Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco officials are mulling whether to bar enrollment of non-city residents in an elite creative arts high school.
A proposal to limit enrollment to the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts is pending before the San Francisco School Board, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Saturday (http://tinyurl.com/kc6cewe ).
The proposal was made after out-of-city enrollment rose to 14 percent this year at the San Francisco public school. That exceeds a 10 percent cap the school board set several years ago.
"It is a San Francisco public school," school board member Rachel Norton said. "It's an amazing resource for kids who are interested in and are considering art as a career."
Students are admitted only after passing a rigorous auditioning process. A total of 84 non-resident students attend the school with 540 San Francisco teens. Students from all over Northern California, including Eureka 300 miles to the north, attend the school.
The art school is the only elite public school in San Francisco that allows nonresidents to attend. Lowell High School, which has high academic standards, limits enrollment to San Francisco residents.
The art school began to admit non-residents to fill vital positions in theatrical productions and other projects that couldn't be filled by San Francisco teens. Over the years, though, non-residents were admitted regardless of the school's need.
"It's a misguided attempt to fix a problem that's bigger than one issue," said sophomore Ben Stacy, a musical student. "Gentrification is such a real issue."
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
