Plans to move arts school revived
By: Beth Winegarner
Examiner Staff Writer
December 4, 2008
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| Center stage: Bringing the School of the Arts to the Civic Center area from Twin Peaks would give students easier access to The City’s opera, ballet and symphony stars. (Cindy Chew/The Examiner) |
SAN FRANCISCO — Moving the School of the Arts from the wilds of Miraloma Park to the Civic Center, ground zero for high-end performing arts, is back at center stage — if the school district can raise $60 million to make it
happen.
Founded in 1982 and backed by renowned artist Ruth Asawa, the public performing-arts school, which admits students who successfully audition, has long been located within the McAteer High School campus at the top of Glen Canyon Park.
Arts supporters have for years wanted to move the school closer to The City’s arts center, saying it would allow budding performers to mingle with and learn from San Francisco’s opera, ballet and symphony stars.
The San Francisco Unified School District owns two properties near City Hall, at 135 Van Ness Ave. and 170 Fell St., where the school could move. The Board of Education has voted multiple times to support the move, and two voter-approved bond measures have bankrolled $30 million toward its relocation.
Today, Supervisor Bevan Dufty will start a new dialogue about the move at a meeting of the School District Select Committee. Longtime boosters hope Dufty will give the school the kick-start it needs to find a new home.
“It’s time for us to have some leadership on this,” said Sandra Halladey, a longtime booster who now has a child attending the school. “It’s a very isolated campus right now, and dancers from the San Francisco Ballet or Michael Tilson Thomas should be able to walk over and visit students.”
Moving to Fell Street would cost $171.5 million, while Van Ness would cost $142.9 million, according to a report from Andrew Murray of the Legislative Analyst’s Office.
In addition to $30 million in bonds, plus up to $58 million in state grants, district renovation funds, city public-enrichment funds and developer fees, that leaves the project a minimum of $60 million short, Murray said.
Supporters say the gap, if it can be closed, will be more than worth it.
“It’s going to be more than just a school,” said Principal Carmelo Sgarlato. “It’s going to become a hub for arts education and become a cultural institution in and of itself.”
Two years ago, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, which teaches students of all ages, moved from the Sunset district to a new site at 50 Oak St., also in the core of the Civic Center. Its proximity to The City’s arts scene has allowed the school to thrive, according to Dean Mary Ellen Poole.
Once leaders commit to the relocation, the money will follow, according to Halladey.
“The people with deep pockets in The City want to support this,” she said. “They don’t bat an eye when the money issue comes up.”
Moving out
The School of the Arts would like to relocate its campus, but remains well short of the necessary costs to do so.
What: San Francisco School of the Arts
Current location: 555 Portola Drive
Potential new locations: 135 Van Ness Ave., 170 Fell St.
Relocation cost: $142.9 million to $171.5 million
Available funding: $30 million from city bonds, $39 million from state grants, $10.3 million from district renovation funds, $3 million to $9 million in developer fees, unknown amount from Proposition H.
Shortfall: Approximately $60 million
Sources: SFUSD, San Francisco Office of the Legislative Analyst
