and i think several commissioners have hit on the fact that we believe in decentralize decision making. none of the conversations -- one of the conversations we have handled was what will we frame e conversations for funding because communities make decisions about what they are going to find and what they are not going to find, so the thing is important here rioja region that is very important -- that is very important. i want to preface it by saying we are recommending recommendations contained in the document. now there is a compendium of

researchers around affective novel school practices during your -- practices. middle schools know a certain percentage of students are coming in for needs. it is easier to plan in that way. it is a structural issue of alignment and integration. we know they maintain curiculum programs from elementary. we know they create a community among smaller, more anticipated groups of students and families. we know middle school principals can better communicate to provide structuring at each

site. it is almost impossible for a middle school principal to do that, and we also know there is a link between a robust enrollment and the school's ability to provide equitable access to enriched enrollment. we also know they support limited resources, and they permit proficient use of facilities and transportation. you've seen a vision before. i'd like to re-subscribe what you are seeing. you will see the components of each proposed action. for all proposals, development

is a component. if you look at components, the components taken into consideration are is there an initial offer of zero middle school? is there a middle school cedar pattern -- vietor pattern? is there a process involved, and are there tiebreakers bowman -- tie breakers? if you look at current practice, as memorialize this year with the run, there was no initial middle school of fine. was there a choice process hammond -- a choice processed?

yes, and what were the tiebreakers. first was younger siblings followed by a test score and other tiebreakers as determined. staff costs recommendation is a five-year plan, and that is in two parts, so if you look a first four years, school year 2012-2013 through school year 2015-2016, and will there be an initial middle school of for natoma -- school offered chairman richard -- middle school offer? yes. what are the tiebreakers but

would be involved hamas and -- involved hamas -- involved bowman -- iinvolved? middle school attendance would follow triggered -- would follow a period. depending on the elementary school the student attends, there is an appropriate assigned middle school. there would be a feeder pattern. is there a choice processed natoma -- processed? yes, there would be a choice. and the final would be test

score areas, middle school attendance areas, and other tiebreakers the board would shoes, richard -- would choose. the i think it is important to recognize and just say we already have a defacto feeding pattern. when we'll get the most popular middle school programs, we already have a the fact thrown richard -- a defacto pattern. whether we choose to keep out or move to a more affordable pattern, it is something we need to keep in consideration, and it is also important to recognize you cannot move into it or not absent the quality middle school conversation we just had.

this is a fundamental piece. what is the recommendation from staff thomas -- from staff and a first and foremost, creating a virtual causeways and time to build a commitment to high- quality middle schools. this also allows for planning an effective implementation, especially around transportation, finance, and staffing. one of the concerns we have heard is we understand and acknowledge there is a good bit of skepticism. our best answer is we think we can, but if the economic

environment becomes different, this is a living process where we will continue to engage the board in understanding how we move forward, and we need to finalize the recommendation based on your feedback this evening. we need to continue to effectively provide quality. again, we want to emphasize that based on what we have been able to analyze, this is our recommendation at this point,

,and we look forward to your comments and further direction. >> does anyone have any clarifying questions? >> there is a reference to middle school attendance areas, which we don't have, so is part of this plan to draw new attendance to middle schools? >> yes, that would be true. >> so we are defining the feeder pattern? >> yes, and then it says

atttendance area in the same list. wohow is that the same? >> attendance will be based on boundaries. the middle school attendance is based on where you go to school. you may go to mckinley. basically, your attendance area is bsed on where you survive, and feeder is based on where you are enrolled. re >> any other questions? >> can you explain the rationale for flipping the test score

order? why are test score areas third tie breaker and second after that. >>the only difference is you take the middle school tie breaker out. >> thank you. >> for kindergarten, where do they fall in this? are they in interim or in the proposed feeders?

>> there currently enrolled kindergartners. >> citizen five years it becomes an initial offer, so they would get an initial offer. >> you will have two minutes for

public comments. we will of two minutes apiece. thank you. >> good evening, members of the board. i am a member of the board. before i speak, i want to echo the sunset has been given -- the gratitude of has been given for the amazing job they didn', so last year we conducted an extensive public outreach and found parents wanted to things -- quality schools and the

ability to choose among them. parents did not like a middle school feeder proposal because it represented the biggest change. in our recent conversations, which were supposed to focus on quality schools, we heard three things. one, parents still wanted quality middle schools and still did not think it was enough. paris still want the ability to choose among the schools -- parents still want the ability to choose among schools and three, parents want the boards to stop bleeding with student assignments as a discussion topic carried i arrived with high hopes based on work of had been done and the collaborative message we were conveying across our communities. and when i sat down and got a sense of where we were going, i

was disappointed. i want to amplify what was said to night. parents want to know how the districts is going to improve the quality of our schools. they want choice in student assignment, and they want to know they can trust the district to listen to them. making feeder pattern set tiebreaker is implementing vietor patterns now. richard -- implementing feeder patterns now, and it is not what parents want. please reject the feeder patterns, and the discussion about student policy, and double don about quality of the middle schools. thank you.

>> i have a fourth grader. taking off when was said about our shameful resources, we cannot afford to raise money. in to transport kid is going to cost a lot of money. it is not fair to have kids travel 60 minutes or 45 minutes from their communities. we are going to have to spend money on the buses, or we are going to have to make that happen on the backs of people who cannot afford it. i do not know how you are going to be able to justify that, so i wanted to say the first of all,

i support what attack did -- the pac did and the pps. first, we need to make sure all schools have collected and language programs. we need to focus our resources on that. let's expand and approve middle schools on the southeast side. keith kidd -- keep kids in exelsior. do not for street kids without the assurance that we have the money -- do not force kids without the money and make it work. we would need adequate resources for transportation. other was common -- otherwise, if you vote against the family and wishes of people who have

worked so hard to give their feedback, listen to us. it is going to be unfair if you do this, and it is not acceptable, and it is not right, and it will lead to greater costs in the long run. thank you very much. >> i am also apparent. i have to say i am confused about the progress. on the one hand, we have all the feedback that indicates parents are not willing to give up their choice. the district staff says her is inequity across the board, but meanwhile, the district staff seems to be going forward with a recommendation to implement this feeder linplan.

i do not know why we need to do this in before we get them in safe and secure a good -- get them in safe villaraigosa -- in saves. >> i am the parent of a spanish conversions student greater -- student. i am in support of the system. gooto put it on the backs of the family to force a change of the middle school level is pretty unfair appear later -- unfair. if you told anyone in the district, you are going to go to the no. 1 middle school, no one would turn you down. good if you are going to go to no. 1 or no. 8, that is pretty

unfair, so if you make some of the equivalent of #one, they will sign off. i also want to talk about the specific recommendation for daniel webster. this seems to be driven by planning and not the educational welfare. does the student has no knowledge as a middle school. goothis seems like a recipe for failure. daniel webster's attendance area is massive. we have heard about dean impending middle school in -- about the pending middle school crisis. to solve these issues, i would request we create a cave-eighth at daniel webster -- k-8 at

daniel webster. thanks. >> good evening, commissioners. i am the parent of a pre- schooler. gooi came here tonight, becausei want to say i emphatically opposed to the feeder plan. i do not know what my kids will be like, but you made the point that as long as there are differences in the electives offered, there is a different quality. i love living in san francisco. the diversity and a and its

population is one reason we stay here, and school choices are another advantage. school choice is a feature of the system. please do not remove my ability to choose what i think is best for my child. >> my name is vivian, and i have been up here several times to talk about student assignment, and i came to talk about what is going to be happening with high- school common region with high school, and what of the parents are saying -- with the parents are saying if there are quality schools people would not focus on moving.

there is so much focus of how are you going to make some better. there are nine high schools and people do not want. you are going to run into the same problem in high school. how do you hold people accountable to make sure they are doing well. i got a response saying the information is not available, so what do you look at now to hold yourself accountable to make sure every school is a good school bowman -- is a good school? at what point are people going to be talking about high school? high school is just as important, getting those kids ready for college, and if my child is sent to a high school that does not have a strong ap

program, how is she going to be taking a test to get into the school she wants to get into. when will you address that topic? can anyone answer me? a month, two months? >> we are not going to engage in a dialogue, and it is true there are high schools and people do not want to go to secure a good -- to go to. this is a conversation that this is not the appropriate place. we welcome you to be part and of that. >> someone can tell me, that would be great.

>> if someone could get her name, thank you. >> i have a question about the tie breaker and the test score areas. how are the students that are coming from the areas into different schools -- they're coming from the east to the west side. how are the kids accountable once they are in the school? they're coming from a low testing area and you put them into a high testing area school. how is that kid being held accountable once they're put in that school? >> this is not the time for dialogue. i do not know what you mean by how the kid is held accountable. our purpose is to serve the

children. you can say what you would like here but we're not going to go back and discuss the policy that is in place. we're talking about something that is proposed. >> ok. i cannot ask a question. >> we're not going to answer -- we're not going to engage in dialogue. we want your input into the presentation and proposals that are before us. thank you. >> good evening. employees and fellow concerned citizens. i am not sure if i am a properly speaking right now. i will continue.

i want to thank you for this opportunity to speak about school assignments. i am a fourth generation -- my family is a fourth generation participant. we are parents and volunteers and their teachers in schools across the city. we have a historical appreciation for this issue and respect deeply the efforts of the decade to grapple with it. it is sad and disappointed -- disappointing to hear concerns described today that were the same concerns 35 years ago. quality schools that are -- at all levels and choice. each school is part of a local community and the health or performance of each school is based on the health and stability of the neighborhood.

until the city agencies work together to address neighborhood issues, a school assignment challenges will be a symptom of much larger city issues. tonight, i am not here speaking to the larger city issue. i am here speaking as a grandmother. my granddaughter is an eighth grade student in the sunset. please do not put her education here in san francisco at risk by sending her to a low performing high-school across the city in a neighborhood that she is very unfamiliar with, will not know how to contribute or be there for school activities, participating in athletics the way she has been in an advanced program.

she and others like her -- need the help to pull up the academic standards. frankly, her attendance at any high-school in this city will have no effect whatsoever on the school's academic performance. i homily ask you, please assign her to a local high school in a neighborhood where we have worked for four generations to make a difference for her and all the neighborhood children. thank you. >> hello. i am a parent of a fourth grader in -- and a kindergarten and i have taught sixth gre