Why has the school-assignment model failed?

The school-assignment model in place in the SFUSD as of 2020 has perpetuated resegregation by giving families with greater resources inherently better odds of getting their first choice school. Some schools become whiter and whiter, and others become less and less resourced. SFUSD board member Rachel Norton says: “In our current system, this kind of market-based assignment system is so damaging because it encourages self-segregation and it only advantages those who have the ability to navigate the system.” (Tucker). Since its implementation, schools have become increasingly more segregated.

By 2015, 60% of SFUSD school student bodies were made up of a majority race, deeming them “racially isolated”. A 2011 memo from the federal Justice and Education departments reads that “racially isolated schools often have fewer effective teachers, higher teacher turnover rates, less rigorous curricular resources (e.g., college preparatory courses), and inferior facilities and other educational resources.” Henry Der notes that racial isolation in schools (“racially identifiable Fschools”) has been perpetuated by the the state and federal school accountability systems. He writes, “If resegregation is not already a fact in San Francisco public schools, it is inevitable, despite more than two decades of substantial state funding to support school desegregation efforts and compliance with the consent decree.” (Der, 4).

Parents with the ability to take time off from work to tour schools, a have a vehicle which allows them to choose a school farther from home, or can afford to supplement resources the school does not provide, have an an inherent advantage in the lottery system, and are able to navigate its nuances significantly better than a family with fewer resources.

Is change coming?

In early December 2020, the SFUSD approved a new student assignment system that mirrors much of the current system, but allows for more security in choice of a school in a guaranteed zone near one’s home. This system, reporter Jill Tucker writes, will offer “more predictability to parents as well as diversity in classrooms.” This change comes as a result of many years of discussion and “community input” (Tucker). Zones to establish this new policy will be created throughout 2021 and the new system, which is expected to cost $2.5 million, will be implemented over the next 18 months. The new system represents a long overdue change to the SFUSD and is one of 8 amendments to the school assignment system in 50 years. Ultimately, it reflects the sentiment of Orla O’Keefe, chief of policy and operations of the SFUSD, who said: “Your opportunity to go to a school shouldn’t be determined by your home address, just like your opportunity to go to a library or a public park shouldn’t be determined by your home address.” (Schwartz).