In the News: South San Francisco Taps into Its Youth

Affordable housing, mental health and curriculum priorities were the top topics for youth town hall that featured South San Francisco Unified School District officials, including Superintendent Dr. Shawnterra Moore and board President John Baker, along with a panel of city officials.

 

The town hall sought to inspire students to get involved in local government by taking part in a panel discussion organized by the South San Francisco's Youth Commission.

 

Moore said the district is looking to strengthen their systems so they can increase academic excellence by hiring more diverse teachers who represent the student body and reassessing suspension and expulsion practices.

“The board has prioritized a lot around educational equity and access,” Moore said.

 

They are looking at building their ethnic studies program at both high schools in the district.

 

Concerns about affordable housing for teachers and staff were raised to the panel who discussed the plans to build a development on its own facilities through a bond measure on this November’s ballot.

 

Moore said that the priorities are to recruit and retain staff and it begins with affordable housing. They will be looking for ways they can offer incoming staff affordable housing options.

 

Baker said that if the measure passes in November it would give the district $80 million that would help build 120 housing units at Foxridge Elementary School, a school that has been closed since 1992, according to the California Department of Education website.

 

South San Francisco City Manager Mike Futrell said, from the city’s perspective, they are currently building affordable housing for public use.

 

“In partnership with all those biotechs over there in the next five years we will have an additional $120 million to invest in affordable housing,” Futrell said, adding that he hopes the students attending the youth hall can all afford to live in South San Francisco as adults and become the next generation of leaders.

 

Another question a student had for the panelists regarded the district’s plans to address mental health services.

 

Moore said the district has made it a priority to invest in mental health services. Two years ago, it invested more than $500,000 and are now working on a mental health grant to further the investment. Adding that some of the challenges she found from feedback from the student advisor committee was a concern that students are unaware of the health services offered by the district.

The district is working on a QR code that will be easy to find and use to help raise awareness for the services the district offers, Moore said.

 

“It’s definitely a priority for our staff and our students and we continue to invest in it and we are hoping that as we do that we build awareness so that all of our students understand that they have access to that,” Moore said.

Most of the matters addressed during the panel were directed to what the city and school district are doing to help the community.

 

Futrell went on to say that affordable housing becomes a lot more affordable if you have a good-paying job. He emphasized the importance of school and higher education for the students to be able to come back to South San Francisco after college and live in their hometown.

 

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