Official says nonprofits are critical for schools to survive

Help needed: U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan speaks at a San Francisco School Alliance Benefit luncheon at the Palace Hotel, Friday. (Mike Koozmin/Special to The Examiner)

SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco school system is in need of a dramatic reform that can only happen with the help of nonprofit organizations, local businesses, parents and community groups, the U.S. secretary of education said at a keynote speech in The City.

Although San Francisco students scored all-time highs in their most recent annual Academic Performance Index, about 40 percent of the district’s black and Hispanic students don’t graduate, an indication that there is much improvement to be made, Arne Duncan told a group of elected officials, public school advocates, and business leaders at the Palace Hotel.

The speech was organized by the San Francisco School Alliance, a nonprofit organization that helps raise funds and advocate for the San Francisco Unified School District.

Duncan said groups like the Alliance are crucial for school districts in California to survive, as funding for education continues to be slashed at the state level.

“I think the education of children has often been jeopardized by the dysfunction of adults,” said Duncan. “The old familiar battles need to be finished, and we need to see the government working with nonprofit and religious groups, unions and parents, if we want our schools to succeed.”

Cynthia Guyer, executive director of the Alliance, said tackling the school district’s achievement gap, which continues to widen between black and Hispanic students and the rest of the district, is the primary priority of the organization. Other challenges include attracting middle-class families back into the public system, and raising awareness about the achievements of oft-overlooked schools.

She said a healthy relationship between the Alliance and SFUSD Superintendent Carlos Garcia, and strong financial support from San Francisco residents — who recently approved a parcel tax for education funding — provides a firm foundation for improvement.

“San Francisco residents have great value and respect for their education system,” Guyer said. “We’re confident that we can all work together to make sure San Francisco is once again a world-class model for education.”