On October 10, a large group of Chinese-American parents and elected officials from San Francisco gathered at Spring Valley Elementary School, which is set to close, to hold a press conference opposing the closure of 11 schools in the district. Janice Lee, a parent with a third grader at Yick Wo Elementary, shared her distress about her child’s school being on the closure list. “My child found out about it and cried with his classmates. Yick Wo has a score of 7, and if he has to transfer, he might end up at Redding Elementary, which has a score of only 4. Why should my child have to move to a lower-rated school?”
Among those present were San Francisco City Council members Preston and Chan, Christine Pelosi, daughter of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and candidate for District 3 City Council, Haoyun Li. They all united in opposition to the school closures, stating that this move would significantly impact the Chinese-American community and called for an immediate halt to what they described as improper procedures. Students also participated, creating signs in multiple languages to protest the closures.
Preston emphasized the need for the San Francisco school district to stop the closure process to achieve adequate community engagement and transparency. He noted that declining enrollment is partly due to a lack of public trust in the district’s management, warning against letting this situation evolve into a downward spiral. “Just a year ago, the state government called for the closure of Laguna Honda Hospital due to mismanagement. San Francisco worked hard to reform accountability in management to restore care services for the elderly. We need to apply the same resilience, willpower, leadership, and city resources to public schools. We can find a way forward that does not disrupt the unity of school communities.”
Christine Pelosi remarked on the fundamental role of good public schools in a healthy democracy. She highlighted that even losing a beloved teacher or coach can have devastating effects on the entire community. “That’s why we’re fighting so hard to secure raises for teachers and staff. The district lost $40 million due to a salary system failure, and now wants to close schools to save $22 million, but the community is paying an extra price. The district is ignoring the social costs of these closures.”
Lonnie Chin, a former principal of Spring Valley Elementary, stated that the district should focus on increasing enrollment through strengthening and establishing various programs to serve students with different learning needs, rather than wasting time and resources on closing schools. She emphasized the historical significance of Spring Valley, referencing the case of Tape v. Hurley from 1885, where Joseph and Mary Tape fought for their children’s right to attend school after being denied admission. “Closing schools erases names and removes this important historical trace,” she asserted.
Queena Chen, an alumna of Spring Valley and co-chair of the Chinatown Transportation Research Improvement Project (TRIP), became emotional during her speech. She recalled a similar situation during her senior year when the school faced budget cuts due to declining enrollment. “Doesn’t this sound familiar? The same issue of budget deficits caused by low enrollment, and it’s been nearly 20 years since!”
