Welcome back to the โMeet the Candidatesโ 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.
Eleven candidates are vying for four seats on the cityโs 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.
For months, San Francisco Unified School District families have waited in limbo as the crisis-stricken district announced potential school closures for 2025โ2026, then postponed the release of the closure list. On Oct. 8, however, Superintendent Matt Wayne put out a list of 13 schools at risk of closing or merging, angering just about every stakeholder in the process.
This week, we asked the school board candidates:
Can you comment on the potential school closure list and whether you agree with the chosen schools? Additionally, please provide your thoughts on the use of enrollment numbers and the 10 criteria related to equity, excellence and effective use of resources to score and choose the schools.
Candidates generally panned the preliminary announcement, citing a lack of both transparency and consideration of community input. Some expressed concerns that the closures will affect special programs and further drive families from the district, and some argued the district should focus on addressing other issues, like the budget deficit, first.
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 Citizensโ 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
SFUSDโs closure goal was 90 percent utilization. The eligible list, if left untouched, may reach 80 percent. Since 500 positions need to be cut to balance the FY 2025-26 budget, there will be classrooms without teachers and probably another round of closures in the near future.
Regarding schools on the list, there are three around Chinatown and one in the Inner Richmond that are attended mostly by ethnic Chinese students with low-income and monolingual immigrant parents. Where is the equity in that calculation? Does the district think that these families can be pushed around easier?
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
Iโm very concerned with the districtโs lack of transparency and communication surrounding the school closure list. The district needs to assure the community that it is preserving school communities and programs in order to achieve the long term vision of fully-staffed, fully-enrolled schools in every neighborhood.
The Superintendent must truly listen to all affected communities to make this process successful for the long-term health of our schools. I encourage SFUSD communities to reach out to district staff โ many decisions arenโt final yet, and your input is important. Weโve all got to work together because failing our kids isnโt an option.
Endorsed by: SF Democratic Party, UESF, SF Parent Action, GrowSF … read more here
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 Citizensโ Bond Oversight Committee; parent of two young children who will attend SFUSD schools
- Languages: English, learning Mandarin
Whatโs so incredibly frustrating for parents is that this could have been avoided. Weโve watched the Board of Education mismanage our finances for decades, and now weโre being told to close schools or face a state takeover.
The priority I’m hearing from most school communities is to avoid the state coming in and hacking apart our district without regard for families, teachers, or kids.
Itโs a moment for tough choices, and I understand the anger of parents, students, and teachers who are being forced to pay the price for the inactions of the school board that go back many years.
Endorsed by: SF Democratic Party, UESF, GrowSF, TogetherSF Action … read more here
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 teacherโs aide in synagogue and currently working toward education degree
- SFUSD experience: Worked with SFUSD students as part of Teacher Academy at Lincoln
- Languages: English
Two months ago, I thought that, given our deficits, it made sense to close highly under-enrolled schools. But Iโve heard people question whether closures would even save money. Iโve also learned about other district issues that need to be addressed. A campus thatโs only 25 percent filled shouldnโt stay that way forever. But we should solve a lot of these problems at once before disrupting peopleโs lives. I also think that questionnaire was just asking parents to make hard decisions for us. Why canโt the board and the district get serious and solve problems the right way?
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 Citizensโ Bond Oversight Committee, extended family who are SFUSD student and educators
- Languages: English
Poorly thought out on so many levels. As the only K-12 SFUSD graduate school board candidate, I remember so many wrongs the district has done to Asian Americans and communities of color. How do you just end schools with the names of Spring Valley, Harvey Milk and Malcolm X? The criteria are vague and the scoring a black box. Stop this closing schools effort and do a good job balancing the budget. Less money for central staff and consultants. More info on my website https://www.laurancelemlee.com/school-closures.
Endorsed by: SF Guardians, State Treasurer Fiona Ma, former School Board President Emily Murase … read more here
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
The potential school closure list is devastating to our families and communities, and the result of years of mismanagement. The process has been confusing and chaotic, and has only increased anxiety and distrust. Behind every โnumberโ is a student, educator, and family. Many question which schools were chosen and why.
The district faces budget cuts and potential state takeover, requiring difficult decisions and tradeoffs. Between now and the December board vote, I will listen to community concerns and insist on clear and accessible transition plans for closed/merged schools, including transportation mapping. All communities seek excellence. We can keep some … read more here
Endorsed by: SF Democratic Party, SF Guardians, SF Parent Action, GrowSF โฆ 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
No response received.
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
Closing schools is not the answer; it will only make things worse, and drive more families away from public schools. It will make the existing schools more crowded and class sizes even larger; the schools that are targeted for closure are smaller schools and specialty schools that are much needed in our communities. Smaller and specialty schools are meant to be small, for kids that thrive in smaller classes and customized learning plans; these schools are the lifeblood for our families. Closing schools does not solve the budget deficit; increasing revenue sources and reducing our administrative costs are better areas … read more here
Endorsed by: The San Francisco Republican Party, San Francisco Young Republicans, The Republican Club of San Francisco, San Francisco Briones Society โฆ 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
There is a lack of clarity and transparency in the definition of โequity.โ Equity should focus on closing opportunity gaps to help students meet higher standards, rather than dismantling successful programs.
The schools currently on the list have a proven track record of culturally affirming programming that helps address opportunity gaps in their communities. There is no assurance that children who need these programs will be placed in similarly supportive environments.
Our administration must provide a transparent fiscal analysis and audit of these programs to ensure that our most vulnerable communities are not disproportionately affected. Recent decisions have already left … read more here
Endorsed by: Mayor London Breed, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, School Board Commissioner Jenny Lam โฆ 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
There is little rhyme or reason behind the decision or the criteria used to close schools, and discussions were mostly done behind closed doors. Therefore, I stand with the students, families, and staff who are fighting to keep their schools open, and my job, if elected, will be to keep our families in the city by keeping as many of our public schools open as possible. One could argue that if we do not close schools and repair the budget, then the state may step in and take over the SFUSD. But there is no guarantee that closing schools will … 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
My wife and I appreciate the diversity of SFUSD school programming. We sent our daughter to the Chinese immersion school at DeAvila Elementary School so she could communicate and connect with her non-English-speaking maternal grandfather. I see the unique features in the affected schools from creating a sense of belonging with LGBTQ families to language programs.
When the School District finalizes school closures, it must offer alternatives to families and educators that take these features into account. To do so, the school district must be as transparent as possible and really listen to what affected communities value.
Endorsed by: SF Democratic Party, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, Senator Scott Wiener, UESF … 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 โMeet the Candidatesโ series here.
You can register to vote via the sf.gov website. Illustrations for the series by Neil Ballard.
