INSIDE Why I Raise My Family in San Francisco p.3
OCTOBER 2016
View Recommends: Election 2016 p.7
Potrero Hill Festival Celebrates 27th Year p.22
Special Section: Southside p.15
Young Jean Lee’s The Shipment p.25
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Enola Maxwell Likely to Continue as School Site BY MICHAEL IACUESSA
Low enrollment resulted in closure of Potrero Hill’s only comprehensive high school, International Studies Academy (ISA), which had been located at 655 De Haro Street, at the end of the last academic year. The campus had experienced declining registrations for several years. Once serving grades sixth through 12, a phase-out of middle school grades began in 2013, with the dropping of sixth grade and subsequent grades each year thereafter. In 2015/16, enrollment in remaining grades nine to 12 had fallen to 129 students, only 100 of whom were slated to continue at ISA this fall. ISA had chronically high absent rates as well. In 2015, 38 percent of the student body missed at least 10 percent of the academic year, for excused or unexcused reasons. With enrollment at John O’Connell
High School in the Outer Mission also dropping, from 451 to 353 over the previous two years, school officials merged the two schools last summer. According to Gentle Blythe, San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) spokesperson, 80 of the ISA students chose to transfer to O’Connell, which is a mile away for the defunct ISA campus. The now-closed International Studies Academy at 655 DeHaro Street. The other 20 were given highest priority in choosing alterna- Blythe explained, in an email to the tive schools. The numbers included 47 View. students heading into 10th grade, 41 SFUSD School Board vice presinto 11th and a dozen into 12th. ident Shamann Walton said that “Both communities recognized the O’Connell’s curriculum includes proneed for larger enrollment numbers to grams in carpentry, technology and increase access to course offerings and culinary arts, in addition to college to bring their vision of integrated labs prep. “O’Connell has been innovative in and project-based learning to fruition,” its approach to high school education,”
PHOTO: MICHAEL IACUESSA
he said. “In this case, merging was most appropriate, in that the two schools shared a similar demographic.” ISA’s closing leaves Downtown High School, a continuation school for students deemed at risk of not graduating, as Potero Hill’s only high school. ENOLA continues on page 5
City’s Budget Products Locked Up at Potrero Center Safeway, as City Battles Property Crime Reaches Almost BY JACOB BOURNE
Products behind locked cases at the Potrero Center Safeway. PHOTO: JACOB BOURNE
Numerous items are caged behind glass doors at the Potrero Center Safeway, dissuading some would-be shoppers from patronizing the store. “My family has stopped shopping there,” commented J.R. Eppler, Potrero Boosters president. “Too many of the items, including infant formula, that we went specifically to Safeway for, are now behind lock and key.” Around 4 p.m. on a Monday last month the Center’s parking lot was near capacity; a steady stream of shoppers filed in both directions through Safeway’s doors. Inside, a security guard stood posted alongside an employee, both checking exiting patrons’ receipts. Though the store was busy with shoppers, the aisles were clean, wellstocked, easy to navigate and contained fresh-looking goods. However, few store staff was visible outside the registers. About a year ago, the Potrero Center Safeway began locking up select items behind reinforced glass cabinets, including infant formula, soap, moisturizers, cleansers, dental
care products, shaving paraphernalia, over-the-counter drugs, and alcoholic beverages. Long stretches of some aisles are behind glass. A View reporter waited nine minutes to gain access to a single bar of premium-brand soap, as all Safeway representatives were otherwise engaged. Because so much of the aisle was behind glass, no other shopping could be done while waiting. During that time several calls for assistance in the locked alcohol section were heard over the intercom. It appeared that not all employees were able to unlock the cabinets; a special service call had to be made for designated staff with keys. One customer, gazing at the many items beyond reach, said he’d only recently noticed the practice of securing merchandise. Though he understood the need to lockup alcohol, protecting the rest seemed unnecessary, he said, especially as most of the items can be found unlocked at Walgreens stores. While the store’s items were protected, its shoppers less so. Unlike many retailers and grocery stores, the CRIME continues on page 5
$10 Billion BY JESSICA ZIMMER
In fiscal year (FY) 2016, the City and County of San Francisco’s budget increased by $650 million, to $9.6 billion. In FY 2017, expenditures will rise by another $135 million, to roughly $9.7 billion. The budget reflects approximately $35 million in San Francisco Board of Supervisor cuts from Mayor Edwin Lee’s proposed spending. The Board also tinkered with funding related to housing, HIV prevention, and services for seniors and children, including early childhood education. In response, $25 million was added back by the Mayor. Mu nicipal ex penditu res have increased almost every year since FY 2009, when the budget was $6.6 billion. According to Michelle Allersma, director of budget and analysis for the Office of the Controller, the City is economically healthier than it was during the Great Recession. “Our revenues BUDGET continues on page 6