SFUSD has been working since the Fall of 2020 to develop a set of elementary school zones for our new student assignment policy. We have held numerous events to gather feedback from the community, and have been working for months with San Francisco families, City agencies, members of the public, and academic researchers on developing zone maps that meet our policy goals of diversity, proximity, and predictability. 

The work of developing zone maps is incredibly complex, and depends on school capacities - the number of students enrolled in each grade and program in each elementary school - being relatively predictable over time. The Board and Superintendent are currently listening to the community to shape district priorities, and may surface goals and preferences that impact the portfolio of elementary schools or the implementation plan for the New Elementary Assignment Policy. As Superintendent Wayne has said, we need to “first  start with Vision, Values, and Goals. Then organize resources around those.” Rather than make assumptions about the stability of the portfolio of schools before prioritization conversations are completed, we have established a new timeline for implementation.

In order to create maps of zones that reflect district priorities and portfolio decisions, the district has decided to extend the implementation timeline by one year, to 2026-27. Successful implementation requires the up-front investment of district leadership in priority alignment.

The extended timeline will allow for deep and meaningful prioritization with the community, rather than imposing an artificially quick timeline on these decisions. This longer timeline also gives the team more time to engage with families, the public, and City agencies as we design zones and other elements of the assignment policy.

Staff will present an update to the Board in January 2023.