Castro neighborhood leaders are not pleased that the San Francisco Unified School District has placed the Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy on the list of schools facing closure. It is to merge with the nearby Sanchez Elementary School if the plan is approved by the school board.
The San Francisco Unified School District released the names of schools facing closure in a move that could save the financially struggling district $22 million, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, which reported on the list Tuesday afternoon.
The Milk school has students from kindergarten through fifth grade.
"It's obviously very concerning, and I'm of course not happy," gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who like the slain gay civil rights leader Milk had done represents the Castro on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, stated to the Bay Area Reporter when informed of the late breaking news October 8. "I want to hear the district's rationale for this particular closure/merger, as well as what it will mean for the communities at both schools."
Gay school board member Phil Kim said in a phone interview that "as a commissioner my first and primary concern is to make sure the educational experience of our kids in our schools is the best it can be and we have to continue to ensure Harvey Milk's name needs to be recognized."
"I have made it clear the district has a responsibility to make sure Harvey Milk's name must be respected in our portfolio planning," Kim continued. "I hope our families and community engage in staff to work toward a solution and I look forward to hearing that recommendation. As a board my job is to make listen for that recommendation and take action."
Tom Ammiano, a gay longtime educator who served on the Board of Supervisors, as well as on the school board and in the state Assembly, reminded the B.A.R. in a phone call October 8 that last year he'd heard from parents and others worried the school might be closing.
When asked at that time why they thought that, Ammiano told the B.A.R. that school board watchers are adept at reading the tea leaves.
"We called this in the past," said Ammiano. "We knew that their denial of any closure wouldn't hold water. It's kind of the case you're sorry you're right, but I don't know the details. Sometimes these mergers retain the name — I don't know if we'll have a school within a school — but even if that permutation happens, this is a real insult to this community."
Ammiano recalled that Milk fought for the school to stay open when it was named the Douglass School.
"He always said, 'The Castro is not a gay ghetto, it's a gay neighborhood,'" Ammiano recalled. "In those days that worked, and they did not close that school."
Ammiano sees the planned closure as a step backward for the neighborhood — Milk, of course, was assassinated November 27, 1978 alongside then-mayor George Moscone. The killer, former supervisor Dan White, served only five years of a seven-year sentence for his crimes, after which he killed himself on October 21, 1985. White, a former police officer and firefighter, had been convicted of manslaughter instead of murder by an all-white, predominantly Catholic jury, which prompted riots and fires in the Civic Center Plaza — as well as police reprisals in the Castro in what was known as the White Night riots.
Ammiano was on the front lines in the fight to name a school for Milk. The school was renamed in 1996.
"There was some very homophobic opposition from the people there at the time," Ammiano said. "George Moscone deserves to have the school named after him [in the Mission] and they did that within two weeks."
The Milk school is at 4235 19th Street; Sanchez Elementary is at 325 Sanchez Street.
The list of possible closures was first reported in the Chronicle. The paper reported that eight elementary schools, one kindergarten to eighth grade school, and two high schools are slated to close as the SFUSD seeks to cut $100 million and cut 500 positions. The district has seen enrollment numbers drop amid the city's COVID and post-pandemic malaise. The state could take over the school district if it doesn't address its financial problems.
"Our city will support our children, families, and educators during this difficult time for the school district," Mayor London Breed stated in a news release September 22 after she named a team of city officials to help the school district. "With so many questions around SFUSD's fiscal situation, potential school closures, and outlook for families, I'm deploying top city leaders and expert staff to help the school board and district leadership navigate the coming months. I wouldn't be where I am today without San Francisco's public schools, and I will do whatever it takes to make sure our current students have the support today that I had growing up here."
The schools listed for possible closure all had enrollment of fewer than 300 students; the Milk school has 133 students, according to the Chronicle.
District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safaí who's running for mayor, issued a statement.
"After months of uncertainty, I'm glad that the SFUSD has finally released a list of schools eligible for closure," he stated. "This decision, while difficult, provides a much-needed sense of clarity to parents, teachers, and staff who have been left in limbo for far too long. With this information, they can now better plan for what's next and find some relief from the anxiety they've been enduring."
Mark Sanchez, a queer man who is on the school board, did not return a message seeking comment.
Updated 10/8/24: This article has been updated with comments from school board Commissioner Phil Kim.
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