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 grade. i do not feel that this new middle school pattern will address the language pathway issue. the issue will be haphazard as long as elementary school kids have the ability to choose emersion or english. as an educator, i do not think that is going to solve the issue and the immersion is supposed to be sort of a golden key for some

parents who might not -- they might not want to attend a school they have because of immersion. that is the case with alvarado. my kids are not in immersion. i feel i am concerned about my daughter. i do not feel -- i am concerned with all the students in san francisco. i see there is always good students and i see there are students who prefer to be at a different school and get a good education in some ways and experience a lot of other things. i am concerned about my daughter and i believe that she should have an opportunity to participate in a programs because she has been de- identified.

she will not able to have that opportunity to continue the instrumental education she has been getting. as she was not in emersion, i think it is disappointing to me that she would not have that opportunity to learn the language until high school. i feel those are basic concerns that most parents have and truly, i feel like it will be bringing down my daughter's experience and again, i want the best for all children. i have worked for that and i do not want to bring my daughter down in the process. thank you. >> i have two students at mira loma galanter.

i want to congratulate and thank agilent ratio for bringing up the issue of elections -- jill for bringing up the issue of selective. if they do not get into a school with a strong performing arts, the could be at quite a disadvantage for the auditions and the things they need to bring their portfolio for. i am glad you brought that issue up and i am glad people will take the suggestions from pps that you look at the -- at them. i do not know how you will have the art person brought in with these types of budgets. i want to thank richard for his updated slide on the three types of feeder patterns.

i did notice the younger siblings have moved up as the first tie-breaker. i want to thank everybody for that and think you for adding an attendance area. sometimes her elementary school was not where you wanted it to be. thank you for that. i do wish you would take out the point that says you do have an opt out option in the mandatory feeder program. once a highly requested schools are filled, you do not have an opt out. i think that should say no. certain schools will fill and no one will get into them. that is misleading. the other thing i wanted to say is that the first plan came out in august. there were major oversights. and something came out in february. it was hoped it would be listening to parents and would not formulate an opinion on one of -- what you wanted to

recommend. many people were hoping that this pattern would change and we're not hearing that we had any influence on the subtle. i know from attending. the forums that there was a lot of good suggestions given for how to consolidate the language pathways, how to not displace general education teachers or students and it does not look like any of this feedback was incorporated. we were told it was not a done deal. it would be listening to feedback after listening. and the presentation that followed that there has been any respect or communication or feedback or input. thank you. >> i have two boys in the fourth and second grade who are currently attending the lakeshore alternative elementary.

we have been assigned to a school away from our house. we have made sure there were assigned even though it was none of their choices and the parents that have been assigned are seeking private school education. they're choosing to home school and a wait list until they get to the school of choice. we're saying we're not going. we're going to wait in the fall. we will not be going there. south lake, many of us really active participating parents are leaving and have already left and our community is sad is being broken up and we see the school plummeting and it breaks our heart. we really love the quality teachers and we have had more than 70% of the teachers are

fantastic at lakeshore and we make great friends and it disrupts our families' lives because the district has begun to push the planned agenda. when 17% of the middle school population lives in the it is a code, we find this unnecessary. please fix from the foundation rather than a shuffling the low test scores to how moderate -- high test core areas. thank you. >> hello. i am lisa wong and i have two first graders. i am here on behalf of myself speaking up for this middle

school parents program. i believe we have sent letters to the board stating our analysis about those middle schools. i will repeat -- i will not repeat those. i believe the investment that the school district has made for those programs and i hope when you are making a decision, you have taken into consideration about retaining the families and the programs already -- in the programs already. and with the advice because the middle school choice is such a vital part of the alamance for the existing families to make a decision as to what elementary schools want to go to as

previous speakers talked about. it is important and i also wanted to mention that the language pathway, i really do believe that the immersion program, maybe we should start the program early. it has been proven that the kids learning a second language, the best time for them is starting from six years old. that is the time you can pick up the language and start learning japanese, mandarin, or other languages. high school, it takes six years or -- for a middle school and to college, sometimes those are not very effective. i would encourage the board to consider having the language programs for all the elementary

school students to learn. i think that is more cost- effective in the long run for the students to know another language. thank you. >> hi, i am kathy meyer. i have children at sunnyside elementary. my biggest concern is i am on the ground right now at the school that my son's -- has had a full grade in 10 or 15 years. it is a transition school. parents want to see -- i like the ideas of the iep program. you are reading the reports of the students when they come into middle school. the parents at sunnyside and some of the other schools that are being fed into middle school

-- a middle school that has not traditionally performed well. we want to hear real solutions. solutions that are based on what are best practices at other schools. they may not have the same performance. maybe instead of reinventing the wheel, you use examples that currently exist for the school district. and as far as our student population, our parent population, half the parents want feeders and like the idea and have one choice. i am comfortable saying that as the pta president of the school as well. i really think that when you are presenting feeders to schools, particularly schools that are going to be increasing the population by one-third like denman, it is at 600 and it

will increase to 900. we want to hear you address how is that going to happen. we are fighting to get a bundle for a third grade -- a bungalow for a third grade classroom at the next thing you know, we need another bungalow. i am hearing issues on an elementary school level and i wonder what is going to happen -- at a middle school level in regards to the reality of making these changes. i have another recommendation. there are some intriguing aspects to parents in regard to an expansion like that of 300 students. if you could bring the parent community in and find out what kind of in electives they are interested in seeing their children participate in, that might be something that would be helpful as well. thank you.

>> hi there, i am david brown, a parent of a kindergartner. i am excited and enthusiastic about public schools and place to be part of it and coming in at quite an exciting time. first, i wanted to say to chairman wynns and the rest of the board, i admire you for the work you're doing. i understand the challenges you are taking on. you have a lot of problems you are talking about addressing and one of the things i have given some thought to provoked by this issue is give some focus to those that are the achievement gap that is being tested and you

are being held accountable to of the problem of inclusion which is a challenge in special ed. ambitions to do things like languages and ambitions in the sciences and computing and i.t. before we go on to mention high aptitude kids and the desire to be fair which is a great challenge. i was pleased that jill and carlos made mention of having high start -- high standards are good things but we have to calibrate that with respect to reality. the resources are woefully inadequate. it is tragic what is happening at the moment. what i am going to suggest is perhaps idealistic.

one -- when resources are insufficient, we have to look to the community to help us out. i think one of the things that has happened to me is a small group of us have gotten excited about the opportunity to get involved in improving the computing infrastructure. it is an powering and i think you have an opportunity to empower the community. i hope it will not consider that to be 298. what i would say is i'm a huge advocate of the choice we have had. one of the things is there is a lot of apprehension going into the process. the result was we have to become very informed about what was going on in the school system. we made a choice and as a result of having made that choice, we

were committed and became committed to the school that we selected. i would say i even underestimated how great that was. it is my only wrote datapoint but it is the best example of diversity. there is incredible -- incredibly impassioned and teachers and the investment in the community empowers them to participate, to help. i hope that you could find a way to formulate that. the final thing i was going to say, this is strategic. i think we want to figure out how to systemically we could address the difficulties of being in an open environment and having such a great spectacle of talents and resources. i do not know of any of you have been following along in david kerp's research, he is a