No one has more to say than a middle school parent when it comes to a topic that has stirred heated debate, petitions hundreds of signatures long, and even a parent-led lawsuit against the district: Algebra 1.
That is, except for candidates for the San Francisco school board.
The debate, dubbed San Franciscoโs โmath wars,โ hinges on whether or not Algebra 1 should be offered for all eighth grade students.
In 2014, the district pulled the class from middle school curriculum over concerns that offering the class in eighth grade contributed to racial disparities in advanced math placement. The move was part of a district effort to reduce โtracking,โ which sorted students by ability, and left a disproportionate number of low-income, Black and Latino students behind.
But a 2023 study by Stanford University found that removing the class failed to reduce racial disparities in advanced math participation. In some cases, it had the opposite effect.
The year following the study, families voted in a non-binding proposition whether they wanted the class to return to eighth grade classrooms. An overwhelming 80 percent of San Francisco residents voted in favor of offering the class.
The district recently came up with a solution with the approval of the school board, whose president, Phil Kim, is running to keep his seat. Next year, the class will be offered as an elective for all eighth grade students, in addition to the standard eighth grade math class, Math 8. Students who meet the academic requirements may opt out of Math 8 altogether and head straight to Algebra 1.
One candidate for the school board, Brandee Marckmann, the former head of the progressive political group, S.F. Berniecrats, has been a vocal opponent to reintroducing Algebra 1 to eighth grade classrooms despite voters’ support of the measure. But is she backtracking?
Here is how the candidates stand on this weekโs question: Should Algebra 1 be offered to all 8th grade students?ย
Mission Local color codes the answers to yes/no questions. A blue background means the candidate answered yes, an orange background means no, and a yellow background means that the candidate answered ambiguously.
Phil Kim
- Job: Deputy director and chief of staff at the San Francisco Human Rights Commission
- Age: 35
- Residency: San Francisco
- Education: PhD in Education, University of California, Berkeley; masterโs in urban education policy from Loyola Marymount University; bachelorโs in neuroscience from Bucknell University
- SFUSD Experience: Charter school educator, SFUSD administrator and current school board president
Yes, every eligible eighth grade student should have the opportunity to take Algebra I. I am proud to have supported the districtโs expansion of access to Algebra I, and I am excited to see the impacts of automatic enrollment in eighth grade. Removing algebra caused math proficiency to fall, and the students who suffered most were the ones the policy was meant to help. Eighth grade math proficiency is one of three student outcome goals I’ve championed on the Board, because it’s a gateway to college and career readiness. Every student deserves rigorous coursework in their public schools.
Endorsed by: Mayor Daniel Lurie, Senator Scott Wiener, Assemblymember Matt Haney, Assemblymember Catherine Stefani, San Francisco Democratic Party … read more here.
Virginia Cheung
- Job: Nonprofit executive
- Age: 42
- Residency: San Francisco
- Education: Bachelorโs from the University of California, Irvine in social ecology
- SFUSD Experience: Parent of child at Alice Fong Yu, former director of Wu Yee Children’s Services
Yes. Algebra I should be offered to all 8th grade students, with thoughtful guidance from educators.
As a single mom from an immigrant family, I understand how deeply education shapes future opportunity, and as a parent, I want clear, transparent information about how these decisions affect our children’s outcomes.
Families should know that opting out of Math 8 may mean missing essential foundations, and these choices should be made with counselor support. Data from Stanford-evaluated pilots shows students can benefit from taking Algebra alongside Math 8, which covers key concepts not fully included in Algebra I.
Endorsed by: United Educators of San Francisco, San Francisco Green Party, Supervisor Connie Chan, S.F. Public Defender Mano Raju, Phil Ting, Norman Yee, Eric Mar … read more here.
Brandee Marckmann
- Job: Director of parent-led group
- Age: 53
- Residency: San Francisco
- Education: Bachelorโs in English and French from Central College
- SFUSD Experience: Parent of SFUSD student
Yes, I believe that all SFUSD students should have access to academic programming which is appropriately challenging for their grade level. However, tracking and racial opportunity gaps are still a huge issue in our district. These issues are what originally prompted the 2014 change, and must be proactively addressed within SFUSD.
Instead of falling victim to political posturing surrounding this issue, I believe we should listen to developmental and educational experts to guide our decisionmaking around curriculum changes and implementation. Our guiding principle should be advancing equitable outcomes and success for all of our SFUSD students.
Endorsed by: Harvey Milk Democratic Club, SEIU 1021, Supervisor Shamann Walton, Supervisor Jackie Fielder, Dean Preston, Aaron Peskin, Mark Leno, Tom Ammiano … read more here.
Answers may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, and grammar. If you have questions for the candidates, please let us know at marina@missionlocal.com.ย
You can register to vote via the sf.gov website.