Legislation to prevent the conversion of San Francisco housing to strictly student usage was approved Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors.
The ordinance encourages universities to create new student housing instead of purchasing existing buildings or blocks of units to offer just to students.
“We have a huge need to house many students,” said Supervisor Scott Wiener, the legislation’s sponsor. “We need to do it in a way that does not undermine other housing needs, but encourage new student housing through incentives.”
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There’s a lot at stake for California State Universities on the November ballot.
Attending one of the university systems’ 23 campuses could be more expensive, tougher to get in to or tuition could even be reduced, depending on what voters decide for the pending tax measure.
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Amid an ongoing budget crisis, a proposal to increase the salaries of three California State University campus presidents, including San Francisco’s, by 10 percent more than what their predecessors were paid is being questioned.
The 23-campus CSU system stands to lose $250 million in funding if Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax measures are not approved by voters in November. The public universities already cut $750 million from their budgets last year.
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The City College of San Francisco board of trustees is vowing to keep the institution open despite a recent scathing report from the Accreditation Commission for Community and Junior Colleges.
At a special meeting Tuesday, the seven-member board said it will do whatever it can to prevent CCSF from losing accreditation or closing.
“We will not let that happen” said board President John Rizzo. “Everyone in this room, everyone in this community, will not let that happen.”
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A new San Francisco Unified School District administrator allegedly used unorthodox disciplinary methods in previous jobs as a principal in Boston and suburban Atlanta, leading to a successful lawsuit in one instance and her resignation in the other.
Esther Adames, formerly known as Esther Adames-Jimenez, was accused in the first case of punishing a 4-year-old who had bitten his peers by ordering them to bite him back, an allegation that she denied. In the second incident, Adames admitted forcing a boy to shock himself with a novelty pen he had brought to school.
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As City College of San Francisco awaits an accreditation review that is expected to highlight its faltering grip on financial solvency, college officials have compiled an austere budget for the 2012-13 school year that has more cutbacks in store if voters do not approve a tax measure in November promoted by Gov. Jerry Brown.
“The college is facing a historic, unprecedented fiscal crisis,” Interim Chancellor Pamila Fisher said in an address to faculty last month.
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Graduation rates are up for San Francisco’s high schools, according to new data from the California Department of Education.
The San Francisco Unified School District’s four-year graduation rate for the class of 2011 was more than 82.2 percent, nearly five points higher than in 2010. The state average was just 76.3 percent
Hispanic students showed the greatest gain, from 59.4 percent to 67.8 percent. Black students gained seven points, to 64 percent.
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Money earmarked for programs in San Francisco schools — including physical education, art and music — will be diverted to the district’s general fund to allow the district to maintain financial reserves required by law.
The school board voted Tuesday night to divert $16 million out of $62 million in state funds earmarked for specific education programs. The vote was a required step before the board can approve a 2012-13 school-year budget.
The board voted 5-2 to divert the money, with board members Sandra Fewer and Kim-Shree Maufas dissenting.
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San Francisco is home to 35,000 children under 5, and many of their parents rely on a patchwork of public programs for day care and preschool. The school district, three city agencies and a bevy of nonprofit groups offer options for all kinds of families — but navigating the system can be confusing.
So last month, as part of his budget proposal, Mayor Ed Lee announced his intention to combine all city services for young children and their families into a single office, which would be created if the Board of Supervisors approves the mayor’s budget.
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Nearly three-quarters of San Francisco public schools maintained or improved their state rankings, but the rest lost ground, according to data released by the California Department of Education on Thursday.
Statewide rankings are determined by comparing and sorting schools into 10 groups according to their Academic Performance Index, which is based largely on test scores from the previous year. Each group represents 10 percent of schools. The schools are compared with all schools statewide as well as with schools that are demographically similar.
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