I would like to open this meeting and honorable hooks who said, what we do is more important than what we say, or what we say we believe. Section a, general information. Number one is accessibility information for the public. Number two is teleconference information. There is none tonight. Section b, opening items. Number one, of whom are board minutes of the regular meeting september 10, 2019. Can i have a motion on a second . And a . Any corrections . Roll call. [roll call] speaker cards for the agenda, the regular agenda and closed session if you wish board of education. Members of the public are reminded that the individual can complete the speaker card prior to the item being called. Members of the public have two minutes to address the board and or the time set by the president. According to board rules and procedures. Speaker cards will be accepted for an item are before number two, superintendents report. Doctor matthews . Thank you, president cook. Good evening. Let me try that again, good evening everyone. On september 12, standing in the newly renovated and stunning yard at presidio Meadow School had the privilege to join civic, education, and Business Leaders to celebrate the seventh year of funding by salesforce the bay area schools. Salesforce has been a fantastic partner with their support now totaling over 40 million supporting services ranging from the creation of Computer Science classes to programs that train the next generation of teachers. This year alone salesforce will award a . 5 million enabling us to continue our redesign of our curriculum, coach, math, science teachers, implement the nations first prek12 Computer Science curriculum, and build culture. Just to name some of the programs being made possible by salesforce. My sincere thanks to our partners at cell for continuing to model Corporate Responsibility for our community and our schools. Second, please come to sfusds annual enrollment fair. It will be held on saturday, october 19th, 9 00 a. M. Until 2 00 p. M. At the high school located at 2355 folsom street. Do not miss this opportunity to meet representatives from all of the San FranciscoUnified School District schools in you get the opportunity to learn about our language programs, our special education programs, how to apply to our district, and much more. This familyfriendly event is open to the public. No registration is required. Bilingual staff will be there to assist in english, spanish, and chinese. Childcare is provided for children ages 35. To signup for childcare, to enroll in school at sfusd. Edu. Finally i would like to remind family and caregivers that this week is high school back to school week. Contact your School Principal to find out about any events that they are having. Thank you all. That completes my announcements for this evening. [applause] thank you doctor matthews. Number three, student delegates report. Thank you. Good evening everybody. On the topic of Student Voice and leadership, congratulating all of our brave youth leaders for the support and participation on last weeks student led rally march held on monday, september 16, and friday 20. This is an incredible incredible Civic Engagement opportunity for student leaders to show suppor support for social and climate awareness. [applause] annually participating in a youth Mentorship Program. This year we will continue to provide our youth the opportunity to gain Office Experience so they can build a resume, and have a mentor that they can rely on in their career path. Establishing a student friendly Mentorship Program for our students. Our mentor and Internship Program training will start next month. Last night, we selected this Years Committee chairs who will direct our goals and project. Our goal is to form student led teams who will effectively support and encourage our project. These committees will house all projects. We will continue to work on any ongoing projects but also research and develop new ideas in our perspective committees. Our health and Environmental Committee will host our mondays and student card project which is our project to fund raise money for students without stable housing. Our district and City Accountability Committee will host our engage with police said hall, and City Organization projects. Our Student Support committee will house our Student Service health program, which is a resource website for students. Our social justice and Opportunity Committee will house our job and volunteer opportunities for new students. Our budget and Legal Committee will help funding for a new Sports Equipment to a more. We would like to congratulate our newly elected Committee Chairs and we look forward to working with them all you they year on this year projects thank you. Thank you. Number four, recognitions and resolutions of commendation. There are none tonight. Section b, opening items. Number five, recognizing all valuable employees, our rave awards. [cheering] doctor matthews . This evening we have two rave award winners, recognizing all valuable employees. We will begin with our First Distinguished Service award. This award winner is sarah karp. She is the instructional reform cabelas facilitator. This will be presented by claudia moran, the principal. [applause] good evening commissioners. It is my honor to represent the ka community school. Taking a moment to acknowledge the amazing sarah carr. She has been part of our one of us to Community Since its very inception. Whether as a teacher, an academic response to intervention facilitator, or an instructional perform facilitator, which we will adopt as fundamental to our way, our culture, how we do things our way. She amplifies the Little Things that they do, and make sure we all know how scared they are for doing them. She sees that their struggle, and acknowledges it to offer support and advice. She is deeply knowledgeable and uses this superpower in fiercely Loyal Service to our students. She is unafraid. [laughter] everyone who knows her knows this. She is unafraid to identify classroom level practices as well as systemlevel policies that are not equitable, rigorous, or fair. She offers brave feedback alongside ideas for making things more equitable, rigorous, and fair. Sarah is a team player. She holds us all to impeccable standards. We are all stronger for it. Sarah has been has seen our school evolve into an in which students, staff, and family understand that we are in relationship with each other, and we shall each day in service of each other, and that we leave each evening sarah has been instrumental in creating our School Strong culture of empathy, responsibility, humility, and flexibility. Is it any coincidence, thank you sir for your lifetime of service, or what must feel like it. For your fierce dedication to our students and teachers pray for all to bring our a game and to make it not be possible. We see you do it. Congratulations to an incredible partner and advocate. I hope you know how very much your love. I want to say thank you. As nice to be a teacher here, to be recognized and have an audience at 555 Franklin Care about our work in are thinking about it. Im deeply invested in this, my three children go to school here, my husband is at back night. He is a teacher. The most important part when i think about how did i end up being in this district for 18 years, and really caring deeply about what we do is thinking about the collaboration and teamwork that i have gone from colleagues right i worked with so many amazing people. We had rich collaboration spread im going to call out a few of their names. These are people we have nurtured that have been instrumental in helping me lea learn, and grow, and stay engaged as an educator. I have esther, whitney, veroni veronica, maria, antoinette, vicki, gail, and megan who is here. Those collaborations. A lot of times we have the answers we need when we were together. As leaders, and on as well we have to work creatively, to work against the model of teaching where teachers are just and just do what they want and feel like not being bothered is the best way to go about being teaching. We need time and support to look at student work, to reflect on what we are doing. To get feedback and learn from our peers and colleagues. I do believe that learning is transformative and can be transgressive for our students, but also we, the adults need those opportunities to stay engaged and stay connected to teaching. I think in order for those things to happen, we need some conditions. We need condition continuous pd for leaders to lead some of that work. We need high Quality Resources from c n so that what we are doing is meaningful. We know we are working towards more equitable outcomes. We need infrastructure, support, paid time in the summer, time to collaborate when the. We need subs to cover for us. We need professional text in order to grow and learn. I hope i am here for another 18 years, in the district, keeping up this work. I look forward to see the way we grow and develop these practic practices. Teachers have the support to continue growing and learning. Thank you. [applause] thank you very much. Our next rave distinguished award winner is alyssa prize, she is the secretary at charles drew elementary school. This award will be presented by nicole scott who is the principle of john mclaren early at school. She is standing in for the principal. Once again congratulations to alyssa price. Good evening. My name is nicole scott, i am also the principle of the Summer School portion of doctor williams [inaudible] i want to make sure that i take this opportunity to honor someone who i think it is very, very special and dear to my heart. This Award Recipient was nominated by her Early Education coworker. It is my privilege to read her nomination, and introduce the dynamic woman, ms. Alisa chris price. She works tirelessly, passionately and skillfully to support the support of our parents and staff to educate our students. This award is long overdue and welldeserved. Some unique qualities that distinguish her from the rest. With intelligence, fairness, kindness she guides our parents to the process of providing their children from preschool education. Her persistence on follow often results and improvements in the attendance, and health of our students, as well as an increase in the wellbeing of their families. She takes responsibility for the organization of our school and provides leadership when needed to ensure the education, and safety of our students, and staff. Some examples of things that msy of recognition are that she actively serves as a liaison between parents and teachers. She does this consciously, skillfully, in ways that allow teachers to focus on the work while remaining in the loop with regards to parents concerns. She also makes her herself available to parents who require foz an extended and works with teachers to address these needs. In addition, some of her selfless acts include helping a homeless family increase their attendance for their child. Giving a sensitive mother a better sense of how often she needs to bring extra clothing for her child. Ensuring that a child with multiple dental problems will be seen by dentists. Ms. Chris is being honored today, because she is a very, very hard worker. She creates a sense of community at our school, with our passion for the success of our students and with her fabulous sense of humor. I miss her and less responsibility, she has energy to thoughtfully organize a for a young mother who works on our staff. Clearly she enjoys being a part of our school, and this enjoyment along with her Boundless Energy makes her one of the most irreplaceable, phenomenal, powerful foundations and the life of doctor charles drew Early Education school. We know how we do it. On behalf of every administrat administrator, you have worked with, i would like to personally express my deepest gratitude for your professionalism, and your unconditional love for your administrative expertise, despite painful experiences and difficult times you have remained consistent, a solid rock. You are dependable. You are trustworthy. You are brilliant. Look at me, you are brilliant. Today, and every day, i want you to know you are unique, valuable and unloved. Bring it on in. [cheering] and loved. Bring it on in. [cheering] i would just like to say thank you. It has been a pleasure working in early at. I was at harvey elementary for 22 years, and i thought that was wonderful. Now im in prek, i think i have the best job in the world. [cheering] i just want to thank everyone, and i appreciate the nomination from my coworkers. Thank you. [applause] congratulations again to our rave Award Recipients. [cheering] section c, Public Comment on non agenda items. Please note Public Comment as an opportunity for the board to hear, from the community, on matters of the boards jurisdiction. We using employee and student names. If you have a complaint about a district employee, you may submit it to the employees supervisor was on with district policy. As a reminder, or drills in California Law do not allow us to respond to comments or answer questions during the Public Comment time. If appropriate the superintendent will ask. I have a few people signed up for Public Comment. When you hear your name called, just make your way to the podium. [reading names] thank you. I just want to make a comment about transportation. I know that issue is coming up for the contract. I am grateful to the district. I am grateful for my son to be at the school that he is at. He is incumbent on the school bus to get to school, so he can have an education that is meaningful. I am grateful we have transportation to get him there, it would not work otherwise. He has been taking the bus for about 2. 5 years. It is the third year at the school he is out he is at. In that time, my son was taken to the bus depot and waited for an hour before he went to school while they bid on their next contract for their drivers. He called me saying why am i not at school . I have had bus drivers take him out of class, out of study hall preparing for finals, because they were ready to drive back. School is in the east bay. They pulled him out of classes. Ive had drivers who are disrespectful to my son. They think because he has a disability, that they can be read to him, or that he doesnt understand what is going on. He is very, very capable of understanding. Currently this last year, the beginning of his school year, we had so many subs that for the First Time EverSchool Called home because he could not regulate himself. He was so discombobulated about having a new driver every day for two weeks. Im going to quickly say, right now, he is on the bus for 2. 5 hours because they change the route. Hes getting sick coming home. I was given notice of this the morning of the change. I just wanted you to know what is going on with the school bus right now. Thank you. [applause] my name is shane hoffa. I am a School Bus Driver. I think we definitely need to talk with her parents, and work this out. A lot of these problems are the company and their shortage of drivers. We do love our kids that we transport. Today i actually came to talk about i have been a School Bus Driver for 23 years. A passenger vehicle and on the School Bus Driver certificate. That is really important. When they got up in the pre bid conference, they said no. That is not the case. They are saying, you know, essentially that none of that is needed. All you need is a class b license. Im just summarizing. Like anybody here who would drive a bus. So our position as anyone who drives schoolchildren home for higher should be required to meet the rigorous safety standards, and training that we have that any certified School Bus Driver has. They should have a school bus certificate. The safest vehicles possible. Thank you. [applause] my name is geraldine, i am a parent of a 12th grader and an eighth grader. I am missing back night tonight, the First Time Ever to speak to you because i am one of the families that is expected to choose between my childrens graduation this spring. This date, june 1, i have spoken to the administers of the school and no one seems to be able to find a solution in order to allow me to attend both of my childrens graduation. That this is happening is shocking. Apparently it has been happening for years. Families have pulled their eighthgraders out of graduations saying, you know, high school is more important. I think this is an awful choice for a family to have to make. Ive done a ton of volunteering at all my kids schools. I have built a great community. Its not just about your kids. Its about your kids friends. You know, i am just stunned of that im in this position. Asking my son to miss his own graduation, or to not see his own sister graduate, is not acceptable. I cant imagine what this is like for a single parent who obviously cannot be in two places at once. There is a lot of other families in this boat. We have reached out to our principles, the superintendent, doctor matthews, mr. Sanderson, the office of family complaint that ive gotten nothing back. I understand there is constraints about spaces. If you guys can work out back to school, surely you can work on away to allow families to attend their own childrens graduation. I am begging you please do not turn away from this problem yet another year. Please dig in, find a solution, i come back and ask you the same thing. There must be a way to get this done. Thank you. Clap foz. That concludes the general Public Comment. Im going to make a shift into the agenda move up section g. In the proposals for action. The superintendents proposal 19925sp1, new School Petition to renew charter. This was moved and seconded on june 25, 2019. The Committee Reports were given at the previous meeting. Doctor matthews do you have a designated recommendation . Yes, michael davis, will come forward now to read the recommendation. We have two reports and recommendations on items. The first is doesnt matter which order i do the men . Them in . The first is superintendents proposal 19925sp1, approval of the renewal of the new school San Francisco charter. The action proposed is that the staff recommends approval of the renewal of the great k5 charter for new school San Francisco waited located at 655 harold street beginning july 1, 2020 ending june 30, 2288 students in grades k5. Specifically the recommendation is that the board approve the petition for a k5 only for 288 students based on the following findings of fact. The increases in academic achievements for significant groups of students served by the Charter School as the five to defined shall be the most important factors in considering charter renewal. The findings recommended are one that the schools performance for the 2018 third grade was equal to the sfusd schools that the new School Students would otherwise attend. The schoolwide results exceeded those of sfusds schools, new School Students would otherwise attend sfusd as a whole and california statewide. This review and finding apply only to the existing k5 Educational Program. District staff recommends that the board adopted these findings of fact, as its own. Alternatively the board [inaudible] secondly, we have superintendent proposal 19910sp2. Material revision to the new school San Francisco charter. The action proposed is that staff recommends denial of the proposed revision to the charter of new school San Francisco to expand from grades k5 to grades k8. Their review and findings of fact are that finding one the proposed material revision presents an unsound Educational Program for students to be involved in the Charter School. The plan for English Learners does not adequately address the needs of english language learners in the proposed middle grade 68 grade span. Finding two, the petitioners unlikely to successfully implement the proposed material revisions set forth in the petition, because the renewal petition lacks a description of new requirements of Charter Schools and how the Charter School met those requirements, as required in code section 4760782. Once again, the recommendation Charter School represents an unsound Educational Program for the students to be enrolled for the petitioners unlikely to successfully implement the program set forth. The petition does not contain reasonably comprehensive descriptions of certain required elements. In order to deny the petition on the grounds for the, the district staff recommends that the board adopt these findings of fact as its own, alternatively the board may choose to approve the material. Thank you mr. Davis. We have it separate votes. The Public Comment cards that i have only indicate speakers for the first renewal. So, if you are speaking on behalf of new school in the first or second vote, im just going to read all the names i have and you will come up now. We will be voting on them separately. When you hear your name called, please make your way to the podium. You will have two minutes. [reading names] [reading names] good evening commissioners, superintendent and district staff. Before i start i would love my family to please stand up, all of the new School Family please stand up. [cheering] my name is christina. Im here today as a San Francisco native, First Generation College graduate, community organizer, fierce advocate for community education, and a founding leader at the new school at new school we have a norm it is called living to learn. I wanted to bring it to the forefront tonight as the first of a number of families, staff and students who will be speaking on behalf of the school we love and value much. As a school leader, my number one responsibility is to model the values and commitments on values i wish to see in our community. Tonight, as a new School Community stands before the elected leaders and Public Servants of the sfusd, i invite all of you to model for all of our children for the community in this room, for all of our schools and in the city what it means to listen and to learn. Listen to learned means we will respectfully listen to the students who have come here to talk to you about what new school means to them. That means we will look families in the eye when they talk about the most personal things as a relates to their children. We wont hide behind books, computers, phones, games, or Text Messages but truly listen to what the people in this room have to tonight. I am not a stranger to the politics of San Francisco. The black blackandwhite narrative of charter versus district schools. I have and stood here with parents as they passionately spoke for the implementation for the safe support of resolution and presented on the gap between latino and asian English Learners. You may have already made up your mind tonight to vote from a political perspective. I hope you find it in your hearts to listen to learn and afford the respect every person deserves. Thank you. [cheering] good evening. As you can see, we are a proud and excited community. My name is emily, one of the cofounders and heads of the school. For us, classes begin in april when we submitted a memo to the district outlining our priorities and our desire to in pursuit of local authorization. On june 14 we submitted a k1212 admission. The program for gait grades ka. You know that our desire is to make a 13 year commitment to kids and families, that has always been our vision. A cohesive k12 Program Allows us to achieve inclusivity. Closing the opportunity gap. 102 days after submitting our petition, we are facing tonight to votes on two petitions. Neither of which we created, nor had the opportunity to collaborate on. Yet, we stand in front of you tonight, 400 strong, and encourage the board to vote on our original petition. In doing so you can open the door for local control and oversight and increased collaboration. Things we know the district really cares about. Tonight you will hear from members of our community, why these things also matter to us. We want to keep families and students together. We want to expand opportunities by further diversifying. We want to build off the exclusive foundation that is established. Thank you for listening, and considering our stories, our help, and our dreams. Thank you for taking one vote for one community tonight. [applause] good evening commissioners, superintendent. I had the opportunity to meet some of you at the curriculum meeting a few weeks ago. I will be brief in my introduction. I am the founding director of curriculum and instruction at new school. My background includes over 20 years of teaching and learning in classrooms. I want to take this time to publicly thank doctor matthews for taking time out of his busy schedule yesterday to come and visit us and see our school firsthand. [applause] i stand before you as the educator, not a politician. I want to restate why i and so many others came to the school. We deeply believe that race, income and learning determines one trajectory in life. All students, especially those who look like me deserve the right to quality rigorous teaching and learning that will prepare them to thrive in our global community. Like sfusd we struggle with the unintended impacts of an enrollment lottery system. Last year one hundred 100 income families apply to our school yet they do not have access to our program. With your help tonight you can give priority to these families by saying yes to our lottery preference. I also want to say in a few short years, all of the things that i am proud of. We are outperforming the state and district on standardized tests in both math and ela. Our current embargo standardized data is stronger with 81 of our students meeting or exceeding standards and 71 meeting or exceeding in math. I am proud that our results are showing our most vulnerable students are outperforming their peers in sfusd. Most importantly i am proud because we are getting these results without teaching them to test. We are teaching students to think critically, collaboratively, creatively, and in community along lines of difference that challenge White Dominus systems and racism. This is a new school. [cheering] good evening. I am the executive director. [inaudible] i have the privilege of collaborating with all the districts across the state on building intensive programs for students with high needs. New school has the vision and commitment to serving all students that new school does. I come before you today to speak specifically to two and accuracies that were identified in a curriculum and budget meetings. First and foremost new school cannot serve students with highly specialized needs. It is worth noting that 18 of students with ieps have services extending beyond 50 of the school day which is a typical guideline for youth placing. However, what is of note is that parents of the students have actively chosen new school as a replacement because they wanted this inclusive setting. In addition, what we know is that new Schools Program has been designed to include a co teaching model and in line with the state recommendations of the special Education Task force consider special education not as a placement but as a level of service. In doing so has brought together resources, Collaborative Partnerships to truly serve students with high needs within the general education setting, without the particular model of the classroom. Building on the equity mindset of new school. The school is dedicated to thinking about how we can think about systems of inclusion differently so that predictable groups of students dont end up in intensive placements. In those few instances where services have not been available in the school campus, the team is committed to continue to collaborate to find appropriate placements and services. Thank you for your consideration for the reauthorization of new school. [cheering] thank you commissioners for allowing me to speak. As a chinese immigrant who successfully completed a three year english as a Second Language Program in a Public School. I was initially very skeptical of Charter Schools. I was afraid that Charter Schools would siphon away resources critical to our other Public Schools. What changed my mind was when my own son was ultimately diagnosed with fear adhd and Sensory Perception disorder. A condition so severe we had to remove all furniture from his room for his own safety. His original school had an adequate resources to support him. He took a chance on new school, because of its philosophy of inclusiveness. Four years later i am looking at a different child. One who can advocate for himself and who is not only succeeding in class but thrives as an individual. I am so proud of my sons progress. [cheering] i hold here my childrens letters, and 251 heartfelt and personal letters imploring the school board to reauthorize the schools petition for k8. These are from parents, grandparents and foster parents. They are from school teachers, firefighters, tech workers, doctors, Small Business owners and carpenters. They are from privilege, and parents with very little resources. Within these letters are the hopes of many fifthgraders and other students whose only desire is to remain in the comforting environment of our school. I ask that you read them, and consider our voices, our stories for the needs and hopes that we have our children and their future. I hope you will render your decision based not on politics, but on what is right and what is good for our children. My name is lawrence, father to aid and amelia, who anxiously anticipate re enrolling for sixth grade next year at new school San Francisco. I humbly submit to you our letters of support and beg that you will do what is right for our community. [cheering] good evening. Thank you for taking this time to hear from us. This is my son leo who is in the third grade at new school San Francisco. He wants to say a few words for himself. New school is a great school or yet why . If you have a child just like me, i have. [inaudible] why new school helps there are reading teams and they are outstanding amazing. New school not only if you have challenges like me, the teachers on the class help you for a lot of reasons. New school is a great school. Right now we are navigating leos iep process. It also includes double vision, he has challenges that impact his spine, motor skills from everything from buttons and zippers. His challenges would qualify him for a special day class. As his teachers echoed we dont feel that that would be the right fit for our son. His accommodations give him support, have helped him improve and also celebrate his strength and what makes them unique. I grew up in a low Income Community where people of color where the majority. However, there was a lack of diversity in teaching methods, and resources for people like myself who needed extra support for my learning challenges. That is why it is crucial to make sure my son is in a school where there is cultural diversity, as well as diversity in teaching methodology and one that supports the whole child. Because of the multiple teacher classroom model and support, we feel new School Includes those models letting our son reaches full full potential. Thank you for hearing our story. [cheering] thank you for listening to us tonight. I am part of a district ten family with a Years Experience in sfusd schools in five years expense at new school. Our older sons trajectory took us to wallenberg. Just when we were starting to understand our older sons learning differences he went into middle school. We were assigned and are newly diagnosed adhd 11yearold had to take three buses to get to and from school. [ crying ] with our younger son we sought a new education model and sough sought chosen new school. Diversity takes many forms. In some visible and some not. Our younger son could not read at grade level until eight months ago. He was never separated from his classmates, stigmatized or embarrassed. The new school has taught him, and us, to know his strengths and challenges. In fact all of the students are aware of each others challenges, background and strengths. They are tolerant and inviting. Diversity at new school is not lipservice. It is not a special club and it is not a special month. It is deeply ingrained in everything that they do. [cheering] as a community we name and own differences. We understand more about autism and adhd, and it is all accepted. Diversity a new school extends beyond the classroom. We receive invitations to hanukkah singalongs. We also mobilize to take turns picking up our classmate on a saturday from a temporary foster facility. At their young age, these new School Students recognize that they are stronger together. We all know middle school is the most challenging time in childhood. Our family knows firsthand how it feels to break up a tightknit community and dispersed across the city. We have witnessed how this destabilizes a students confidence and trust. As a nation we can all see the visible differences can manifest in extreme alienation. Thank you. You have a decision to make. [cheering] my kids are for fifthgeneration san franciscans. Engraved by parents dedicated to the labor movement. We are not part of big tech startups, we dont have family money, we did not come here for the thrill of living in california. This city is our home. We came to new School One Year ago, and this will be what keeps our Family Living in San Francisco. We are thrilled to be part of a school that is helping our us grow our children to justice leaders. On saturday last week during my sons videogame time, instead of playing mine craft he made a video for other kids to show that the internet does not always tell the truth about history, and kids need to look deeper into the stories of people who might be missing from the master narrative. He is nine. My youngest, a first grader when asked of his new friend was a boy or a girl, informed us he cannot tell us because his friend had not told him. You cant know what gender someone is on they tell you. [please stand by] [please stand by] i am a coach. Over the past 15 years i have observed dozens of teachers. I have been volunteering every week for the past three weeks and so impressed by the high quality of teaching. You can see it in any classroom. They talk about big shifts in educating citizens. I see that happening at new school. Teachers use engaging curriculum and they make it all come alive for students of all background. I witnessed how they are thriving. How they are encouraged to be theirselves. It is actively seeking to increase diversity without reach sessions all over the city which i have participated in. Every parent i know feels staying at the school for nine years is a huge advantage. That is why all of the sfusd schools are so popular. Having adults who know your history is powerful. New school is very thoughtful and open about the middle School Design and sought expertise. For these reasons we are very hopeful they can expand to k8. I love new school because it films my kids with so much joy every day. They complain when we have a break from school because they love it so much. They have found a solution. At home they take out toys and pretend new school until they can get back in the classroom. We love new school. Thank you so much for your consideration. [applause. ] i have been working in the nonprofit Education Sector in the bay area for nearly a decade. I serve on the National Board and am the former cfo of reading partners. I am here in my role as a long standing board member at new school of San Francisco and member of the design team that created the framework for the reauthorization and expansion to grades 6 through 8. I joined the board because i was excited about the vision and seen the education in the Public School session. We hold ourselves to high standards. We are informed and involved. We work hard to ensure new school has a Strong Financial foundation, exceeded the state reserve of 5 with an ending balance of 16 last year, and also one of the things i most appreciate is it provides continuity to the students year to year. In a city rapidly changing, it is more important than ever to have consistency and stability in learning environments. That is why the initial vision was k through 12. All families before you are enrolled in the school in the hope we will partner with them and children from ages 5 do 18. We know that k through 8 is the next step. We also know you care about local control, greater oversight and collaboration. You have the power to ensure that happens for the next five years tonight. As i know you will hear from the rest of the community, new school is creating something unique and necessary in the citys educational landscape. I hope you will agree it is something to support. Thank you. [applause. ] good evening, i am robin. This is awkward for me because i am not kristin who is to be reading to you. He was ill and asked me to speak for her with her story. She wanted her words to be heard by you. This is her letter. I am kristin. I have two sons with autism. Their needs are big and constant. When i became a parent i knew i was dealing with a uniquely challenging situation. After two years in a special education preschool i was told my son needed a special day class. My older son who is a classmate of my son they have been in class together since kindergarten was assessed through did district and found to need not only Speech Therapy despite ehoping from classroom and repetitive speech patterns and behavior. We all know what it is like to fear for our children. We want them to belong, to be connected no the world. I chose new school. It offers a path for open arms for difference. It makes room for everyone. Small classrooms keep my children with autism from becoming undone in busy environments. More than that they are willing to work with complete and utter devote. Christ ten smith was his first real friend. Nate, the third grade teacher connected with him in ways to lay a path for peer friendships. At school there is a special Education Team that followed him for the last four years and he is thriving. This is a uniquely diverse team of teachers. Thank you for hearing her story. [applause. ] [speaking spanish] applause good evening. I am the mother of two wonderful