Transportation Planning & Prop 39 Offer from SFUSD
Dear New School community,
Needless to say, the past few weeks have been challenging and unpredictable as families across the city adjust to life while sheltering-in-place. We sincerely hope that you, and all your loved ones, are safe and healthy. We find much needed inspiration and hope in the many acts of courage, kindness, and responsibility both within and outside our community.
It is no small feat to move from classroom to distance learning in a matter of days, while also working to ensure support for the most vulnerable in both pre-existing and new ways. As a school, this otherwise overly-ambitious goal has been made possible by the collective commitment, care, and generosity of our families and staff.
As we continue to adapt our school, personal, and professional lives to this epidemic, we want to provide you with important updates for the remainder of this year and next. While distance learning is likely to continue through the end of the current school-year (per Gov Newsom's recent announcement), it is critical we continue our long-term planning and create sustainable and scalable strategies that support families through and well after this crisis. To this end, you will receive two emails today: this one regarding our ongoing facilities and transportation planning for the 2020–’21 school year (yes, school will return to normal); and a second that details our longer-term priorities and plans for distance learning.
Below are critical updates and information for families on facilities and transportation as we launch our annual re-enrollment process. Please read this update carefully and access past communications on Prop. 39 and transportation for additional context.
Somos New School,
Ryan & Emily
Where does our Prop. 39 offer of 2020–’21 SFUSD facilities stand?
As expected, on April 1st we received our final Prop. 39 offer from the District. There has been no change from the District’s 1st round offer. The District’s final offer remains Sarah B. Cooper School in North Beach at 940 Filbert St.
Over the past 2 months, we have been assessing the site, determining the needs of our community and programs, and negotiating for the allocation of adequate space, equivalent to similar schools. As we communicated previously, the campus and surrounding neighborhood provide excellent opportunities for our growing school. Over the next month, we will continue to negotiate for additional space so that our offer is “reasonably equivalent” to schools like ours. This means securing additional classrooms to fully accommodate our program, like special education, arts, and family services.
We know that the location poses significant challenges due to its distance from our current location. As such, transportation and access to the North Beach campus remains our top priority.
For more information, please read updated FAQs and additional background on our Prop. 39 offer here.
Where does our transportation planning stand?
In late February, we asked for your input regarding how a move to Sarah B. Cooper School (940 Filbert St.) would impact your family’s weekday commute and your ability to access New School. We heard from more than 90% of our current families via a facilities/transportation survey in both English and Spanish, WhatsApp direct messages, a Home & School Council meeting (2/26), and coffee chats (2/6, 2/28). Your responses provided invaluable insight. Nearly 95% of respondents said they would be interested in busing or other means of private transportation to reach 940 Filbert St.
To tackle the significant logistical challenges and implications of establishing a new transportation plan, we quickly pulled together a Transportation Working Group, composed of parent volunteers representing all grade levels, to assist the Leadership Team in researching bus, shuttle, and other high-capacity rideshare options, as well as possible bus routes and bus-stop partners that have safe passenger-loading zones (such as Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCAs, and churches).
What can the school commit to now?
Through the working group’s ongoing efforts, New School is pleased to announce the following:
We will be offering a bus option for the next school year.
We will commit at least $250,000 to subsidizing the cost and enable an equity-based sliding-scale fee structure (similar to how our Exploremos after-school program operates).
In addition to planning for how we move students from home to school and back home, we will also focus on the experience itself to ensure that time spent on the bus is enriching and aligned with our school practices, priorities, and values.
The working group has made significant progress on defining next year’s transportation plan and is now focused on securing the most cost-effective bus partners and confirming routes, stops, and schedules (see below for what we know so far).
Where can I learn more about the plan?
To learn more, please join us for a video Coffee Chat at 5 pm next Wednesday, April 8th, where we will be detailing our planning to date and answering questions. Call-in information will be provided beforehand and the session will be recorded and posted for those unable to attend.
You’ve been doing a ton of researching and planning. What do we know for certain?
New School will commit to private busing.
Busing will be subsidized by the school and pricing for families will be based on a sliding scale.
We anticipate roughly 40% of families committing to busing.
Travel time for students is not to exceed 60 minutes. Our goal is to keep travel time to 45 minutes.
We anticipate operating 2 routes with 2 stops each (3 stops maximum).
Routes will run South/North for morning runs (and the reverse in the afternoon/evening). Stops will include one in the south of the city, one more central, and North Beach.
Bus routes will be based on where the majority of our current and prospective families live: south, south-central, east, and southeast San Francisco. These areas also reflect the greatest disparities along lines of income and transportation options.
Stops would also allow parents and guardians who commute to Downtown SF/SOMA, the South Bay, and the East Bay to connect with a New School bus stop along their way to/from work.
To the extent possible, stops will connect with other services, for example extended after-care options like the Boys & Girls Clubs.
In determining bus stops, we will be prioritizing families who lack access to other transportation options, whether that’s due to cost or the lack of feasible transportation.
The bus experience will align with the school-day and provide a safe, supportive, and engaging environment. This will require a clear plan and approach for that time as well as training for adults so that they engage appropriately with our neurodiverse population of kids ages 5 to 12.
April 17th is the date we’re asking families to (re)enroll by. Our team continues to confirm logistics and we expect to have a more detailed version of the transportation plan in your hands before then. If this is not possible before April 17th, we will extend our (re)enrollment deadline so that you will have all of the information you need in order to commit to joining us at New School’s new location for 2020–’21.
Your responses to a short upcoming survey (to be sent out after our April 8th Coffee Chat) will help us determine how many buses we need and what the sliding-scale pricing will be.
What are we still trying to answer?
The best rate. We continue to negotiate with companies that specialize in student transportation, operating yellow school buses and complying with all applicable safety rules and regulations.
Maximum capacity of each bus (as the bus operators we’re talking to have different bus sizes).
Sliding-scale fee of riding the bus (again, depends on bus rate and number of seats).
Route schedules for the morning and afternoon. Aligning these schedules with our school’s start and end times (still TBD) and our Exploremos after-school program.
Location of each stop and partnerships to offer extended services.
Distance and duration of each route (with a goal of 45 minutes from furthest point and a maximum of 60 minutes).
What programming/enrichment will be provided on the bus.
What our bus staffing model will look like.
Policies and practices for families and the school relating to signing up, payment, daily checking in and out, missed rides, parents’ ability to ride, and scheduling changes or flexibility.
In addition to our Transportation Working Group staffed by parent volunteers, the Leadership Team has partnered with graduate students at nearby California College of the Arts (CCA) to help us invent what a New School transportation plan would look and feel like—including what enrichment could be like on bus rides.
How can I be of most help?
We can’t finalize our planning and commit to a busing contract without your input, so once our short survey is released (after our April 8th coffee chat), please complete it as soon as possible.
Can I help with the CCA project?
To help envision this transportation plan, the CCA students would love to briefly interview some of our families:
Hi, Families of New School,
We are design graduate students from CCA working with New School’s leadership to aid in developing a comprehensive transportation plan in response to the campus move to the 940 Filbert in North Beach next school year. We would invite you to discuss your thoughts about the new proposed plan and ask you questions about the new commute with us. This conversation will take about 15 to 30 minutes over the phone or Zoom video, depending on your preference and availability.
We understand that this is a challenging period and would really appreciate your input. If you are interested in sharing your time and thoughts, please take a moment to fill out this Google form with your availability and we’ll be in touch with you soon.