than 50% of the staff and you'll implement a goffance structure and insure high quality professional development and institute a research based and vertically aligned and structural program. the restart model states that you will convert a school or close and reopen it under a charter school operator, a charter management organization or an organizational management

organization. and the school closure model states that you'll close the school and enroll the student who is attended that school in other schools in the local education agency that are higher achieving. and the closure must occur by the end of next school year, 2010 and 2011. and this will not result in any additional funding for the receiving schools. and the transformation model. and this -- this is the one you need to pay attention to. this is one we're yufinge utilizing most. the transformational model says you'll replace the principal if the principal has not been there for more than two years that you'll institute a reform program and you'll use data to identify curriculum and monitor student learning to improve instruction and you'll increase the learning time. and there's a big difference between transformation and turnaround is the replacement of 50% of the teaching staff.

turnaround replace the teachers and transformation, it is not a replacement of the teachers. what we have heard from the states and this is important also, because -- it is -- it has been the federal government, the information from the federal government has allowed for flexibility -- this is the way i have been communicating to people is that the federal has been very nextible in the guidelines and the state has been very strict. and -- so there's been confusion. federal has been allowed flexibility and our state isbooksing within somewhat and has been very strict. there's a little bit of disconnect there that we're experiencing. what we married from the state are -- our own california department of education is that if an l.e.a. has more than nine schools, the transformation model can only be used in half of the schools. that's very important. because we have 10 schools and we would like to use the transformation model in more than five but we'll be

restricted to only using it in five and in the more. and priority will be given to districts that include all of its eligible schools with a model of improvement during the first year. that's important because it appears though we will not be including all of our schools in the first year. and -- there will not be enough money in california for all of the schools eligible for the school improvement grant. that's what we heard from the state. and research on school improvement turnaround efforts, a lot of this has to do with instructional improvement and i don't want it to be lost on just the replacing of staff and principal and the school district has done a lot of work throughout this year on evaluating research models in new york, sacramento and montgomery county and boston and chicago and we're in the -- we're ahead of the game in this respect and we have been looking at research instructional based practices and reforms in various school districts across the country before this came along.

and right now the process we'll be utilizing the processes that we have been investigating. we didn't just open into this past month or two, when we heard this list. we have been looking at the models throughout the school year. and our strategic design for quality schools indicated the school success when we do write our grants and the scheduling component. we're looking at defining the school improvement with respect to the leadership in the schools and the parent-community ties and the capacity and students in a learning climate. not going to go into these parts, the critical parts of the grant right now. i did want you to know that -- that the meat of the grant, if you will, about instructional improvement. these are the types of things we're looking at. and school leadership, this is a

component and parent-community ties and the most important thing here, is employing four elements of trust that the schools has -- has -- instituted aspects of respect, personal regard and integrityry for the parent community input. and professional capacity. that's the quality of human resources and professional development, et cetera. again moving over these quickly but this is more kind of like the components of the grant. and students in a learning climate and again, this supports our -- our -- if you notice, it says -- it anchors the school behaviors through beliefs and values and work habits. this is the board on restorative justice. and instructional guidance and three elements and arrangement in the subject matter and depth and expecting strategies, just a bit on the instructional guidance and our district and academic and development office is currently developing our core

curriculum guide hynes, guides. and scoping benchmark assessments that is will be ready june 15th. again we're doing this before the improvement grand process came about. this will give us more, this will help our instructional guidance and it supports this element of the grant. and we have identified the characteristics of effective schools and again, to turn around a school, you need all of these characteristics. i won't read them individually. but to let them -- you know these are the components. engaging the community has been important. the objective is to have five indicators of school success and gather feedback about the specific examples of what is working and what is not. and gather specific ideas to inform the school improvement grant process. and all of the six schools have had discussions where we are now. all of the six schools, the

school improvement grant schools have had discussions with the school supervisor. their assistant superintendent or executive director about their school's options. we scheduled community meetings, every school has had at least one already. and most have had several to illicit input from the stake holders and central office staff began to draft the actual grant with strategic input from the school improvement grant and school stake holders. and -- i mean, just now, talk about the individual schools. bryant had three community meetings, including one yesterday. it says option, phase two. that's wrong. good, because it is being covered up there. and we are not ready to discuss the option of bryant because as of a community meeting yesterday, we're looking at another option for bryant. bryant elementary was. we talked about possibly nazing

-- phasing them in for the second year. the government says you could take the 10 schools and roll out a plan for some of them the first year and some of them in the following year. so we were going to do this with bryant. bryant as you know, has a new principal. we don't have to replace the principal. they're eligible for say a transformation process or turnaround m.d.al. however, we got five schools that you'll see in the transformation model. so we used you will up all of our five for that option. unless the state amends that which, which superintendent garcia has asked them to do. he's asked the federal government to -- inform our state to lift that requirement, that you can't do transformation for more than five. and we have not gotten confirmation on that. bripet has not necessarily a phase two. and carver had two community meetings. and carver is, we're recommending that they be a phase two school. and we have heard loud and clear from the community at george washington carver. and the principal has been there

for many years. and they -- and the timing of the grant replacing the principal and staff is just not timely right now. so, they -- we have heard from the community loud and clear that's not an option that they want to -- embrace this year. so, with -- we're suggesting carver come into a year two. and cesar chavez. and again, cesar chavez is a phase two. and cesar chavez is a school that -- that we have had a few community meetings, with cesar chavez. and again, the -- they what we consider a highly effective principal and getting off track here. and -- at any rate, we're going to -- we're looking at not replacing the principal at cesar chavez and looking at that for phase two and second year. and john muir, john mueller has had a couple of community meetings. and apparently on the same day. and that's the typo, i'm sorry.

and -- we're looking at the transformation model for john mueller. and the community has been aware, they will be having a new principal. and -- traps formation does not mean we're changing the staff. we'll be writing the other components of john mueller in the grant. governor and structure and high quality instruction. and willie brown, he had a couple of community meetings. willie brown will be a school closure. so we're going to go through a, am i not supposed to say that? hi. okay. and we have had community meetings that -- where the community knows there's input. it has been, we're -- this is -- we're tentatively discussing with the community of having one year at willie brown and we will close willie brown and relocate those students and open it as a new, an -- invest in a really

high comprehensive school -- high level school. we're going to put a lot of investment in a new willie brown. and so, and the community has been informed of that. so they're actually supportive of that. we're okay. still four to eight? or a different? >> we want to go back to six-eight, that's the discussion with them and with drew. and true you know is a k 3 and they took the four, five and then the fourth graders, they go, when they go to fourth grade, they go to willie brown. and what we're planning is that we're going to go back to drew, say, we would like to have pre k five back and next creer the third graders will stay at drew and we'll open the fourth grade and so they will not be going to willie brown. one question that i keep thinking about.

and since you're talking about the specific schools. maybe it is something that you could touch upon. how was it decided what option would be -- would be utilized and what -- was there a process for determining that? was there input and -- or involvement -- by the community from the community, and that decision making? >> yeah. so, each one you had to take on a school by school basis. some things i can disclose and some things. there are certain options that -- that schools are not eligible for. if the principal has been there for more than two years. and -- in that case, in a case where the principal has not been there. if a principal has been there two years or less, then keep the principal and the decision was what about the faculty. has there been enough turnaround? is that the faculty you want? and those discussions have been with the administration and with

-- the school community itself. and with school council, et cetera and about is this an option. the principal's sake, you don't move the -- principal, turnaround or transformation. we relied on the leadership of the school and the data they have and the turnover and the staff to -- and other indicators of success. in the case where the principal has been there for more than two years -- and the school improvement grant process was tell us we're supposed to replace the principal we listened to the community in all of the cases we have here and we're in phase two and that was a result of the community saying, no, we're not ready to do that. and so that was based on the community input that the leadership of that school, they were not ready to transition into new leadership. and in the ka -- in the case of willie brown, we had that discussion long before about transforming willie brown into

another type of school, really, like willie brown has been -- we have been concerned about willie brown for, for quite a while now and we been looking at a change for willie brown. that kind of school closure was something we were talking about this school improvement grant came about. >> moving on, ball revere. paul revere. we're looking at a transformation model. and possibly. paul revere will get a new principal. and we are in the process of -- they went through an interview process already, april 27th. whenever we had those -- 17th. thank you. and -- and -- i understand that paul revere is going to continue to go through the process. they're going to have another round of interviews that we're supporting them with. we haven't had a principal for

paul revere. and it would be the transformation model and we would not be replacing the staff there. the latest information i have. and everett middle school has a new principal. and mr. kirschy been there two years. and everett is a transformation model and forest man. and mr. sanchez has been there one year. they had -- and they have several community meetings and having more and they're a transformation model also, not replacing the staff. mission high school has a new principal and -- my predecessor. and eric gunther and eric and the staff at mission high. they're definitely not replacing the staff at a mission high. and -- john o'connell. and also mr. duber has been there for this first year as principal and they will also be a transformation model. and -- those are the -- those

are the schools and what we know as of now. you could see that i already identified five transformations and that's our maximum transformation and any other, any other option that we're going to choose, we would have to do the turnaround and that would be the principal and the staff. and next step, where we are right now, the community meetings are taking place at every school. and i do want to mention that next -- we had a meeting with several community agencies about how they can support the schools and that was home advocates and parents of public schools and jamestown and a lot of the agency that is support the schools. and -- we're having another meeting next wednesday in which the principals are going to come and give an update as to how the meetings have been going and where they are in the process. and so that just, right now, it is happening with other community meetings. now the interviews, the staff has identified options which i just shared with you. and we are -- we are discussing

those options with the schools. these could change. the grants have not been written. we want support of the options or recommendations to develop an alternative proposal. this is what i share with you. this is where we are right now. and they have identified a grant writer to gather the school input from the schools for the grants. and we continue to press upon the federal department of education to reconcile differences between the federal guidelines and the state -- the state grant restrictions. and by may 21st, we will have reorganized all of our prek 12 schools into clusters and have opportunities for direct support. this is important because in the reorganization of the district which we shared, we will be making a superintendent's zone. and -- what is important about that is that we will have the schools in the bay view in empowerment and the school

grofment grant schools will be part of the superintendent's zone and that's a new cluster of schools that will receive intensive support from all of the offices in the district. by june 1st, we'll submit the grant and by august i -- i put by august, i'm hoping that we'll receive grant notification and begin implementation of the improvement man and this including any personnel decisions in collaboration with human resources and throughout next year, we will monitor the implementation and collect data with respect to benchmarks and -- again very important because we're having a poor curriculum guides next year and teachers will have guidelines and frameworks and benchmark assessments. and we'll provide oning for feedback and support to schools districtly and -- directly, via the new reorganization of the zone. that's it. >> thank you, if i play, just have a couple of quick follow-ups. in terms of the options for each

one of the 10 schools have the -- have the respective communities at the schools been told what option you're following? >> every option i shared with you has come from the meetings. they should know we're about here. they know whether or not the principal is being replaced. they know whether or not the staff is. that defines whether they're, they're transformation or turnaround. all of the communities, this information has been shared with them. gu ben as i say, it is something that develops out of the community meetings as did apparently, what i'm told yesterday at bryant, there can be changes. the grant is not written now. it is not written yet. so what i have given you is information based on what i received from the spfer's working with the schools and the principals and from the community meetings. >> then, with respect to some of the community meetings that you held and -- they're listed in your presentation, and were those meetings called for by the

school district or were they called for by the community groups? i know with cesar chavez some of the meetings that you were listing were meetings perhaps that the members of the community called for. i'm trying to understand a different shade between what it was, the school district did and the community. >> that's important. and i -- it is on a school by school basis. i also know our new day for learning office has done several community meetings and done joint meetings with perhaps, margaret can address that. and some of those have been part of a regular, they were having a schoolside council meeting and they brought up the school improvement grant process. there were more meetings than i showed on my powerpoint. and -- they were -- they were, a part of that meeting but i didn't include it. these were focused on the school improvement grant practices. and it has been both. >> and then just, following up on that, thank you. and going forward, could you

just generally speak about efforts to continue to engage the community or perhaps even enhancing engagement, including the engagement of the diverse populations at many of these communities and mono lingual in many cases. >> the outreach from, from -- for community input is coming from the schools. we have put out also initiative -- and i should have brought that. the district has put out a f.a.q., we put that out, my office put that out a minnesota ago and we translated it in -- then we translated in spanish and chinese and sent that to every student in the district. the 10 schools, they got that. and -- the, in that we asked them to contact the school for when their community meetings were going to be and all of the schools themselves have taken the leadership of informing their communities as to when the next pleggets taking place and i

have been -- meetings are taking place. if you want to know when the next community meeting is, contact the school. like tonight, there's a community meeting i'm attending tonight at o'connell. those are really being generated from the schools. >> thank you. i know that -- the chair, supervisor dufty, thank you. >> no discussion. >> and supervisor campos. >> and kevin, could you talk a second about mission high school. because mission high school also appears on the list of the thousand best high schools in the united states and so, it -- i think is a little confusing and if you could help untangle that. >> you're going to make me cry. >> all right. it is deceiving. if you look at -- this are several things, the advanced placement data looks got admission high school and we're one of the top 1,000 high schools in the country for a.p. performance but you know, we really have to look at