To: The San Francisco Board of Education

I urge the San Francisco Board of Education to uphold the SFUSD staff recommendation to Vote NO and reject the petition to open a new charter school, Dragon Gate Academy at the August 26 Board of Education meeting. On August 11, SFUSD staff released a 65-page report describing the damage this charter school would inflict on the SFUSD community.  

1. Financial drain on the district: At full scale, Dragon Gate Academy could lead to a loss of funding in excess of $5 million dollars annually. SFUSD is under negative certification from the state of California and is not positioned to absorb the negative financial impact of the proposed charter school.

2. Redundant programming: SFUSD announced plans to open its own K-8 Mandarin immersion school in fall 2027. 

3. Faulty enrollment projections: The charter petition lacks internal consistency in enrollment projections and offers aspirational goals without research-based strategies. 

4. Failure of Dragon Gate Academy to provide a sound process for serving students who are English language learners.

5. Failure to describe how it will engage meaningfully with families of English language learners.

6. Discriminatory, segregationist policy of capping the percentage of disabled students

7. Failure to provide students with qualified teachers with the petition setting a goal of just 50% credentialed teaching staff. 

Dragon Gate Academy has indicated a preference for co-locating on one or more existing district campuses. SFUSD has consistently found that such arrangements can create significant disruption for existing schools. Sharing campuses between District and charter programs often results in strained relationships among staff and families. This can undermine the overall educational environment for all students involved.