Meet the Candidates: How will school board contenders support families through closures?

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Welcome back to the “Meet the Candidates” series for the school board, where we ask each candidate one question every two weeks. They must answer the question in 100 words or fewer. We will link to longer answers.

Twelve candidates are vying for four seats on the city’s seven-person school board. The election will take place on Nov. 5. Non-citizen parents of children living in the city are permitted to vote in school board elections and can find information on doing so here.

The San Francisco Unified School District is in the process of planning school closures that would take effect in the 2025 school year. The district’s budget crisis is the oft-cited reason behind the initiative. But Mission Local’s Joe Eskenazi reported recently that the district itself acknowledges that closures are not projected to save much money — certainly not in the short term. Still, the closures will go forward. 

This week, we asked the candidates:

What are your thoughts on how the school closure planning process has been conducted so far, and if elected, what specific steps would you take to support families most heavily impacted by any closures, mergers or co-locations?

Candidates underscored the need for more transparency and genuine engagement with community input in the planning process. Some said they would develop or expand academic and social resources, such as language programs and before- and after-school care.

Deldelp Medina

• Job: Executive director at Black & Brown Founders
• Age: 52
• Residency: Mission
• Educational background: Bachelor’s degree in humanities, minor in political science
• SFUSD experience: Attended Alvarado Elementary and mother was para-educator with Spanish-speaking kids in Chinatown; kid has attended SFUSD schools; SFUSD Latinx Family Advisory Committee
• Languages: English, Spanish, French

No response received.

Endorsed by: School Board Commissioner Mark Sanchez

Supryia Ray

• Job: Attorney and writer
• Age: 51
• Residency: Sunset
• Educational background: Bachelor’s degree in political science and French from University of Miami, summa cum laude; juris doctor degree from Harvard Law School, magna cum laude
• SFUSD experience: Parent of two SFUSD students; Jefferson Elementary parent-teacher association leadership; parent advocate on issues such as outdoor learning and school safety
• Languages: French, some Spanish

Every SFUSD student and family should have safe, accessible, well-funded and well-staffed high-quality schools.

The school district has sought, but ignored, community input on closure criteria. That’s wrong.

On the school board, I will insist on:

• Social/emotional and academic support for students and families at schools to be closed, which must be continued at their new schools

• Discretionary funds to support site councils/PTSAs at schools to welcome and build community with new students & families

• A calendar for consistent check-ins with families of new students — a clear, prompt, and equitable process for families to resolve unworkable placements

Endorsed by: SF Guardians, SF Parent Action, GrowSF, TogetherSF Action … read more here

Matt Alexander

• Job: Community organizer at Faith in Action Bay Area, incumbent board member
• Age: 54
• Residency: Outer Sunset
• Educational background: Master’s degree in education
• SFUSD experience: Teacher and principal; current school board vice president
• Languages: English, Spanish

The track record of school closures in some other cities has been awful, and SFUSD’s past school closures have been deeply flawed, with a disproportionate impact on the Black community. So I’ve been skeptical about school closures. But it’s also true that in 1996, when I started teaching in SFUSD, we had 64,000 students; this year, we have 49,000. Fewer students means less state funding, so we have to decide if we want to keep spreading our resources thinly over 100+ campuses. We need to ensure fully staffed schools, better working conditions for educators, and better outcomes for students.

Endorsed by: UESF, Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club

Min Chang

• Job: CEO at healthcare organization Homebridge
• Age: 58
• Residency: San Francisco
• Educational background: Ph.D. in international affairs and master’s degree in international public policy from Johns Hopkins University; master’s degree in management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan; bachelor’s degrees from the University of Pennsylvania
• SFUSD experience: Doing outreach in SFUSD and attending school board meetings.
• Languages: English, Chinese, French

I attended the Cycle 2 Resource Meetings led by the superintendent. The meetings focused on getting input from parents on selection criteria for evaluating which schools to close. I do not believe that this process is effective, since the parents only have input on criteria, but have no input on the actual schools being selected. It feels as if the results were predetermined, and the process was used to show that parents were involved. A more robust process that really engages the community to find better solutions for all our schools would be better. Consolidation, mergers, co-locations are all options … read more here

Endorsed by: The San Francisco Republican Party, San Francisco Young Republicans, The Republican Club of San Francisco, San Francisco Briones Society … read more here

Virginia Cheung

• Job: SFUSD parent, co-founder and vice president of Give a Beat Foundation (volunteer work) and previously director of advancement at Wu Yee Children’s Services
• Age: 41
• Residency: District 11
• Educational background: Bachelor’s degree in social ecology (first in family to graduate college).
• SFUSD experience: Parent of Alice Fong Yu student; Wah Mei BASE! ExCEL program Parent Advisory Board
• Languages: Basic Cantonese and Mandarin, conversational French

I commend the superintendent and school administration for their comprehensive efforts to align resources for equity and excellence. However, intentional involvement of students and incorporating their feedback would strengthen this initiative.

In decisions about school closures, our primary focus must be on meeting educational outcomes and ensuring every student has access to critical resources — qualified teachers, instructional coaches, mental-health support and tutoring. Every decision must be aimed at enhancing the student experience and ensuring excellence by providing fully supported, safe, accessible and nurturing classrooms.

I will advocate for neighborhood-based resource hubs and transparent communication with families through regular updates and … read more here

Endorsed by: Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, School Board Commissioner Jenny Lam … read more here

Lefteris Eleftheriou

• Job: Regional sales manager, Sanyo Denki
• Age: 56
• Residency: District 7
• Educational background: Bachelor’s degree in engineering, master’s degree in education
• SFUSD experience: No direct experience, but previously ran an art school in Belmont.
• Languages: English, Japanese, Greek

If we cannot get a grip on the corruption and waste at the heart of the budgetary crisis, then future closures are inevitable. Does the BOE have a plan for this? I ran a school where I managed a budget, hired and paid employees, and continuously looked for ways to provide value to my students. If elected, I would do the same for the SFUSD; namely, I would engage all students, parents, and teachers on a daily basis to understand what we are doing right, and more importantly, what more we can do to support them. Expensive consultants are not … read more here

Parag Gupta

• Job: Chief program officer at Mercy Housing
• Age: 46
• Residency: San Francisco
• Educational background: Bachelor’s degree with honors from the University of Chicago; master’s degree in Public Policy from Harvard University
• SFUSD experience: Parent of recent CIS De Avila grad; School Site Council chair; 8th grade algebra focus group; drafting SFUSD policy priorities for SF Democrats as SF DCCC member; developing financial strategy for Stupski Foundation programs to help students, including SFUSD students, complete postsecondary education
• Languages: Basic Spanish, basic French, conversational Hindi

The uncertainty surrounding the future of our schools is frightening. If my daughter’s Cantonese immersion school closed, she would have lost a critical avenue for maintaining her cultural heritage and communicating with her late grandfather.

I attended two Resource Alignment Initiative town halls. I appreciate the equity, excellence, and effective use criteria.

For the most heavily affected families, thorough stakeholder engagement must continue. 1. Families and educators should be offered emotional and logistical support. 2. Schools should offer advanced curriculum, [Career Technical Education] pathways, or language offerings based on the feedback of affected families so we recognize the disruption and do our … read more here

Endorsed by: UESF, SF Parent Action, GrowSF, TogetherSF Action

Ann Hsu

• Job: Head of School at Bertrand D Hsu American & Chinese Bicultural Academy
• Age: 57
• Residency: Richmond District
• Educational background: Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Pennsylvania State University, master’s degree in electrical engineering and master’s in business from University of California, Berkeley
• SFUSD experience: Two sons in SFUSD; SFUSD Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee chair; Galileo High School PTSA president; active in recall efforts; appointed by Mayor Breed to school board in 2022 and served until early 2023
• Languages: English; Chinese, Mandarin

Parents are frustrated with the [Resource Alignment Initiative] process and feel that the district is not being truthful or transparent. Parent participants in community meetings say their input isn’t reflected in the district’s weighted criteria; the ambiguity surrounding “equity” is troubling.

The district hasn’t articulated a plan should a school close or be consolidated. What additional resources would be available to parents? Would they have first preference at another school? The unknowns create anxiety.

I will be truthful and transparent. I will demand that the superintendent articulate a plan for closed and consolidated schools so that families can prepare.

Jaime Huling

• Job: Deputy city attorney, formerly in San Francisco and now in Oakland
• Age: 42
• Residency: Glen Park; previously Hayes Valley and 13 years in the Mission
• Educational background: Juris doctor degree from Stanford Law School with distinction; bachelor’s in history from Northwestern University with honors, minor in gender studies
• SFUSD experience: Parent of SFUSD Spanish immersion school student; worked with Mission-based nonprofit ScholarMatch to help first-gen, low-income students of color attend college, including SFUSD students
• Languages: English, some Spanish and French

SFUSD families are understandably anxious. We’re waiting to see if our schools are on the chopping block this fall.

The district’s vague outreach surveys asking abstract questions leave us wondering what closures are possible. There haven’t been opportunities to weigh in on specifics.

I’ll fight to ensure that communities and programs affected by closures have the option to stay together. I’ll push to provide additional resources to affected families to help them stay in the district, have workable schedules and commutes, and get needed supports—such as priority school assignments, new bus routes, and expanded before and aftercare.

Endorsed by: UESF, SF Parent Action, GrowSF, TogetherSF Action

John Jersin

• Job: Co-founder of education nonprofit Jersin Foundation, previously a LinkedIn executive
• Age: 40
• Residency: Noe Valley
• Educational background: California public schools from kindergarten through college; bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of California, San Diego, master’s degree in computer science from Stanford University
• SFUSD experience: Brother-in-law of SFUSD teacher; SFUSD Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee; parent of two young children who will attend SFUSD schools
• Languages: English, learning Mandarin

SFUSD has stated that painful school closures are necessary. Yet addressing fiscal mismanagement earlier would have caused less pain. Families and teachers are all right to be frustrated.

Now, we must do the hard work to find more budget efficiencies, just like I have found millions of dollars in potential savings. This would allow more flexibility, and if the current board chooses, SFUSD could test a school closure early. We can then engage deeply with the community before, during, and after the test to study unforeseen impacts during the process, and apply those lessons to other schools.

Endorsed by: UESF, GrowSF, TogetherSF Action

Madeline Krantz

• Job: Dual enrollment student at CCSF and SJSU
• Age: 19
• Residency: Inner Sunset
• Educational background: Synergy School for K-8, Abraham Lincoln High School, experience working as teacher’s aide in synagogue and currently working toward education degree
• SFUSD experience: Worked with SFUSD students as part of Teacher Academy at Lincoln
• Languages: English

We probably have to close some schools in order to be efficient with the SFUSD budget. I think it is very important that families whose kids have to change schools have as much choice as possible when it comes to their new school. And the older the student is, the more important that choice is going to be for them, both educationally and socially. Our goal on the Board of Education should be to make responsible decisions while our budgets are very difficult, but then also create rules that will help the affected students make the best possible transition.

Laurance Lee

• Job: Small business owner, L3 Construction LLC
• Age: 54
• Residency: Noe Valley
• Educational background: Went to SFUSD K-12, bachelor’s degree in chemistry and history of science from Harvard University, graduate work at Stanford University
• SFUSD experience: SFUSD Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee, extended family who are SFUSD student and educators
• Languages: English

I hear parents are anxious and frustrated with the chaotic school-closure planning process. Why is the school district and its insider-chosen SFUSD advisory committee ignoring them and overruling their ideas and priorities?

If elected, I will prioritize a transparency culture. I will clearly state how many schools will be closed and how much money will be saved. I will ensure clear communication on how impacted communities will be supported with these cuts. I will share the resources we will provide to help any transitions. Parents deserve to know the future of their children’s education. It’s time for a change.

Endorsed by: SF Guardians, State Treasurer Fiona Ma, former School Board President Emily Murase … read more here

Candidates are ordered alphabetically but rotated every question. Answers may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling and grammar. If you have questions for the candidates, please let us know at anne@missionlocal.com.

Read the rest of the school board questions here, and the entire “Meet the Candidates” series here.

You can register to vote via the sf.gov website. Illustrations for the series by Neil Ballard.

read more candidate answers

Meet the Candidates: San Francisco’s school board race