everyone concerned about the beauty of the neighborhoods. this is what makes neighborhoods strong. this is what i want to continue building on. leaders are working on everything from a little graffiti problem or staircase gardens saying that they want to get beyond neglect and bring it back to what it really is -- is paying attention to our neighborhoods, making them stronger, building community and building partnerships. that is what these street parks are all about. it is never about just the concrete or the flowers. it is about the life and increased value we bring to our neighborhoods. that is what being a neighbor of the great city is all about. that is what i love about the city. my neighborhood is doing the same thing with our street.

we want to pay attention to it. we want to get a little help. they get it. we bring the bureaucrats out to the neighborhoods. we make everybody that much more appreciative of what kind of city they are a part of. i want to emphasize the strength of our city relies on the strength of people likfrom the community. you build it here, in glen park, the mission, chinatown. it builds up the strength of the city. it comes back to our department's opening up their resources, not protecting it like other bureaucratic agencies have historically done. we've said we can do it and be challenged with a grant program completely open to everybody. these things are worth the $1

million it looks like today. it is worth 10 times more in building camaraderie and companionship with our neighbors. i want to emphasize that. i want to represent that by giving what i can do to reflect our appreciation for the leadership. it is a certificate of honor to julian for his leadership on this project and many other projects that have kept this community working and expanding and growing. there is a design around his leadership. by voice vote as the mayor and city administrator that when you have strong communities, things like disasters, we will have strong neighborhoods to help us

recover back. this is the beginning of that. i want to give you this certificate on behalf of the city, parks trust, the challenge grant program. thank you for all of the leadership you have had. [applause] >> water? [inaudible] [applause]

>> thank you, mr. mayor, for your leadership on this. during his time as dpw director, during the community challenge grant program, and now as mayor, it is great for us to see a mayor that gets it on what matters to our neighborhoods and is encouraging all of the departments to embrace things the way he did. thank you for your leadership in enabling things like this to happen. someone else who really gets this is the supervisor that represents this area. he is very much focused on the importance of keeping the streets and sidewalks cleans welcoming, and beautiful. i know he was regretful he was not able to be here today. he did send a representative

from david campos' office. >> i want to thank the mayor for his kind words. as a member of the committee, i would personally like to show my appreciation and thank julian and the friends of bernal gardens for their work so that we can enjoy these beautiful places for generations to come. on behalf of the entire community supervisor comampos, in the board of supervisors, i would like to present this to julian for your commitment to excellence -- commitment of excellence to the organization that has succeeded in turning a vacant lot to a beautiful garden. thank you for being an exceptional community leader.

[applause] congratulations. >> thank you again to supervisor campos and his office. it is easy to have great ideas, but you need to turn to someone to get the work done. that someone in san francisco is sometimes known as mr. clean. he is our deputy director for operations who works to keep the city clean and make it beautiful. our deputy director. [applause] >> let me join the mayor and our director in welcoming you all.

thank you for contributing to such a beautiful asset to our neighborhood. san francisco has many hills and streets and lots of open spaces that have not been developed. people all over on the city had come together to help the city become stewards of the beautiful lands. here is another example of the community coming together, businesses, everyone contributing their share in making san francisco the great city that it is. i like to thank brought madmoor landscapes apply the gave discounts and free materials to make this project happen. janet moyer landscaping assisted with the design. there was effort in trying to

figure out the slopes the walls. they helped quite a bit. jordan kirkland, veronica brady , and the friends of bernal gardens who brought this burden to fruition. the department of public works is out there to hold hands and work with everyone. it is through their leadership that we are able to improve our neighborhoods. i would especially like to thank the staff of dpw who go out to all of these meetings and start these projects. i want to thank all of the bureau's at dpw who assisted in bringing supplies, and doing some work, or making sure that the project was built as planned. thank you very much. [applause]

>> there are a lot of other people to think. you have been hearing a lot about this gentleman, julian, who is responsible for a lot of this. i used to live not far from here. i used to walk my dog upon the hill there. it is so great to see the transformation of this space. it is something i want to see in my neighborhood as well. it does not happen without the leadership of the grass-roots level. we're there to support it, but the leadership is not there from the community, it does not happen. it is my great pleasure to bring forth a great leader in this community mr. julian wyler. [applause] >> welcome to this point guard in v -- vista point guard.

there are a lot of people who are not here today who contributed to make this possible. there are a lot of other people who come here and work and put in various parts of the garden, especially the unsung heroes of the volunteers in the neighborhood. working together and staying focused, this neighborhood has reached out and made partnerships with the city. we have worked together. we get more done that way. it is a real synergy. these gardens to them exist five years ago. they were all neglected, blighted, like a cross the street where you still see areas that can be in crude -- improved. we just need a vision. the public gardens connect us to natural beauty. they give us a sense of community pride.

they provide habitats for bees, butterflies, and birds. they represent what is best in us as a community. the bench represents a window on the past. it was once a curb in downtown san francisco. we've simply connected it to the future. another purpose for the garden is that it provides a place for people just sit and reflect and pause on their journey. it provides a kind of common duty that we all share. it allows us to stop and reflect on the shining city beyond which continues to reinvent itself.

today, we dedicate this beautiful public garden. made keeps a loy it keep so. thank you. [applause] >> those are beautiful words befitting and beautiful their part of our city. -- befitting a beautiful new part of our city. mohammad thanked a lot of the donors. the mayor referenced the grant program. there's the whole group of the friends of bernal gardens that we want to thank. finally, it is not just community partners. in his community organizations that we partner with to make things like this happen. -- it is committee par-- communy

organizations that we partner with to make things like this happen. there's great sensibility about the landscapes of san francisco. there is san francisco parks trust. i would like to ask karen to close us out with a few words. >> thank you. i think we're all moved by ulian's words and passion for this place. we're proud to be here for the completion of the beautiful garden. the term is fiscal sponsor, but it is so much more. we do community interface all over the city with many partners. bureaucracy is not a bad word. we work well with government. thank you to the bureaucrats. to me, that meeting has no pejorative anything. the sense of entrepreneurship from dpw is very strong. you can see in the interactions

with julian wyler, bernal gardens, and others in the committee who make this happen. dpw deserves credit. they built a concrete platform. they delivered supplies. the organized community work days and brought in tools. we worked with sandra. thank you for your hard work. you can partner with dpw, but you have to have a person there to be a partner. she has been hit. on our own staff, i want to thank julie and brean for their -- brandy for their two years of work on this. we have the committee challenge grant that provided a lot of funding for this. lanita is an able leader for that program. thank you to all of our partners in the city and community. enjoy your new garden.

[applause] >> thank you, everyone, for coming out. i think we have a ribbon to cut. it is green because this is a green space. please join us in formally opening the park. are we ready? [applause] thank you. i will beat anybody to that tape. -- i will beat anybody to that cake. [laughter]

>> hello. 9 judge terri l. jackson. the court is now recruiting prospective civil grand jurors. our goal is to develop a pool of candidates that is inclusive of all segments of our city's population. >> the jury conducts investigations and publishes findings and recommendations. these reports them become a key part of the civic dialog on how we can make san francisco a better place to live and work. >> i want to encourage anyone that is on the fence, is considering participating as a grand jury member, to do so. >> so if you are interested in our local city government and would like to work with 18 other enthusiastic citizens committed to improving its operations, i encourage you to consider applying for service on the civil grand jury. >> for more information, visit the civil grand jury website at sfgov.org/courts or call

>> about four years ago, [inaudible] look at how beautiful this was. there is our relationship to the planet. these regions are the wealthiest, the most powerful. that really has impacted the planet. it is almost impossible now to go anywhere and had it really be

completely dark. there are very few locations that you can find. that means our relationship to the sky, there is a way where we dominate the sky. we cannot see anything really. we are blinding ourselves in a way. >> you can look at the images, they are beautiful. when i started four years ago, there was a conversation about

environmental issues that was very different. this is not being talked about in the way it is now. . this has just been like an amazing growth. i anticipate the project to be something that opens a dialogue to public interest in these ideas. so the work is really made to be seen in this environment. it's been show in museum, in gallery, but never in a public setting. and it's kind of ideal for both myself and the works to have this real dialogue with the public not only in san francisco but people coming from all over the world. >> since the dawn of electricity, that light is something that people feel connected to and inspired by.

personally, there is space to keep that alive, just finding balance. the key is to find some balance. i would like to welcomeo

the san francisco board of the education regular meeting. to date is june 28. this meeting is called to order. commissioner fewer: here. commissioner maufas: here. commissioner murase: here. commissioner wynns: here. elvina fan: here. >> please join me for the pledge of allegiance.

president mendoza: thank you. item a is the approval of board meetings -- board minutes. any corrections tax roll call, please. -- any corrections? roll call, please. [roll is called] >> 5 ayes. president mendoza: the next item is a presentation by the superintendent. superintendent garcia is out of town and we are blessed with the presence of the deputy superintendent. >> you did that well. you have practiced. thank you, president mendoza. superintendent garcia is out of town and unable to make the meeting tonight. he has asked me to share the

following thoughts with all of you. regarding the 20112012 budget, the board will be taking action tonight on the budget for the 2011-2012 school year recommended budget. we may be close to having a state budget. all school districts must submit a three-year budget to the state by july 1. the one we are recommending is based on the governor's proposed budget. our recommendation is that we schedule a meeting of the full board after the meeting to discuss any differences between the proposed budget and the final state budget and consider any changes on board prior to is. this is our last meeting of the school year. as this is our last meeting of the school year, i would like to think the board, students, parents, and community members, and faculty, staff, and administrators for a productive school year. working together and keeping our focus on students, we have made

progress this year. just to name a few of the accomplishments this year, if i could list them -- after receiving a critical review of special education services, we we delivered a special services. in kindergarten through ninth grade, we expect exclusive options for all students. we are developing a core curriculum and not maps, but common learning assessments that provide teachers and students with timely feedback on student learning. nearly 15,000 students were assessed in english language arts, and nearly 27,000 students were assessed in math. that help teachers develop curriculum according to a student needs. measures will effectively use

our resources to support education of preschool students. we also were able to implement a new student assignment system and finalized the middle of school student assignment design. as a continue with -- continue to update our schools, we cannot help but think our constituencies, our families, and our communities for all the support they have given our schools and school district this year. i would like to wish everyone a restful summer and would like to see everyone rested and ready to go next year. commissioner maufas: thank you. the next item is the recognitions of resolutions and commendations. it is our wonderful pleasure to welcome the masons of the california masonic foundation.

they have been a tremendous partner to our school district. on a personal note, it was jim durkee who brought them over. we have flourished into a wonderful relationship. they have in many -- have been in many of our schools and are honoring many of our students this evening. i would like to welcome alan to the podium. >> good evening, commissioners. it is a pleasure to be here tonight on what i know is an important night for the school district. as the grand secretary of the nations of california, i have the opportunity to work with school districts all over the state. i am proud to be from san francisco. there are lots of challenges facing schools, particularly in san francisco. but the leadership is

exceptional. starting with your president and superintendent, they have provided not only good leadership to the school district, but to the community. your leadership has helped us find a way to help. thanks to the leadership of hydrogen and carlos garcia, we have a plan we are implementing all over the state to work with schools in advancing literacy in elementary schools, middle school, math and college pathways. these are now having an effect all over the state. we are doing this with our members in various communities. we have a council here in san francisco. i would like to recommend it -- lee members of our -- our members that are here tonight on a graduate from the school district.

ron erickson graduated from balboa high school in 1960. ed lim credit from galileo academy of science and technology in 1966. he was smart enough to marry a wonderful woman named and that who served for many years as a principal of our school district. one of the important jobs i had this year was launching a new scholarship program. thank you so much. the nations of california grant about $1.30 million in scholarships every year. we were caused to stop and think about what we are doing and to make a more profound district. we were able to carve off this year $157,000 for a new program called investment success. no longer was it just about gpa

and financial need. it was about understanding students and their circumstances and who could use a hand up. the students we recognize tonight were referred by guidance counselors and principles. we interviewed each of them to understand them. they have shown character and a willingness to support our community that is exemplary. i am reminded of a "buy my angelou -- of a quote by maya angelou. "if you do not like your path, cut your own swath." jasmine lives in the tenderloin in san francisco. her first two years of high school were not very good. it would be fair to say she was a failing student.