Board Policy 1220: F for Failure
2021 thus far has been Extra Egregious
Not too long ago a young teacher was nominated by San Francisco School Board Commissioner Mark Sanchez to be appointed to the Public Education Enrichment Fund Community Advisory Committee (PEEF CAC). After approval by Board vote, this individual had a short unremarkable tenure, per Committee minutes, on this Advisory Committee covering 26 student programs and a $65 million annual budget. The now former teacher is currently Board President, Gabriela López. What is remarkable is this nomination to an Advisory Committee was one of the rare instances that the Board of Education (BoE) actually followed its own Board Policy 1220.
Why should parents of public school students or any voter in San Francisco care if the School Board does not follow one obscure policy? There comes a time when haphazard incomplete application of a policy crosses a line. Financial oversight withers and becomes toothless. Dedicated active parent volunteers get overworked for years on end with no refreshed membership. Arbitrary action becomes the character of government.
Board Policy 1220, Citizen Advisory Committees, approved March 12, 2013, addresses a number of items about the operation and membership of advisory or oversight committees, including appointment, term of membership, attendance, size and composition, and operating procedures. It has been a means to promote diverse voices as it states that the composition of committees shall be representive of “ethnic, age group, and socio economic composition of the district” among other items. Further, expiration of terms at four years, or 2 full two year terms, enables new voices to add to and replace those who have put in much service.
Many who follow the Board of Education remember the February 2021 meeting where a parent was nominated to the Parents Advisory Committee (PAC), his “lack of diversity” was discussed for hours, he was not given time to speak, and then he was not approved. Was he nominated by an individual Board Commissioner, per Board Policy 1220? No, he was solicitated, reviewed, and nominated by current members of the PAC. Another slate of parents was put forward by the PAC just last month. The Board voted for approval of this group without any further vetting of such individuals. Why? Perhaps that was the way it was done for years.
Contrast that Committee with the PEEF CAC. This particular volunteer advisory committee was part of San Francisco Proposition C (Children and Families First) in November 2014 that provides 25 years of funding from property tax revenues. Their membership, updated by Board Resolution 194-9A1 in 2019, is assiduously tracked at every meeting. Maybe the Board wants the public to know they are complying with Board Policy 1220 for a committee that was voted on by the public and is involved with millions of dollars of property tax funds.
Crossing a line
Well then there’s CBOC, or Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee. That Committee, providing review of San Francisco public school facilities bonds monies passed in 2003, 2006, 2011, and 2016, never met in 2019 and 2020. Mind you, the 2016 Bond Proposition A was for over $744 million from property taxes. New committee members were brought forth for consideration at a Board Meeting April 20, 2021. Did BoE Commissioners nominate individuals, like for the PEEF CAC? No, but the Chief of Facilities, the one who decides and executes the spending of the money, provided the names of those she proposed to watch over her work. More on CBOC in a subsequent post.
Let’s cover a few more Advisory Committees. Parcel Tax Advisory Committee? Barely a quorum and sorely in need of new members. School Names Advisory Committee? Slate presented by Superintendent Matthews. African American Parent Advisory Council? I had to do a documents request to see the names on that Committee as not one individual was nominated- not sure how that works. Upcoming Equity Audit & Action Planning Committee? District staff have been soliciting names, though the deadline for applications on the website did not match a subsequent slide deck.
For calendar year 2021, the BoE’s track record of following its own Board Policy 1220 has been extra egregious. The first Board Meeting of August is almost here. Will these BoE Commissioners put forth nominations to replace the many positions which just expired June 30?