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D4|Wednesday,January 11, 2017|SFChronicle.com WB

BAY AREA

againstwomen, reduce
police brutality and low-
er the use of excessive
force.Women, Spillar
said, alsostrengthen
community-policing
reforms.
At her last job, in
Chicago, Kirkpatrick led
the Police Department’s
reform efforts in the
wake of a Justice Depart-
ment probe resulting
from the release of a
police video in 2015 that
showed a police officer
shooting 17-year-old

Laquan McDonald 16

times in 2014.

“I thinkit’s such a

refreshing opportunity

for Oakland toget past

some of the problems

that have occurred with

police,” Spillar said. “It

inspires morewomen to

thinkabout going into

policing as a profession.

That sends avery impor-

tant signal.”

Police agencies rarely

reflect the racial compo-

sition of communities,

and they certainlydon’t

reflectgender.According

to a May 2015 reportby

the Bureau ofJustice

Statistics, in 2013, 1 in 8

police officers nationally

wasfemale.Women

made up about 12 per-

cent of policedepart-

ments, but only3percent

of local policechiefs

were female. An analysis

of the OaklandPolice

Department’s labor-

market data posted in

June re vealed about 12

percent of patrol officers

were female.

And according to the

Police Chiefs DeskRefer-

ence, a 322-page guide

for newly appointed

police leaders published

by the International

Association of Chiefs of

Police, female officers

have better oral commu-

nicationskills and are

more empathetic than

men.

“As traditionalgender

roles continue toevolve,

increasing the focus on

female candidates will

offer anabundant source

of highlyqualified and

capable employees,” the

deskreferencestated.

“Failure todo so will

adversely impactagen-

cies to reach their re-

cruitinggoals and serve

their communities in the

future.”

Mayor Libby Schaaf

has promised to bring

the force to 800 officers

by the end of 2018, an

increase from 2010’s low

of 695 after layoffs. For

community relations to

improve, which police

observers believe would

lead to a reduction in

crime, morewomen

mustbe recruited to

police forces.

And theymusthave

more leadership roles.

A week ago at her

introductory news con-

ference, Kirkpatrick

acknowledged hergen-

der.

“So I am a leader who

is cloaked as awoman,

and I am grateful for

being awoman, but I

will beyour leader as

well,” she said.

Last summer, after

scandals involving racist

texts and emails and

sexual misconduct, and

after three policechiefs

were fired or resigned in

nine days, Schaaf crit-

icized the Police Depart-

ment’s“frat house” cul-

ture.

“It is more thansym-

bolic,” Spillar,who men-

tioned thatthe frat house

comment rippled nation-

ally, said about Kirkpat-

rick’s hiring. “It is repre-

senting realchange. It is

sending astrong mes-

sage to the rank and file.

They have an opportuni-

ty to really set a new

course.”

Nowit’s up to Kirkpat-

rick to lead theway.

San Francisco Chronicle

columnist Otis R.Taylor

Jr. appearsMonday,

Wednesday andFriday.

Email: otaylor@

sfchronicle.com Twitter:

@otisrtaylorjr

Female policechief

signals realchange

Taylor from pageD1

now will reduce impact
on school budgets next
year. It was a toughdeci-
sion to make, but we feel
this will better prepare us
in theevent we are faced
with reduced resources.”
Making cuts now will
enable the district to pay
for ongoing costs aswell
as programsadopted to
improve studentachieve-
ment, school officials
said.
“We understand that
making toughchoices
related to budget is not
always popular or easy,”
Goode said. “We are
intentionally not main-
taining thestatus quo in
order toaccelerate out-

comes forstudents,while

also ensuringwe are

good stewards of public

funds.”

But the district is also

facing “foreseeable ex-

ternalities” — or circum-

stances beyondits con-

trol — that could have a

significant effect on ex-

penses,according to the

proposed resolution to

authorize a hiring freeze.

Such possibilities in-

clude declining enroll-

ment,skyrocketing spe-

cial-education spending,

and replenishing the

district’s reserve fund —

adding up to se veral

milliondollars.

The proposed hiring

freezewould notapply to

teachers or essential

staffers.

Wilson,who is leaving

Oaklandat the end of the

month to headup the

Washington,D.C., school

system, said the midyear

spending cuts and hiring

freeze could save up to $11

million thisyear, leaving

about $20 million in cuts

to make nextyear.

“Implementing spend-

ing guidelines related to

hiring and expenditures

reflects a fiscal prudence

that isvery important

right now aswe prepare

the ’17-18 budget,” school

boardVice President

Nina Senn said in an

email Tuesday.

Board PresidentJames

Harris, howeve r, said he

had questionsabout the

proposed resolution.

“In terms of the freeze,

I still need to lookat what

the impact is there,”Har-

ris said.He said the

board coulddelay a vote

for at least aweek.

The superintendent’s

recommendations for

next year’s budgetwould

spread the pain between

classrooms and the dis-

trict administration.

There would be$10

million in school site

reductions, including $5.5

million fromdecreases in

staffing and services

related todecl ining en-

rollment.

Wilson alsowants to

cut thenumber of assis-

tant principals and other

school-basedsupport

staff.

The superintendent

would aim for$11.6 mil-

lion in savings from the

central office and district-

wide budgets, including

$5.1 million out of the

business and operations

division.

Harris noted that the

superintendent’s budget

proposal is just a recom-

mendation and that the

board will be makingits

decisions long afterWil-

son isgone.

“The specific request

made of Antwanwas to

give us a strong propos-

al,” Harris said.“And he’s

trying todo that before

he leaves.”

Jill Tucker is a San

Francisco Chronicle staff

writer. Email: jtucker@

sfchronicle.com Twitter:

@jilltucker

Budget cuts urged

for Oakland schools

Oakland from pageD1

Paul Chinn /The Chronicle 2016

Oakland school board PresidentJames Harris (left)

says he hasquestionsabout the proposed cuts.