kids are not born brats. Parents create brats when they impose on their children that it’s not ok to sit at the same table and share a meal with a public housing child, when parents decide that their children should never walk more than 10 yards from the school door to the car (heard of obesity anyone? not mentioning the traffic nightmare and pollution created by schools in PacHts and else), when they don’t EDUCATE their children and gain good conscience by spending $200.000.

as for being happy in private schools – how come so many children do not finish their education in the SAME school? it’s not unheard of children attending 3 different schools in the same year. What does THAT teach the kids? The most recurrent answer when asking people around us “what do you think of your school?” is “easy option, I don’t have to think about it” and “it’s too complicated to change school so we stay put”.

SFUSD, as crappy as it is, is one of the few school district where ANYBODY can get ANY SCHOOL they want – they *only need* to want it, not just wish about it.

Last. private is NOT the alternative to public. If you are not happy about public, the obvious option is home schooling – not buying your ticket out at 20K a head a year. Spending a fortune in education is a CHOSEN LIFESTYLE, thus not entitling you the right to complain (and vice versa, there are many families going private without spending an arm and a leg, and they never complained about “having to leave the city because of the schools”).

EVERY SINGLE FAMILY we know that dared to play fair got a school they are happy to send their child to. (I’m talking elementary. above, it gets trickier)
And vice versa, every moron who played the american stupid way lost at the lottery.

the lottery system is EASY – you have exactly ONE chance, and you NEED to make sure you get #1 or #2 on your list – by finding a school that works for you – and if necessary, listing your assignment school next.

Families in the gray area are quite rare. There have been some mess up – but you cannot use the 23 flynnarado children to create a rule for the 4713 other children. It’s like taking the 4 Broadway SFH for sale, and creating a rule for the rest of the city’s SFH!
And no, no kid has EVER been bussed across the city to district 10 – not because the parents wouldn’t let it happen, but because district 10 DOESN’T WANT YOU!

San Francisco Issues:
Private investment in public schools, by city:
- New York City: $350 per student
- Seattle: $150 per student
- Portland: $100 per student
- San Francisco: $43 per student
Source: SF Schools Alliance, 2007

read:
http://www.ppssf.org/Issues/SAS/Jan_29_09_Ad_Hoc_presentation.pdf
http://www.ppssf.org/Issues/SERR/WhitePaperonFamiliesLeavingSFforMayorsPolicyCouncil.pdf
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2008/09/05/lessonplan.DTL

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we love love love our school. We do have a relative choice to go private to a similar program. But that would be over my dead body. Academics are not as strong, adult per child ration is way below my comfort zone, teachers credentials are not as thoru and strong, building is not as nice, parents are certainly not as friendly and welcoming, parking would be a nightmare. Private just never stop asking for money – you have to pay for EVERYTHING and they keep phoning you for more “generous” donations…..
Private schools in SF are broken – much more than public. Only parents chanting “I’m happy here” over and over helps convince THEMSELVES that they are indeed happy there. And it’s too easy to just refuse to check the other side of the fence.
There are a few private schools that are outstanding – and funnily, they are not the most requested ones, some with open spots year round – maybe because the price tag is not high enough to pat the parents’ ego into bragging “I’m spending THAT MUCH for my kid”.

To some extend, it looks like parents who truly cannot afford private (like not earning enough, but way too “rich” to qualify for full tuition assistance) are the parents who are getting the BEST education for their children…. simply because they are motivated to make it work!
That’s right folks. NOBODY can “buy” an education to a child. A child will not succeed because the new library bears his parent’s name. A child will not succeed because he has 23 private tutors weekly (in addition to school) to make him slave over books. A child will succeed when he hears his parents talk RESPECTFULLY about his school and his teachers, when his parents REINFORCE teachers tools like discipline, homework, when his parents are PROUD of the community that accepted them and included them from day one – including the janitor of the school.

SFUSD schools are changing faster than one can imagine, because we are fortunate to have a nice group of adults who are .. true San Franciscans! putting their money and their effort behind their words of equity, equality, diversity, world community.
I’m grateful for the teachers that supervise my children everyday. I had NEVER seen such a commitment, dedication and quality in education – ever. And some under-privilege children are lucky cookies to have them as teacher, rather than wasting those good teachers on brats.

“The San Francisco Board of Education is changing the way students are assigned to schools for 2011. Learn about the options under consideration and share your questions and ideas.

Can’t make it to a meeting?
Complete an Online Survey
Click Here to go to website for details on redesign and survey

Come to a Meeting!
November 18 (Wednesday), 6 pm to 8 pm
Mission High School, 3750 18th Street (Castro/Mission)

December 2 (Wednesday), 6 pm to 8 pm
Washington High School, 600-32nd Avenue (Outer Richmond)

December 15 (Tuesday), 6 pm to 8 pm
Dianne Feinstein Elementary School, 2550 25th Avenue (Parkside)

January 7 (Thursday), 6 pm to 8 pm
Drew Elementary School, 50 Pomona Avenue (Bayview)

January 14 (Thursday), 6 pm to 8 pm
Francisco Middle School, 2190 Powell Street (North Beach)”

As many know, the current SFUSD assignment system is done via an absurdly stressful lottery which is pushing many families to private or out of SF entirely. Ironically, said lottery is not helping de-segregate schools which is, ostensibly, its purpose.

Only the uninformed (well, and perhaps those who don’t want their kids sitting next to “those” people in class) believe that San Francisco parents “need” to send their kids to private schools.

Of course we do have many friends who do and have sent their kids private, and there is simply no discernable difference in the quality of their education vs. the quality of my kids’ education. Basically they spent $150,000-$200,000 per kid for the same thing we got for free — a solid K-12 education. They chose to do that for whatever reasons of their own, but they didn’t “need” to do it.

I was thinking goodness I live in the city when the Bay Bridge closed.

$45/month for a bus pass all day long! Yiiihaw.

2. Any cost savings here are offset by the need to put your kids in private school.

3. How can it be environmentally friendly when you have to step over people and dog feces and urine everywhere?