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.
At recent San Francisco Unified School District meetings, Tech in Check, a coalition of parents part of the national organization Schools Beyond Screens, has called for an updated limited screens policy.
What they’re asking for: a policy similar to Los Angeles Unified School District’s. The policy, approved by its board in June, bans screen time in classrooms before second grade and incrementally increases allotted screen time as students grow older. By the time they’re in high school, students are allowed 90 minutes per subject of in-class screen time per week.
LAUSD also recently restricted most use of artificial intelligence. New York City banned access through eighth grade. Currently, SFUSD allows technology and AI usage to be up to administrators and teachers, and uses Amira, an AI tutor for students ages K-5. The district also does not enforce any cell phone ban.
Tech in Check says that it has collected over 900 signatures calling for SFUSD to implement a temporary moratorium on the use of AI and large language models until more is known about their impact on learning.
SFUSD’s Board of Education is scheduled to vote on its tech usage policy on March 9, 2027.
Mission Local asked candidates this week: Do you support a technology policy like LAUSD’s?
Mission Local color codes the answers to yes/no questions. A green background means the candidate answered yes, a red background means no, and a yellow background means that the candidate answered ambiguously.
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
Yes. I support LAUSD’s limits: no routine screen time through first grade and no more than 30 minutes a day through fifth grade, with exceptions for assistive technology and accommodations. This is about how children learn.
I volunteer weekly in a Bayview kindergarten and see how quickly a screen becomes a game. The educator I work with says it plainly: no AI for elementary students. It is unproven and cannot replace working with a person.
SFUSD should use this winter to hear from students, families and educators, as LAUSD did, and adopt clear rules this spring.
Parents and educators speaking…read more here.
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
Yes, I support SFUSD having a similar policy to LAUSD’s, written in consultation with San Francisco parents, and educators to reflect our needs. I was speaking with Tech in Check about this subject last week. I’d like to work with the community, educators, students and parents to create a policy that is right sized for SFUSD. I am not against technology, but I believe the research that shows technology has been integrated so fast there was not time to analyze the true impact on our young people and children. There should be a good foundation established before access to any… read more 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.
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
Yes, I support the core principles of LAUSD’s technology policy: technology should enhance–not replace–teacher-led instruction; screen use should be purposeful, age-appropriate, and focused on meaningful learning; and younger students should have stronger guardrails around device use. I also support balancing digital learning with traditional materials and hands-on instruction, providing appropriate accommodations, and giving families meaningful choices. At the same time, I would not simply copy LAUSD’s policy. SFUSD should engage students, educators, and families early in developing its approach, then use data, research, and ongoing evaluation to ensure technology policies improve student outcomes while preserving high-impact instructional tools.
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
Yes. SFUSD needs a districtwide technology plan and a bell-to-bell policy for students’ personal devices. Right now, too many decisions about screen time, student access, monitoring, and safeguards are left to individual schools. That means best practices are not reaching every student consistently. District technology should be used intentionally because it improves learning, with clear expectations for non-instructional access and protections when devices go home. Teachers should have flexibility when technology strengthens instruction or accessibility, but the district should set the guardrails. Students should not get a different digital experience simply because they attend a different SFUSD school.
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 support a screen-time policy modeled on LAUSD’s, with age-appropriate limits and a ban for students in first grade and younger. Young learners need play, connection, and hands-on instruction, not screen time.
Any policy must be paired with clear guidance for teachers and real flexibility for students with IEPs or 504 plans who rely on assistive technology, along with legitimate instructional and research use for older students.
Implementation matters as much as the policy itself: we need teacher input, family communication, and consistent enforcement across school sites. Done right, this protects instructional time and supports healthy development for every student…read more here.
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
I do! I particularly appreciate LAUSD’s policy focus on balance. Technology can and should be a tool that enhances teaching and learning, not a substitute for great educators, meaningful relationships, or sound judgment. Every decision about technology in our schools should be guided by two questions: Who benefits? Does it improve student outcomes?
The Board is launching an Ad Hoc Committee on Tech Usage this year to develop updated tech policies for our district. We must adopt clear standards for transparency, accountability, privacy protections, and ongoing monitoring. I support an AI moratorium until we have comprehensive policies in place.
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
Yes, I support SFUSD moving to a uniform, bell-to-bell policy like LAUSD’s, rather than the patchwork of school-by-school rules we have now. My organization, Mariposa Kids, runs entirely screen-free because we follow the research that shows the harmful impacts of screen overuse. LAUSD’s early results are promising. Teachers report that students are less distracted and more engaged in class. A uniform, districtwide standard would give every SFUSD student that same benefit, not just the ones lucky enough to attend a school that’s already gone further than the district requires.
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
Every decision we make about technology in our schools should be guided by one question: Does it improve student outcomes? I am excited to be introducing an ad-hoc committee to develop a district-wide policy that encompasses AI, devices, and screen time TK–12.
I support establishing clear, age-appropriate expectations for personal devices during the school day so students can focus, build relationships, and engage fully in learning. High-quality digital curricula, adaptive learning tools, online assessments, and assistive technologies can expand access and better meet students’ individual needs. But they should be used intentionally when there is evidence that they improve learning.
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.
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.
