entry debate turns chaotic, ugly

The debate over how to admit students to the academically elite Lowell High School in the midst of a pandemic turned chaotic and tense Tuesday with frequent interruptions and even a controversial hot mike moment.

District officials have proposed making the admission process to San Francisco’s Lowell High School the same as other district high schools, which is primarily a random, lotterybased system.

Lowell generally admits students based on a score that takes into account gradepoint average and test results while setting aside a limited number of spots for qualified students from underrepresented schools.

Because of the pandemic, the grading system was shifted to pass/ fail after schools shuttered in March and the state canceled annual stanLowell

dardized testing. The district could not adequately assess applicants as in years past, officials said.

While a final vote is expected in a week, a majority of board members voiced support for the proposal despite critics who called on them to consider alternatives to preserve the meritbased system.

The proposal, which became public Friday evening, shocked parents, students and alumni, with many lambasting the idea, saying Lowell is one of the best public schools in the country because entrance is based on merit.

Some of those opposed to the measure interrupted public comment and board members as administrators struggled to mute them during the virtual meeting.

Board members chastised some public speakers for the rude behavior as well as comments that appeared to imply that some students don’t belong at Lowell or aren’t good enough to attend the school.

Currently, Lowell lacks diversity, with less than 2% African American students among the 2,800 students. More than half the students are Asian American.

“This was not a good day for San Francisco,” said board member Rachel Norton after public comment. “What I’ve heard tonight from people who claim to support our system and claim to support our students is disgusting. I’m really overcome by the ugliness.”

Board member Alison Collins, at one point, was heard on a hot mike, speaking apparently to someone outside the meeting saying, “I’m listening to a bunch of racists.”

Student board member Shavonne HinesFoster, a senior at Lowell, questioned why so many people showed up to speak on this proposal, but have not been present to address racism and a lack of diversity at the school.

“This was in response to COVID19 and the pandemic,” she said. “You all need to stop protecting the system and start protecting the students,” she said.

Some questioned why this proposal was lastminute, with the district releasing it publicly Friday evening as part of the agenda for Tuesday’s committee meeting. A final vote is expected Oct. 20.

Could this proposal have been aired earlier in the summer, yeah maybe,” Norton said. “There has been a lot going on and people are tired. I don’t think this was the most urgent problem that we needed staff to solve in the last six months.”

District officials said they are under time pressure to adjust the admissions policy for Lowell, given that information about school assignment needs to go out to families, with the first deadline for enrollment preferences on Feb. 5.

If adopted, the plan would admit students to Lowell like other comprehensive high schools.

That means siblings of current students would get top priority, followed by students from Willie Brown Jr. Middle School and then those living in census tracts where students post the lowest test scores, per district policy.

The remaining available seats would be assigned randomly. About 900 students are admitted each year, with about 650 students enrolled in each freshman class.

The competitive process “is a key component of making Lowell one of the best high schools in the country,” said Nilesh Shah. “That’s what makes Lowell what it is, the students that attend it.”

Several residents urged the board to find another way to admit students, using grades from last fall and this fall, or perhaps other measures, saying it’s not fair to those who’ve worked hard to qualify for the school.

Others questioned the fairness of that idea, saying that would mean using grades from only one semester of inperson instruction to determine who gets in.

Many speakers opposing the measure said it wouldn’t be fair to crush eighthgrade highachieving students who set their sights on Lowell.

“I’ve been working very hard to get good grades to have a chance to get into Lowell,” said Oscar, who attends Roosevelt Middle School, adding he gave up a lot of opportunities to focus on his schoolwork. “I feel like my rights are being violated.”

Lowell senior Jessi Yu challenged that thinking.

“If your motivation is defined by an acceptance into a school, you clearly don’t value education and learning,” said Yu, who is the student body president. “I think this resolution is a huge steppingstone for achieving the equity that Lowell and SFUSD have been looking for.”

Some board members as well as those supporting the proposal said they hoped the year’s pause from a merit system could lead to longterm change in how students are admitted to Lowell.

“There should be no sacred cows in the SFUSD schools,” said Virginia Marshall, representing the San Francisco Alliance of Black School Educators. “Every child should have the opportunity to go to Lowell High School.”

Several residents and students who wanted to speak were not able to do so during the meeting given the onehour time limit for comment. Some alumni and parents interrupted the proceedings several times demanding to be heard.

Board President Mark Sanchez advised people that there would be another opportunity on Tuesday and that he hoped for more decorum in the process.

“We’re doing the best we can in the worst situation in our lives,” he said. “We need to appeal for grace and compassion.”