Welcome back to our “Meet the Candidates” series, where candidates for the San Francisco Unified School Board of Education respond to questions each week in 100 words or fewer. Answers will be published every Friday.
Mission Local now includes all eight of the candidates who will appear on the November ballot. They are as follows: Autumn Brown Garibay, Virginia Cheung, Alida Fisher, Ryan Hazelton, Phil Kim, Laurance Lee, Reina Tello and Tim Tung.
Each candidate is first ordered alphabetically, then rotated each week.
Nationwide, kids are missing school more than ever.
By the numbers, chronic absenteeism, which is when a student misses 10 percent or more of the instructional days of a school year, is 75 percent higher now than it was pre-pandemic.
In 2025, San Francisco Unified School District’s K-12 chronic absenteeism rate ticked up another percentage point to 24 percent, according to an April school board meeting presentation.
Needless to say, SFUSD did not meet its target rate of 20 percent for that year. The most recent school year’s data is not yet available.
Although this is a national issue, SFUSD is faring far worse than the rest of the state. Statewide, the chronic absenteeism rate was 19 percent in 2025, 5 percentage points lower than San Francisco’s.
Data also shows that, in SFUSD, there is higher absenteeism throughout winter months. From November to February of the 2024-25 school year, the absenteeism rate hit over 30 percent.
The district has blamed a “critical staffing gap.”
This week, Mission Local asked candidates: How would you address the district’s 24 percent chronic absenteeism rate?
Tim Tung
- Job: Public finance analyst, research analyst, public finance lecturer
- Age: 46
- Party: Democratic
- Residency: Homeowner in the Western Addition, previously lived in the Richmond and SoMa
- Children: Two children at Chinese Immersion School at De Avila
- SFUSD experience: Chair of the school site council at the Chinese Immersion School at De Avila; serves on SFUSD’s local control and accountability plan advisory committee
- Education: Bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in information and data science from the University of California, Berkeley; master’s degree in public administration from San Jose State University
- Languages: English
- Transportation: Driving, public transit and walking
- Website: Tim Tung for School Board
A 24 percent chronic absenteeism rate shows that SFUSD’s existing system is not producing sufficient results. SFUSD already contacts families around 5 percent of days missed, so I would strengthen the next levels of intervention.
At 7.5 percent, schools should create an individualized attendance plan; at 10 percent, escalate to coordinated case management. I would assess each school’s capacity and direct additional social worker, counselor, family support, or community resources where caseloads show gaps.
Monthly tracking should measure whether interventions improve attendance, with quarterly Board reporting on results and subgroup gaps. I would hold the Superintendent accountable for measurable reductions in chronic absenteeism.
Endorsed by: GrowSF, State Senator Scott Wiener, Nancy Tung, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, Supervisor Matt Dorsey, Supervisor Stephen Sherrill, Supervisor Alan Wong, Supervisor Danny Sauter … read more here.
Autumn Brown Garibay
- Job: Senior customer success manager at Sprout Social, Inc.
- Age: 41
- Party: Democratic
- Residency: Renter in the Mission District
- Children: Three in SFUSD schools
- SFUSD experience: PTA at kids’ school, served on the Parent Leadership Council of the San Francisco Parent Coalition
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in public relations and marketing from Long Beach State University and Sacramento State University
- Languages: English
- Transportation: Public transit, walking and biking
- Website: Autumn Brown Garibay for School Board
A 24 percent chronic absenteeism rate is too high, and some schools are struggling far more than that. If student outcomes are our top priority, kids need to be in school so we can keep investing in their learning.
I would push the Board to focus on schools with the highest absenteeism, require staff to identify what is keeping families from getting kids to school, and target support accordingly, including after-care, family outreach, health supports, and school climate.
SFUSD has invested new dollars here. Now we need to see whether those investments are reaching the right schools and improving attendance.
Endorsed by: SF Parents Action, GrowSF, San Francisco Democratic Party, State Senator Scott Wiener, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, Supervisor Alan Wong, Supervisor Danny Sauter, Supervisor Bilal Mahmood, Supervisor Matt Dorsey … read more here.
Virginia Cheung
- Job: Chief advancement officer of Open Door Legal
- Age: 43
- Party: Democratic
- Residency: Homeowner in Crocker Amazon, previously lived in the Mission District and the Portola since moving to San Francisco in 2008
- Children: Yes, they attend Alice Fong Yu Alternative School and Wah Mei School
- SFUSD experience: Treasurer for Parents for Public Schools of San Francisco and served on the Parent Advisory Board of Wah Mei BASE ExCel
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in social ecology with a minor in digital art, University of California, Irvine
- Languages: English, Cantonese, Mandarin and French
- Transportation: Driving
- Website: Virginia Cheung for School Board
I would reduce chronic absenteeism by treating attendance as a signal, not a disciplinary problem.
SFUSD should build systems to use real-time, disaggregated data to identify students early, then partner with families to address root causes, including health, housing, transportation, safety, language access, and belonging.
As a single parent and former early-childhood education leader, I understand both the daily barriers families face and how systems can intervene early.
My nonprofit leadership has focused on preventing homelessness and poverty by connecting families to resources and education. I would strengthen community schools, family engagement, mental-health supports, after-school programs, and trusted relationships so students are supported before absences become chronic.
Endorsed by: United Educators of San Francisco, San Francisco Building and Construction Trades Council, Assemblymember Matt Haney, Board of Education Commissioner Matt Alexander, Supervisor Connie Chan, Supervisor Jackie Fielder … read more here.
Alida Fisher
- Job: Executive Director at the Community Alliance for Special Education, incumbent Board of Education member
- Age: 51
- Party: Democratic
- Residency: Homeowner in Lakeview/OMI, lived in the Sunset until 2015
- Children: Yes, four adults, ages 18-25. Three have graduated from SFUSD, and the fourth is a senior at Mission High School this year.
- SFUSD experience: Current SFUSD Board of Education member. Has served as Chair of the Community Advisory Committee for Special Education, member or past member of SFUSD’s African American Parent Advisory Council, LCAP Task Force, Charter School Oversight Committee, and PIR/CEIS/CCEIS Committee, PTSAs and SSCs at nine school sites
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Case Western Reserve University
- Languages: English, with limited ability to speak and understand Spanish and French
- Transportation: Driving, public transit and walking
- Website: Reelect Alida Fisher
By investing in the people and supports that help students get to school and stay engaged. I continue to highlight that the cuts and projected savings embedded in our updated staffing model are, in many cases, exacerbating our structural deficit in unintended ways.
Chronic absenteeism has a greater impact on SFUSD’s budget deficit than declining enrollment, yet we have eliminated many of the very positions designed to address attendance and student engagement.
Early intervention matters. We must strengthen family engagement, and ensure schools have the counselors, wellness staff, and other supports needed to address the barriers keeping students from school.
Endorsements: SF Parents Action, Supervisor Myrna Melgar, Supervisor Shamann Walton, Supervisor Myrna Melgar, Supervisor Shamann Walton, former Supervisor Gordon Mar…read more here.
Ryan Hazelton
- Job: Executive director of Mariposa Kids, a nonprofit for play-based programs for kids ages 1-11
- Age: 43
- Party: Democratic
- Residency: Homeowner in the SoMa, living in San Francisco since 2007
- Children: None
- SFUSD experience: Chair of San Francisco Child Care Planning & Advisory Council, appointed by SFUSD
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of California, San Diego
- Languages: English
- Transportation: Public transit, walking and biking
- Website: Ryan Hazelton for SF School Board
Chronic absenteeism is a huge problem for our district because it means students aren’t learning, and we are losing critical attendance-based funding revenue for the district.
I run an after-school program serving SFUSD students, and I’ve seen firsthand how quality programming keeps kids coming to school, as it did at Buena Vista Horace Mann, which cut its chronic absenteeism rate by 8 points in a year.
I’d invest in expanding community schools and quality after-school programming district-wide. Secondly, I’d invest in attendance liaisons doing relationship-based outreach to support families with root causes like transportation, housing instability, and health access. Investing … read full response here.
Endorsed by: United Educators of San Francisco, Harvey Milk Democratic Club, League of Pissed Off Voters, Supervisor Connie Chan, Board of Education Commissioner Matt Alexander, former Supervisor Gordon Mar … read more here.
Phil Kim
- Job: Deputy Director at San Francisco Agency for Human Rights, incumbent Board of Education president
- Age: 36
- Party: Democratic
- Residency: Renter in the Castro
- Children: None
- SFUSD experience: School board president
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from Bucknell University; master’s in education policy and administration from Loyola Marymount University; Pursuing EdD at the University of California, Berkeley
- Languages: English and Korean
- Transportation: Public transit, Walking
- Website: Phil Kim for School Board
A 24 percent chronic absenteeism rate is unacceptable and requires clear accountability and a district-wide strategy. We need to use real-time data to intervene early, strengthen school-wide belonging and family engagement, and provide increasingly targeted supports based on students’ needs.
That means understanding and addressing root causes, from transportation and health to housing, safety, and disengagement.
We should also scale the programs that are already working, including AAALI’s Each & Every initiative, which uses student-level data, targeted supports, and family partnership to improve engagement and outcomes.
The board must regularly monitor attendance data, identify disparities, and hold ourselves accountable for measurable improvement.
Endorsed by: Mayor Daniel Lurie, State Senator Scott Wiener, Assemblymember Matt Haney, Assemblymember Catherine Stefani, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, GrowSF, San Francisco Democratic Party, SF Parents Action … read more here.
Laurance Lee
- Job: Volunteer at schools and licensed general contractor
- Age: 56
- Party: Democratic
- Residency: Homeowner in Noe Valley, born in the Richmond District
- Children: Yes, but did not attend SFUSD
- SFUSD experience: Current vice chair SFUSD Citizens Bond Oversight Committee (Appointed in 2022)
- Education: Bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and history & science from Harvard University
- Languages: English (learning Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish and French)
- Transportation: Driving, public transit and walking
- Website: Laurance Lee for School Board
Fund the staff to call families and help get kids to school.
Drew, where I volunteer weekly, cut chronic absenteeism by over 15 percentage points in one year. They celebrated families’ progress with ice-cream parties and put attendance signs at the entrance. Still, 24 percent is too high.
I’ve read school plans where principals counted on assistant principals and outreach staff who never arrived. I’ll push to fund those jobs where they’re needed most and check that they’re filled. When a school falls behind on attendance, I’ll push for help right away.
Endorsed by: State Senator Scott Wiener, Chinese American Citizens Alliance San Francisco Lodge, United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local 648 … read more here.
Reina Tello
- Job: Community organizer
- Age: 44
- Party: Democratic
- Residency: Renter, born and raised in San Francisco
- Children: Two children: 14, rising eighth grader at James Lick; 18, recently graduated from June Jordan School for Equity
- SFUSD experience: Served on School Site Council two years ago
- Education: Current City College of San Francisco student studying labor and community studies
- Languages: English and Spanish
- Transportation: Driving
- Website: Reina for School Board
We need to have support staff in place to find the why. We need to ensure the school has adequate resources and coordinated approach to support the students. Without an equitable distribution of resources, the students who need the most help will suffer the most.
My daughter struggled with absenteeism in our search to find an elementary school that met her needs. We enrolled and passed through two schools until we finally found a school that supported her emotionally so that academics could be accessed.
My daughter went underdiagnosed for 6 years. I saw how other students fell through the cracks…read full response here.
Endorsed by: United Educators of San Francisco, San Francisco Rising Action Fund, Teamsters Local 853, Board of Education Commissioner Matt Alexander, Supervisor Connie Chan, Supervisor Jackie Fielder, Supervisor Chyanne Chan, Supervisor Shamann Walton… 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 rosina@missionlocal.com.
You can register to vote via the sf.gov website.
