In the Nov. 8 consolidated municipal election, the people of San Francisco rejected Proposition H by a mere 120 votes. Those 120 votes saved the City from creating a policy that would have been detrimental to our public schools. With such a slim difference in votes, the question becomes: Why were the citizens so divided about this proposition?

Proposition H asked voters: “Shall it be City policy to encourage the San Francisco Unified School District to change its student assignment system so that it places the highest priority on assigning each student to the school closest to home, after placing siblings in the same school?” The plan outlined in this proposition would have become an official recommendation, not a law. By voting “yes” on H, voters would have approved a new city policy to encourage SFUSD, a body independent from City Hall, to alter its school assignment system beginning with the 2011-2012 school year.

But why would this proposition even make it to the ballot? One of the chief complaints of Prop H supporters is the evident achievement gap in SFUSD schools. According to the legal text of Proposition H, “...the current school assignment system.... has contributed to one of the worst achievement gaps in any urban district in the State of California.” The achievement gap referred to is based on the difference in standardized test scores between many schools in the district. Each year, every high school in the state receives an Academic Performance Index score between 100 and 1,000, based on recent standardized test scores and the student population’s average GPA. For example, Washington High School’s API score in 2010 was 782, while Burton High School received a score of 676, according to a May 5 San Francisco Examiner article.

There is a clear correlation between the API of schools and the economic standing of the neighborhoods where the schools are located. Data shows that the schools with lower test scores are in neighborhoods with the lower average annual per capita income. Washington is located in the Richmond District, where the average annual per capita income is $41,369, while in Visitacion Valley, where Burton is located, the average annual per capita income is $17,651, according to the San Francisco Planning Department.

Some families who live in neighborhoods with high-performing schools may have been in favor of neighborhood assignment, but Proposition H is not the solution to closing the achievement gap for all students in SFUSD. The bottom line is that Proposition H puts many people in a bind. The correspondence between low-test scores and poorer neighborhoods is clear, and the United Educators of San Francisco Union is sympathetic to school choice. “Proposition H was would have created bigger divisions based on ethnic and economic lines,” United Educators of San Francisco political director Ken Tray said. “Most studies has shown that poverty is the leading indicator of whether or not kids will do well in school.”

Why restrict students living in low-income neighborhoods to attend lower-performing schools in their immediate area? This policy will exacerbate the gap in achievement between schools and segregate school communities, which does not benefit test scores, or more importantly, diversity.

In the current school enrollment system, families are allowed to rank up to seven schools in order of preference, something most of us did as eight graders. All SFUSD families should have the option to rank schools according to which are the best fit for the student and family. Taking away the choice that families and students have will take away their opportunity to play a proactive role in their own education.

Also, the plan as outlined in the proposition would have upended students in schools across the district and wasted valuable dollars and other resources. The UESF’s paid argument in the Voter Information Pamphlet states, “Countless hours of district staff time would be diverted from curriculum to reorganizing the school boundaries. No one benefits from this brand of chaos.” In addition, the argument states that every member of the school board is opposed to the proposition. On important issues such as this one, we must trust educators to know what is right for the students.

As students of SFUSD, we applaud the people of San Francisco for making the right choice in voting down this measure. Every student within our district deserves a choice as to where he or she gets an education. And more importantly, every student in our district deserves a chance to succeed.

A version of this article first appeared in the Dec. 8, 2011 print edition of The Lowell.