world language and i would like to take spanish for the next three years but now that budget cut will cut me so i will only have to do two years. please stop our budget cuts and find the money in your budget, please, somewhere else. thank you for listening. [applause] >> good evening, my name is john frank. i am a music teacher at hoover middle school but i'm here in support of the reinstating the lincoln high school music program. we are just very, very upset that the principal at lincoln, and i will quote him, had promised us that he would reinstate the music program after one year of it being reconstituted. this is a quote. i believe this is from mr. pane.

yet i believe we share the same concerns about art education -- this is in response to my colleague dan ryan who passed away a few months ago -- i believe we share the same concerns about arts education at lincoln and in the district in general. as i mentioned, it is the top priority of the school community to restore the instrumental music program at lincoln by the fall of 2001. that didn't happen. and i have names of kids who would like to continue in music. a student at washington high school collected on his own. so, please, this is really not fair to all our kids at lincoln and all the kids who are

matriculating into lincoln from the other middle schools. it's an equity issue. we do need to have a sequential arts program. thank you very much. [applause] [instrumental music]. >> good afternoon, my name is martin areola and i'm a junior at lincoln high school. sadly, this year as well as next year i will not be able to participate in any music program at my high school.

me, along with 40 other students at lincoln high school are devastated. this is a list of 40 juniors at lincoln who love music as much as i do and would wish for you guys to keep mr. pane's promise and reincarnate the music program for the 2011-2012 scholastic school year. thank you. president mendoza: i'm sorry, i'm going to have to have you speak into the microphone and identify yourself, please. >> this is kevin sand and he has been my student at roosevelt middle school for three years

and he's an excellent base player. he was assigned lincoln high school. this means this is the end of his music performance in sfusd. this is a tragic inequity. everywhere i turn i hear the word "equity" and "access" and this is an example of inequity. it is highly immoral to start a child in elementary school, to train them for three years in middle school, and then not give them the full experience of a high school program. i was so touched that -- about kevin's situation, and also a clarinet player that i have, that saturday i wrote a duet and kevin would like to perform this for you. it's called "lament."

♪ president mendoza: i'm sorry, sir, what is your name? >> my name is richard frasier. president mendoza: thank you. ♪ [instrumental music]

>> my name is george. i am a parent at the elementary school.

my family has donated thousands of dollars to the schools. my wife and i, we have seen the renaissance of the city public schools, the schools we have enjoyed over the past decade. we can afford to have our children in private schools, but we choose public schools. involved parents have stepped up to fund musical education in our schools. but parents who want their kids to go to college may have to curtail math or science sections. these are precisely the cuts that take people away from public schools and into private

ones. obama these same parents would offer city cuts for education. i know none of you want to see these cuts. thanks very much. [applause] >> i am from a high school. i was in sacramento yesterday. thank you, superintendent. it was an exciting day. i do not know what came of it, but there was something that we have to do. i came here, actually, and

superintendent, i think if you knew what was going on at george washington high school, if you really knew, you would do as we say. we cannot do it. we cannot work this way. when i hear statements like that is the school decision, when you give us the money, this is what we get. it is serious. i am not going to say -- a third-your language. not all students are going to get it. math and science class. yes, not everyone is going to get it. they're going to teach the classes except for $29,000 for a machine and another $5,000 for something else. our students are not born to be a to compete.

you will see you do not like what is going on there. thank you. [applause] >> hello. my name is frances hill. recently, i became aware that the third year spanish classes may be cut. they have a big possibility of being cut, and this is really a tragedy. i am taking said it years spanish right now, -- i am taking set in your spanish right now. jobs -- second year spanish right now. this is something i really passionate about. please do not cut it. it is very important to me an important to other students i know. thank you very much. [applause]

>> good evening, superintendent and school board members. my name is -- and i am a junior at george washington high school. first, i want to say that i want to thank people for giving us the best opportunity to succeed in life, which is like giving us the best education, and one of my goals is to get into college, and right now, i feel the language issue is going to lessen my chance. so i really want to ask you guys to give us more students so we can get enough money. give us more students at george washington high school, it is that would give enough money for next year's fund. they keep. -- thank you. [applause]

>> i am the chair of the languages department at george washington high school. we wrote you a letter, explaining the situation. i will be brief, and i will explain what is going on. this year, two of our teachers are retiring. we cannot replace them. so now, we are cutting eight sections. chinese, for example, is not going to offer a third year. it is not going to offer and ap class. this is something that is not for us. this is something that is affecting our students. i am thinking the students are starting a course of language. they're going to have to stop after two years, and we are going to tell them to wait until you go to college.

maybe you can be fluid in a language, you can have exposure to a culture, you can have these other perspectives in your life. we are just on the say you are not going to get it when you come to washington high school. applying to colleges, they are not going to have that recommended. they're going to be in a this evasive position. i am thinking of our latino kids who are taking a spanish class, and there -- their ap class, they will have one year. their heritage, their culture, no more on that, no more opportunity to take an ap class. in the future, if we do not replace these teachers, it will be even worse, because we have a requirement of two years.

we're going to have a lot of students taking the first two years. it will not be a possibility for others to take the classes korea thank you very much. [applause] >> i will do this as quick as i can. i am stephanie, a junior at george washington high school, and i know you have heard previous speakers talk about world language, but let me tell you what is affecting me personally. i am did in journalism, and the chance that journalism is going to be taught there is not likely. this is what is affecting my chances of becoming a journalist in the future. thank you. [applause] >> hello, ibm suzanne morgan. i would program at an elementary school. i have been a teacher for four

years, and this is the fourth year i have received a layoff notice. the reason i became an art teacher was because of the teachers who inspired me the most, our teachers. i was always ok in most subjects, but in art, i excellus. it was the one class in school i always vote good at. the goal is to have students who are joyful learners. we want students to have a joy for learning and have a multifaceted education, and every year, the scene to be focusing less on a joyful lerner and more on standardized test scores. as i said, i work in the star schools. there are students who may not have the same access to the arts as other schools. i am their access to bards. i am their creative outlet. i am their right to have the

same opportunities as every other child. the arts are a vital part of so many lives and help so many children identify with the world around them. whether they paid, they dance, or they played guitar, art becomes a part of the child, and they needed to thrive. i ask you to think about what you're cutting korea please try to keep the arts in there. a few. [applause] >> well, my name is patricia christiansen. i am also a star art teacher. fortunately, i have not been laid off, but my colleague susanna has, beslan as my colleague said been laid off, and it looks more and more likely that this may be the year that this actually happens

because the entire program has been consolidated. perhaps you do not realize how important the programs are in the schools. the visual arts program currently serves 18 underserved and underperforming elementary schools throughout the sentences the unified school district, a total of 11 for the credential and high the qualified or teachers. they travel to approximately five schools every week in order to provide culturally relevant and appropriate hands on art projects. to approximately 3000 students a week. these are students who would not have access to art in any other way. what concerns me more than being consolidated, because i know i

will have a job, i have no idea where, when the fall semester begins, is that none of our porin -- principals, none of the teachers, not even the union knows that this consolidation has occurred. is it a cover-up? we want to know. thank you. [applause] >> good evening, board members. my name is mendoza. i hope you had the chance to read the letter that was submitted to you. i am a parent with two children at a middle school. one enjoys playing the baritone.

i am worried that if we begin with class reduction this year, it may lead to further plus reduction in the future. if there is a need for more support services for english lerner classes or creating a new language class or adding support in other academic areas, i think it would be better to request more funds for those services instead of reducing the number of classes in band, orchestra, and art. overall, music and arts should be kept in the core curriculum in the years to come. thank you. [applause] >> hello. my name is -- and i am from the middle school korea last year, i

was in beginning band. but that is where i met the majority of all of my friends i have now, and without being there, a program would not be as talkative as i am now. there is the spring and winter concert. we're really excited about doing more music. the saxophone. this year, i started playing more exciting music. we played a song by queen. it was really fun. i volunteered for where students from other schools come to the marina, and i'm looking forward to advance band, because we're

going to go out into the community, the embarcadero, where we will start playing festive holiday music. [applause] >> hi, my name is -- and i am a junior at george washington high school. it is my old to dream to get into u.c., and i am urging you guys. most of you have daughters or sons who will be effective. the grandchildren. i know there are budget cuts, but i urge you to find some room, please. thank you. >> hi. i am nancy, an idea of a member of an advisory council at george washington high school. it is usually three or four years of language offered every year. next year, two years offer,

which is the bare minimum. for students to do not pass it, then most likely, they're going to have to make up their credits at city college, and not all students can afford that. it is ironic to do this to our future is by just lacking sufficient funding. [applause] >> hi, i am a sophomore at george washington high school. currently, we only have 2000 enrolled coming into a freshman year. however, last year, we had 2300, so we are only asking you to encourage the 200 students back. by doing that, we get back the funding from last year. decrease in our funding will be

to cut more programs that washington. this is all we ask, to return the 200 students that were cut from our school. thank you. >> hello, my name is steven. i went to think the board for try to do what you could to help the school system as it is right now, so what i like to speak on today is the cap on george washington high school. going back to 2300 rather than 2100. i would like to argue that by restricting them -- to

reconsider reducing this. they keep. >> now i would like to address a number of remarks. it seems like the problem that we have, a lack of authority that is willing to address the inequities that exist from school to school. i do not wish to denigrate

illogic, but local and empowerment must not be allowed to create situations that do not take into consideration the inequity of our global view of our school district, so we need you. we need you because the medieval fiefdom model is not working for us. we need to oversee, to make sure the between the school sites that really exist, equity. cut are happening. but the individual sites, and they are serious, and they are very, very much affecting.

visual art. merina is down. three teachers losing 0.4 each. double a may lose a class. john o'connell has no music. one has zero orchestra. we need you to fix these inequities. [applause] >> good evening, commissioners, superintendent garcia. my name is -- and i am actually a teacher from mischa high school. i am going to change the subject a little bit. i understand the music and the three years the four languages very, very important, but let me just share something with you. i have a student tomorrow that is going through deportation proceedings.

i have a student that may be deported because he was referred to ice. i am here to talk about the new policy incidences go. today, mayor lee said he would only pass part of it. i have students with me tonight, and they are here to petition, because we want to bring a petition to mayor lee and ask that he implement the new policy in san francisco. it was passed in november of 2009, and we are still waiting. we are still waiting, and in the meantime, my students are getting deported. i understand the three years of music and three years of foreign music. i understand needing to get into u.c.'s. i really do. but this is a matter of life. they're being separated from

their families without any access to anything, so, please, i am urging you to please sign our petition. this is just to let you know how they feel about it. thank you. [applause] >> good evening. i am a junior at the high school. we need your support. the full policy. some of them have been separate from their families, and we do not want that, so we just want your help to help our hopes and dreams, because we have hopes, dreams, and goals. think you. [applause] >>