The San Francisco school board voted 5-2 Tuesday to replace the school assignment lottery with neighborhood schools, directing staff to develop a plan that would take effect in 2028-29.
The vote, which marks a monumental change in how the San Francisco Unified School District determines which schools students attend, follows years of debate over how to replace a system that commissioners have said scares families away with its unpredictability and has been ineffective in reducing racial disparities.
Superintendent Maria Su opened the discussion by recommending the winning proposal, known as Option C, saying the move away from school choice and toward neighborhood schools would be “a very historic moment.” Board President Phil Kim said the board “should be proud of the fact today that we are moving forward to a neighborhood model.”
Under Option C, students will be assigned to a school based on their home address, even if they apply late. The days of ranking a list of schools will be over. Some schools will be open for application from across the city because they offer programs such as language immersion, K-8 instruction, and special education.
“Families should not have to roll the dice and try their luck in our system,” Su said. “The school down the street should be a good option and a certain one.”
The board is scheduled to adopt a final policy April 13.
An alternative considered by the board would have created guaranteed neighborhood placement for families who apply on time, with the option to apply to any SFUSD school. Su said this option would keep the status quo, with too many families abandoning their neighborhood school.
Instead, the new system “puts the responsibility squarely on the district to make sure that every single neighborhood school is worth choosing,” Su said.
Not everyone thought the plan would serve the district’s most marginalized students.
Deputy Superintendent John Davis said improving the district’s struggling schools would take far longer than the two years before the implementation of the new system. Some have high teacher turnover and “too many temporary teachers,” he said. Building strong staff at those schools, he said, “is at least going to take five to 10 years.”
Commissioner Alida Fisher, who along with Commissioner Supryia Ray voted no, was concerned about that estimate. Fisher asked why the district would change its system before closing resource gaps. “Frankly, we are screwing over families in certain parts of the city by doing that, and we know that,” she said.
Commissioner Matt Alexander, who voted yes, said the new plan brings predictability, and reflects the district’s “responsibility to think about what’s best for all the kids.” The new system, he suggested, would eliminate gaming the lottery system and would motivate the district to improve conditions.
“I know that whatever we land on, someone is going to be upset,” Su said ahead of the vote. “But I promise that the process is going to be real and transparent, and hopefully, through that, we will regain trust with our families.”