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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, April 12 2007
Contact: Mayor’s Office of Communications, 415-554-6131
Gentle Blythe, SFUSD, 415-241-6565
*** PRESS RELEASE ***
MAYOR GAVIN NEWSOM, SUPERINTENDENT GWEN CHAN, AND SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENT MARK SANCHEZ SIGN HISTORIC "PARTNERSHIP FOR ACHIEVEMENT" AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO AND THE SAN FRANCISCO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT (SFUSD)
Agreement codifies unprecedented level of cooperation between City government and San Francisco’s public schools
School Board leaders from across the country in attendance at ceremonial signing
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Joined by San Francisco’s Superintendent of Schools Gwen Chan, School Board President Mark Sanchez, and members of the National School Board Association, Mayor Gavin Newsom today signed a ground-breaking plan which represents – for the first time – the City and the School District formally joining together to serve the students and families of San Francisco.
Building on the many partnerships that already exist between the City and School District - such as After-School for All, the Arts Education Master Plan, and Prop H – the "Partnership for Achievement" agreement seeks to formalize the collaboration between the City and SFUSD in six strategic areas:
· Building Community Support and Civic Engagement:
A campaign has been started by organizations that have a vested interest in the health and well-being of public school children in San Francisco.
Composed of parents, business people, District staff, City staff, and local philanthropists, the groups are committed to investing diverse assets toward a collective effort to support public education in our city.
· Supporting Teachers and Principals:
A Teacher of the Month program will honor innovative teachers.
Teacher Housing Subsidies and a Student Loan Forgiveness Policy are currently being developed for Fall 2007 implementation.
Leadership Initiative to recruit and retain Pre K-12 administrators is being designed in collaboration with SFUSD, San Francisco School Alliance, Partners in School Innovation, and UC Berkeley’s Principal Leadership Initiative.
· Promoting Adequate School Funding:
Currently, the City provides SFUSD with approximately $40 million in school-based and school-linked program funding and services.
The Public Education Enrichment Fund will provide, by 2010, an additional $40 million a year in funding - $20 million reserved for Sports, Libraries, Art, and Music and $20 million for SFUSD identified needs.
· Increasing Opportunities:
Led by SFUSD and DCYF staff, the After-School For All Initiative commits to providing all elementary and middle school students with access to quality after-school programs by 2010.
Currently, eleven (11) high schools have Wellness Centers and four (4) additional middle schools will be funded in 2007-08 through a SFUSD, Department of Health, and DCYF collaborative. Assuming passage of the PEEF budget by the Board of Supervisors, all high schools will have Wellness Centers.
· Preparing for the 21st Century:
Strategies to prepare students for the modern workforce, such as the development of career pathways in competitive workforce areas.
· Strengthening Schools as Community Institutions:
SFUSD, Recreation and Parks Department, and DCYF are currently identifying school playgrounds that will be open to community use.
DCYF, SFUSD, and local CBOs are exploring potential school sites to establish a Parent University and/or a Job Center for Transitional Age Youth.
"This agreement is a living document that exemplifies the partnership between the City and the school district on a wide-range of issues," said Mayor Newsom. "San Francisco's efforts are unprecedented - and over the next couple of months, we will witness order of magnitude changes in the quality of education that the City’s children receive," continued the Mayor.
"By working together, the City and the District can do more for the children of San Francisco," said Gwen Chan. "This agreement formalizes and strengthens a commitment shared by all of us – to assure that all of our students have the opportunities and support to achieve their greatest potential. We need partners to accomplish this."
"This is a good opportunity to strengthen and deepen the relationship between the District and the City," stated School Board President Mark Sanchez. "The divisions that currently exist are generally structural. This helps build a structure for the benefit of all, especially those that historically have not been as well served."
The Partnership for Achievement was first read by the Board of Education on Tuesday, February 13, 2007 and was sent back to the board from committee with a positive recommendation and adopted by the San Francisco Board of Education on Tuesday, March 13, 2007.
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