"S.F. losing kids as parents seek schools, homes" (Los Angeles: transfer, neighborhood)

[BayAreaHillbilly]

This is even spreading to certain close in suburbs such as the one we are in just a bit south of SF.

Last year we had ... zero ... kids for Halloween Trick or Treat.

The few small children at the time we moved in are now all adults. Sure a few couples with kids (or who have had them recently) have moved into homes sold to them by the elderly. But by and large, children a few and far between, especially versus the North Bay or East Bay. We are seeing more single home owners, gay homeowners of the non child rearing subculture, and, permanent DINKs.

[jade408]

The bonus feature of the SF lottery system is that it is possible to get with a sucky school on the other side of town. So not only did you not get a good choice, you have to travel halfway across town to a crappy school. I think plenty of people are unwilling to take that gamble.

[hsw]

Free choices (perhaps a novel concept in commie towns like SF or Manhattan or PaloAlto)

Companies move jobs to whichever suburb or state or country makes most sense for shareholders and to attract/retain desirable workers

Workers choose where to work (or start own business), where to live, how to commute...and whether to ever get married, have kids, buy a house, etc etc

As long as other taxpayers aren't asked to subsidize one's own career/lifestyle choices, who cares???

Middle income families who want affordable new housing on ~0.5ac lots in places w/decent public schools and near corporate HQs (and jobs) have most often chosen various suburbs of any major city in US for past 30+yrs...unlikely to ever change as long as same jobs/cost/lifestyle dynamics persist...cities entail much higher costs for a "suburban" lifestyle desired by most families..but may make sense for a few 1000 yuppies and wealthy families...and millions of poors whose welfare lives are funded by taxpayers...

[twins4lynn]

Originally Posted by mayorhaggar

I often mention this "parent flight" from SF here, which anyone who lives in or around SF knows about, but it seems like people here often refuse to believe me, so I'll just leave this here.

S.F. losing kids as parents seek schools, homes

I was one of those who left SF to raise my children on the peninsula. I was born in SF and lived there until my late 30's, and absolutely loved it. I was happy in my home, had a garage, and had absolutely no complaints about SF except for the school system, which at that time was by lottery. The stress of not knowing where your child will be assigned to school (and having no desire for private schools) was enough to make me leave. I bought a home where my children would attend the local (very good) schools, and all schools (elementary, middle and high school) are within walking distance.

[mileena]

Originally Posted by sjnative

The school lottery system has to be a big contributor to the problem and would singly preclude my raising a child n sf if i couldnt enroll himher n private school.. it seems like madness to me for a parent to pay more to live n a better neihborhood and then have he children bussed off to bayview... may as well have them bussed to east oakland... it is why i hate social engineering... bc u do everythng u can isolate urself from the ignorant irresponsible violent ppl and then the academics and politicians decide thats exactly who u or ur kids should b around and b influenced by...

Could you please learn to spell? Thank you.

[esmith143]

Originally Posted by Go9ers

SF has one of the lowest percentages of kids of any major city in the US, its a playground for the rich now, just sign of the times

As mentioned in comments in the article, SF also has one of the highest percentages of kids in private schools of any major city in the US. In supposedly "kid-friendly" Richmond, 30% to 50% of all parents opt to pay big bucks for private schools rather than go with free public schools. There are areas (like Presidio Heights) where the private-school percentage approaches 80%.

When people are moving their kids from public to private schools in droves (and when those who can't afford private schools, pack up and leave the city), you know that your public school system is busted.

[jade408]

Originally Posted by esmith143

When people are moving their kids from public to private schools in droves (and when those who can't afford private schools, pack up and leave the city), you know that your public school system is busted.

The school system is busted in the entire state for middle class families. IT is ridiculous, our schools are at the bottom of the country's rankings. This makes no sense considering how much wealth is created and earned in this state.

[esmith143]

Originally Posted by jade408

The school system is busted in the entire state for middle class families. IT is ridiculous, our schools are at the bottom of the country's rankings. This makes no sense considering how much wealth is created and earned in this state.

There are different levels of "busted". Here in San Diego area, most upper-middle-class families are sufficiently pleased with public schools that private school enrollment is in single digits in most neighborhoods. In SFBA, parents who live along the 680 probably don't consider their systems totally busted either.

And our schools are at the bottom of the country's rankings because we are in the top 3 nationwide by the percentage of english learners among K-12 population.

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by esmith143

And our schools are at the bottom of the country's rankings because we are in the top 3 nationwide by the percentage of english learners among K-12 population.

Yet San Diego, like San Francisco, is one of the most highly educated major cities in the United States.

Not saying that our schools dont need improvement folks, but I think that sometimes our concerns are exaggerated and they feed off of a smear campaign against public education now decades old.

Its a damn shame that schools are made out to be villainous by so many.

The focus is always given to the underachievers yet next to no mention is made of the huge successes that have come out of public schools, like countless stars on a clear night, the lives changed for the better as a result of a public education, even here in California, is incalculable.

[OakAve2OakLand]

Doesn't Oakland also have a lottery system?

Just curious (as a non-resident) - how is this somehow better than SF's lottery system?

Just as a side note: "education" comes in many forms. The kids of those city resident parents who decide to "tough it out" by making use of the public school system might just be getting a broader "education" than the kids in the overachieving white bread suburbs. They might be learning things you won't find in the cirriculum, and are not reflected in the test scores...such as a broader perspective on all the different classes and races of people , and the ability to get along with, and even have real friendships with, people that don't necessarily look like them.

You might say it's a matter of priorities. Would you rather have a kid who gets 1400 on his/her SAT's but is socially inept outside his or her own social circle? Or, would you rather have a kid who scores may 200 points less on the standardized tests, but has a much greater understanding of other cultures and a higher level of comfortability with more diverse socioeconomic groupings? In the real world, both skillsets come into play.

I'm not at all saying one is better than the other...just that some parents might have somewhat different priorities, and maybe not every parent needs to be a slave to the standardized school rankings, solely to conform to what the majority believe is "best" for THEIR child.