cawacko
Well-known member
So the SF school district is facing a $113 million shortfall yet votes for this new expensive program to support gays and lesbians. They claim that 13% of kids in middle school say they are gay, lesbian or transgender. WTF? How the hell do kids know at that age? I sure as hell wasn't getting any ass in the 7th grade.
Our education system is going to hell and this is what money is being spent on. Unbelievable. Besides gay and lesbian issues the other hot button for our progressive school board is not sending kids to schools in their neighborhood, no, its busing kids all over the City trying to get an acceptable racial mix in each school. And then they wonder why families leave San Francisco.
S.F. school board OKs new gay support program
The San Francisco school board added to the district's massive $113 million shortfall over the next two years by voting Tuesday night to fund a substantial increase in instruction and services related to gay and lesbian issues.
Though the district is facing layoffs and significant program cuts, board members unanimously agreed that the estimated $120,000 annual price tag was worth it to support gay and lesbian students - children who are more likely to experience bullying and skip school because they are afraid.
The resolution calls for adding a district position to manage "lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning" youth issues. It also requires the district to keep tabs on harassment and discrimination based on sexual orientation and distribute educational packets every year to parents encouraging them to discuss sexuality, gender identity and safety with their children.
The measure, sponsored by the city's Youth Commission and Human Rights Commission and the district's Student Advisory Council, requires district staff to seek outside funding to cover the costs, but guarantees at least a half-time position and other services regardless.
About 13 percent of San Francisco's middle school students and 11 percent of high school students self-identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, according to a district survey.
Despite San Francisco's reputation as a gay-friendly city, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students more frequently experience harassment and are more likely to consider suicide, district officials said during the meeting.
In addition, 43 percent of those middle schools students - 430 children - said they didn't go to school because they didn't feel safe compared with 11 percent of heterosexual students.
"It's the data that's driving my decision," said board member Norman Yee, his voice filling with emotion as he wiped away tears.
More than two dozen students, teachers and parents lined up to urge the board to fund the measure - enough money to cover the salaries of two classroom teachers.
The unanimous support among the public speakers stood in stark contrast to the public outcry in Alameda last year over a proposed - and ultimately approved - 45-minute annual lesson on gay and lesbian topics.
The San Francisco students said homophobic graffiti is not uncommon on school property and that their friends have been beaten up for being gay.
Jimmy Zhang, a senior at Thurgood Marshall Academic High School, said coming out as gay at school hasn't been easy.
"I feel uncomfortable and sometimes unmotivated to attend school," he said. "The truth is there needs to be more understanding at my school."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/10/BAGL1BV49N.DTL
Our education system is going to hell and this is what money is being spent on. Unbelievable. Besides gay and lesbian issues the other hot button for our progressive school board is not sending kids to schools in their neighborhood, no, its busing kids all over the City trying to get an acceptable racial mix in each school. And then they wonder why families leave San Francisco.
S.F. school board OKs new gay support program
The San Francisco school board added to the district's massive $113 million shortfall over the next two years by voting Tuesday night to fund a substantial increase in instruction and services related to gay and lesbian issues.
Though the district is facing layoffs and significant program cuts, board members unanimously agreed that the estimated $120,000 annual price tag was worth it to support gay and lesbian students - children who are more likely to experience bullying and skip school because they are afraid.
The resolution calls for adding a district position to manage "lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning" youth issues. It also requires the district to keep tabs on harassment and discrimination based on sexual orientation and distribute educational packets every year to parents encouraging them to discuss sexuality, gender identity and safety with their children.
The measure, sponsored by the city's Youth Commission and Human Rights Commission and the district's Student Advisory Council, requires district staff to seek outside funding to cover the costs, but guarantees at least a half-time position and other services regardless.
About 13 percent of San Francisco's middle school students and 11 percent of high school students self-identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, according to a district survey.
Despite San Francisco's reputation as a gay-friendly city, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students more frequently experience harassment and are more likely to consider suicide, district officials said during the meeting.
In addition, 43 percent of those middle schools students - 430 children - said they didn't go to school because they didn't feel safe compared with 11 percent of heterosexual students.
"It's the data that's driving my decision," said board member Norman Yee, his voice filling with emotion as he wiped away tears.
More than two dozen students, teachers and parents lined up to urge the board to fund the measure - enough money to cover the salaries of two classroom teachers.
The unanimous support among the public speakers stood in stark contrast to the public outcry in Alameda last year over a proposed - and ultimately approved - 45-minute annual lesson on gay and lesbian topics.
The San Francisco students said homophobic graffiti is not uncommon on school property and that their friends have been beaten up for being gay.
Jimmy Zhang, a senior at Thurgood Marshall Academic High School, said coming out as gay at school hasn't been easy.
"I feel uncomfortable and sometimes unmotivated to attend school," he said. "The truth is there needs to be more understanding at my school."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/10/BAGL1BV49N.DTL
