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They're fighting
crowds at westside high schools
by Tom
Edminster
Education suffers when too many students are crammed into too
little space. SFUSD has historically allowed school populations
to grow to unacceptable sizes. Abraham Lincoln High School is
a case in point.
Over-capacity enrollment
San Francisco is a district with declining student enrollment.
Yet, at the end of the 2001-2002 school year, Lincoln was enrolled
at about 250 students over classroom capacity for the following
fall.
About 40% of the District’s public high school students
attend three of eight comprehensive high schools – Washington,
Lincoln and Lowell. This disproportionate attendance reflects
and creates imbalances between the eastern and western parts of
the city.
No room of their own
Overcrowding has long been a concern of Lincoln’s staff.
They have not had a faculty room in more than a decade. This year
twenty teachers roam from room to room without workspace of their
own.
The staff has petitioned the District since 1998, and has sought
reasonable enrollment in other ways including community meetings
and press coverage.
In fall 2002, Superintendent Ackerman met with some of Lincoln’s
administrators, teachers and parents. Two more bungalows were
added, and the Foods and Dance rooms were ‘temporarily’
divided in order to deal with the influx.
After more pressure from Lincoln staff and the UESF High School
Committee, Chief Academic Officer Elois Brooks convened an “Enrollment
Task Force” of representatives from both Lincoln and Washington
High Schools. The Task Force recommended plans for the progressive
reduction of enrollment at both schools.
Brooks stated that Lincoln and Washington would be capped at the
enrollment limits for 2002-2003. Yet, UESF representatives met
twice with SFUSD since July and were not given a set capacity
limit. Lincoln’s UBC, under science teacher Bill Milestone’s
leadership, developed creative ways
to resolve the overcrowding problem.
Emphasizing safety
Emphasizing safety, the UBC measured each classroom for safe capacity
according to the Fire Code. Teachers and administrators were encouraged
to hold classes to this limit.
Milestone was recruited to SFUSD’s Master Facilities Task
Force. He thought that Lincoln’s concerns were being heard.
Yet, no real limit to student enrollment has yet been set. Milestone
says, “My efforts seem to have been a waste of time.”
Awaiting good faith
Lincoln teachers are waiting for some sign of good faith. As the
Educator goes to press, the Enrollment Task Force is scheduled
to meet on September 9 after the “10 day count.” If
no clear District commitments result from this meeting, Lincoln
teachers and UESF will consider further options to cope with this
festering condition.
For more information, contact tedminster@uesf.org.
Tom Edminster teaches social studies and is on Lincoln’s
UBC.
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