day, there are two children and one adult who are so important to me every day and that is my wife, a stella -- estella and my daughters. the time away from home is to build a better community. go sfusd. it is the place to be. [applause] >> you do not get the last word. right now, i want to move to the agenda. this is for the presentation to the board, the superintendent's report. this is very romantic. we're going to -- the superintendent's thoughts for

the evening, carlos garcia. >> i'm still the superintendent until july 1. first of all, richard, congratulations. it is awesome to have you there and i want to congratulate the sport for having the courage, your the first board -- you are the first board, where were not even born. when there is succession planning were you will have someone who is from within the we have had in terms superintendent's. -- had interim superintendents. to have succession planning especially when we're not headed in the right direction, whether to go somewhere else but what kills public education is we never stay the course. we keep zigzagging and when something starts to look -- work, double digit growth for

african-american and pacificare -- pacific islander students, this is closing the gap. and to hire a young wellbore stepler like richard -- whippersnapper like richard carranza, we will stay the course. we congratulate the school board for staying the course and doing the right thing. thank you to all of you. i want to mention, because we do not get enough thank you's. i want to mention some things that are important for leave here. i wanted to inform everybody that with the student assignment, every we're -- year we have some buzz. fifth and eighth grade students enrolled who do not have -- answer the deadline.

those are kids that will come to our schools but sometimes there late in getting things in. we held off a little bit longer than normally. that means -- that meant we had to stop holding the space is not until may. we did that on -- spaces not until may. we did that so kids would not get lost in the system. this is an issue that we will have to clarify that will come before the board on student assignment. we will have a long, thorough discussion of policy and how do we handle that? especially for areas where kids are starting registering enough. they get their notice and they think we do not have to do anything else. as we know, you do have to. you have to go another step, and sometimes they get lost. we're going to fix that as we move forward. richard and the board will fix that. i think that is something that is worth fixing. second thing is, i want to talk about one of the most important things we're here for is to pass

a budget. i have to tell you, we would be less than honest with the public if we did not tell you we wished this budget was a better budget. sometimes you have got dealt lemons and to make lemonade. -- you make lemonade. sometimes people come and complain. we're not the enemy. we are the victims of a circumstance of this state that is too cheap to stand up and fight for children. to be in a state that does not go out there and do everything humanly possible to adequately fund education is a disgrace. in this budget, there is not enough money to do all the great things for what we think is needed. the arts-music library, math, science, ap, ell, foreign language, extended days, credit recovery, summer school, parikh

engagement, staff development, food services, custodians, nurses, the list goes on forever. deferred maintenance. the state is not going to do it, san franciscans have always stood up for children. we have been able to pass prop h. if the state would follow the model of san francisco, we would have a fabulous system. we cannot do it all by ourselves but the state has to help and for them to create these sweeps of tier 3 programs and these got awful things we have to do, we do that work. -- these god awful things that we do, we do that work. we have to cut 22% of the budget. when 90% goes to the people, it is a disgrace to have pink slips go to the teachers who have

stood up for social justice and have helped close the achievement gap. we're going to pass a budget this evening and this budget, believe it or not, as bad as it is, it is better than most school districts. 188 are going under as we speak and that number will grow by the end of this month. i am proud to say that in spite of how bad is, this budget will get us through some of the toughest economic crisis if not the toughest economic crisis that the state of california has ever faced for public education. we're going to make it through that. that is why this evening is important and i know that people will have opinions but we are putting additional resources in as the deputy superintendent will inform the board later on. we're putting resources for credit recovery for the things the board has pointed out to be important. we do believe and we do walk the talk. that is what makes this board

and the district doing the right work because we do have to serve the people who have not been served appropriately for decades in san francisco. last, i have to say that this is my last meeting. i want to thank jill tucker for reminding me. she did a bit of analysis and i have been a superintendent for 16 years. i've spent seven 24 -- 70 24- hour days at school board meetings. think about that. that is a long time. no wonder i am retiring. no. the reality is when you look at the things we have been working on, how lucky could a guy like me be? he started school in thoss --

i started school in -- as a non-english speaker. it is great that the teachers in this district have stood up to be able to do that. what i am most proud of here is just think, we came here with a strategic plan. joyful learners. we talked about this -- what has to happen. we were blessed enough to have freedom fighters in this community, the parents, the teachers, the administrators, everybody. all our employees in the district standing united in saying equity means for everybody. everybody worked for five years to show that if you do not believe it can be done, then get the heck out of the way because it is being done regardless of how cheap sentiment is in

funding public education. everybody stood by and believed in kids and i have been blessed. my entire career, i have never worked for adults. i am going to get through, folks. it has been such a great event -- a privilege to serve a dynamic community like san francisco that walks the talk. that does not give live service for what needs to be done in education -- lip service for what needs to be done in education. for the board to be told i did not work for adults, i work for children. that is what needs to happen in america. if everyone believed in the children like this board and like san francisco does, we would have a great society for our children because i do believe we ought to be judged by

the way we treat our children and that -- if that is the case in california, then shame on us. i hope san francisco leads the way. this is unacceptable that we are way below the national average that we get $5,000 per student when you look at where over 16,000 -- we are below average and you have schools in the east that are getting 12,000 at the bare minimum. where we tolerating this? it is time to say enough and do something about it. and want to thank the freedom fighters throughout the school district who stood and said we'd make a difference. riche -- richard, i pass the torch. to ensure tha tell -- that ell kids get served.

this is the modern-day apartheid. this excess is and everyone of us as human beings. we have done a lot in five years but it was a start and i want to thank everyone. i have been blessed in 37 years of public education to work with children and i want to thank my wife and my son and my daughter. they gave up a lot to have their crazy dead -- dad fight this movement for children. thank you very much. [applause]

president yee: ok. thank you superintendent garcia for your words. i would like to take this opportunity, this will be his last meeting here as officials superintendent of san francisco. i hope, i personally hope and i am sure the rest of the board would hope he will come back every so often and spur a son and remind us why we are here. -- spur us on and remind us

why we're here. i would like to give the school. -- school board members an opportunity to say something. does anyone want to start? commissioner maufas: thank you. i will speak first this time because i think when we voted you in, i may have spoken last and it was to cast a no vote for carlos. it was not so much about him. i was not sure about our process and how we came to the decision and i was not ready yet and i had stated that. but today, even telling the community, they would ask me, do you like him yet and it was not so much about that. it was, this is our superintendent and this is the gentleman i have to work with and i have to work with him with the community as well. i have to tell you, it has been up from that moment.

up and all the way. and want to thank you for your service. i know there have been lots of tensions, pushes and pulls, but that is the part of the deal. we are supposed to have that and it is healthy. there was never a time when we could not come to the table and have a discussion, whether i was fighting for my committee or on the side of labour and paraprofessionals, you were always able to hear me. even today. to see the walls are barer because richard is moving in and carlos is leaving. the moment of transition. i want to tell you, thank you. thank you for your service to san francisco. i appreciate you coming back here to end your career and do that well. >> congratulations on concluding

your successful tenure. lots of good things that are happening and i think you have a very promising career as a motivational speaker. as everyone knows, carlos is a very effective spokesperson for our children and the school district. one of the things you have said in previous remarks is that if the schools are not good enough for your kids, they're not good enough for any kids and i have taken that to heart. we're in this business because we want to make opportunities available to all of our kids. thank you. >> it has been a real honor and privilege for me to not only be on the board when we hired you but to work closely with you over the last five years and i want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for being just incredibly honest and ethical, and always working hard

for the kids and your sense of humor has always been such a real treat. it has broken up a lot of our very intense meetings. i also want to thank you not only for being a great superintendent, but also being a great partner with the city. in my position as the mayor's education advisor, you have built an incredibly strong relationship with the city and we could not do that work without a superintendent who was willing to come over and take advantage, actually, of all the resources the city has to offer. you have always open your arms to that and it wanted to thank you for that. we have not always agreed on everything but you have always been incredibly respectful and i will not have to call you any other names that we have called each other behind closed doors. it is again an honor and privilege and i wish you the best of luck. we have been colleagues but also friends and you cannot get rid of us that easily.

we look forward to spending more time with you on the outside. congratulations and our best and well wishes for you and your family, carlos. >> this feels like a very sad day and also a very happy day. there is a lot -- you have definitely broke me up. i was not sure you are going to be able to get through it and you did. congratulations. i have appreciated so much learning from you in my term on the board. your keep -- the passion for kids and improving the school. you never -- you have always been able to keep your priorities straight. you have always really stressed to the staff and the board that you still need to enjoy life. even when the problems seem really big and insurmountable, you need to enjoy life and enjoy your family and i am -- my mental image of your retirement is new and your family planning

-- playing yout in the wilderness. i will miss you very much. >> we have known each other 25 years or more and i, we were friends before you came here. i was pleased you were interested in this job when it came up. i appreciate so much your -- i think the greatest asset you brought us was the ability to communicate with the public and to essentially have made, this is always such a challenge. we're always back here say, we're doing that, we need you to

understand this. it is hard to engage the public and the internal constituencies, the teachers, all the school employees, the administrators. we do that and some people do well and some people do a better than others and frankly, i think at this time in our development and life, that has been your greatest gift to us. that we have been able to communicate our message so much better than we have in the past. i think that has been your personal talent that has allowed that to happen. i appreciate that. we have made great progress. this has been a sort of continual evolution. i think that we have -- the sport has always said to our new superintendent -- this board has always said to our new superintendent, that we wanted to move forward. we did not want a do over and that is hard to do. it is hard to make sure mark, be

clear what you're doing and what your leadership brings to this kind of an effort without saying everything was bad before i got here. i think that all the boards and have served on which is -- i have served on which is a lot, tried to have agreement about this and it has been a challenge for us over time. we really mean that and follow it through ourselves. i think that has been -- that is our greatest strength. it will continue to be and i thank you for adding to that and really nurturing that foundational philosophy. really the most important thing you have done is to help us clearly articulate to people how much we mean it when we say this is about equity for us. i cannot tell you how many people have said to me, this is the first time we have the chance to really talk and plan and work clearly through the

equity lands. even the women did before. i do not think we communicate that well enough to people and i do not think people believed it before. since that is our universally held, most important value for public education, in san francisco, i think we could not have done that without you and we're much further along the road then we were before you came. i think you for that and for your friendship, for your work, for your commitment, and for all the fun we have had come into -- had, too. we love you and we will miss you. >> so, carlos. i feel like this is sort of a very profound, and also. --

profound moment also. i was a chairperson of the citizens' advisory committee to select the new superintendent which everyone wanted a say in what they wanted the new superintendent to be. i remember standing at the podium, pushing back on the school district, of course. after having written the first educational equity platform with advocates for children and youth. you unveiled a strategic plan and i then went up to the podium again and it just was in tears that this was the first time that i had heard in this district that somebody had the courage and the vision and

leadership to call out our racial achievement gaps for what it was. and some people may be angry now. they may decide to run for the school board. i thought this is something i could sign on to. this is something i think with all integrity, i could do and i could sign on and support it. this was the direction i think i could go. i think your biggest contribution was having the courage and the vision to be so bold as to call out our achievement gap and not always focus on us being a very high performing district in this state. and that it was not enough that we're high performing when not all children are succeeding. i love that you get mad about the right things and i rarely have seen you mad but when i have seen you mad, it is over

that injustice, it is over inequity. it has been over the right things for our children. so i will thank you and your family for all these hours of school board meetings. i know that you and i look at each other, we're like, another hour. it has been a great contribution in these five years you have given to our students. it has been a light at the end of the tunnel. public school children and their parents and everybody else in the community, i want to say thank you. i hope that in your retirement, we will play a game together. my husband and i really like that, too. i hope that you and i can take many motorcycle rides together and the -- enjoy each other away from the board and the work of the board and the work of the school district. carlos, good health, good luck,

much joy, much love in your retirement. thank you. >> so, carlos. you are right. in san francisco, we do have freedom fighters. we had them before you came and we have them now. and we will have them later. the biggest thing you brought to us is that we have a lot of freedom fighters that have no leadership. we were really just doing our own thing and everybody had their definition of what they should be doing and what you brought was that leadership that brought us all together. it is that emotional -- i am talking about. people believed in what you were saying and were willing to get behind the things that you wanted to do to fight for our equity for the children. i am really proud that when you

came in, i was in the leadership on the school board. and almost come full circle five years later. here are at -- i am, the president of the school board and i have to see you go. it is a sad day. it was a happy day when we brought you in. it has been a real great right for me -- ride for me to work with you on all these issues. i can speak for -- they all spoke already. we feel real good about what has happened here in the last few years. refinished? we're not finished. that is where we have richard carranza here. this is what i want you to do. i want you to go get some rest, take a long vacation, not too long, but unlike everyone else,

i do not think you should be retiring. you should not be retiring. you have too much fire, and you know something? we cannot lose you in california. we need somebody like you. the next job is to create a movement and create that fight where we will challenge -- a change -- will change california's way of thinking. we want california to start valuing our children. you take the lead on that and i will be right beside you. carlos, come back and fight for us. thank you very much, carlos. president yee: let's move on. item c.

item b, student delegates' report. >> do you have -- we had our olast -- our last student advisory council in may. this is my last as well. it has been a really great term and i have some words to say to mr. garcia. i want to thank you for your hard work. i am a 17-year- i am b-17-year-old girl, so i do not know how much of the means to you. but an thank you. before i was a student delegate, you were a signature in e-mail occasionally. i realized how kind and hard- working you are. the is really nice to be reassured that you care about the children, and everyone else does here. fed could easily be forgotten, through the budget and the money

issues. it is really nice to know that, and thank you perianth now to thank you. president yee: you are destined to lead. you have a four year free ride to uc-berkeley. you will be a leader. it has been great having you as a student delegates this past year. good luck. i know you are going to shake it up over there. commissioner? commissioner wynns: i wanted to say we are not letting her get away either. we have not had a chance to talk about our and our other student delicate, because we did not know if would be privileged to have them here tonight. with respect to all of my colleagues, elected and appointed, my favorite part about serving on the brd