Welcome back to our “Meet the Candidates” series, where District 10 supervisor candidates respond to questions each week in 100 words or fewer. Answers will be published every Thursday.
District 10 includes neighborhoods in the city’s largest southeast sector, including Bayview-Hunters Point, Potrero Hill, Visitacion Valley, Dogpatch, and Sunnydale.
Each candidate is first ordered alphabetically, then rotated each week.
On Oct. 14, San Francisco’s Board of Education voted to do away with the school district’s lottery system in favor of neighborhood-based assignments to schools.
San Francisco’s school lottery was a unique system that, unlike many other school districts across the country, allowed parents to choose schools outside of their neighborhood through a ranked-choice lottery. The lottery system was designed to give some students preference based on their location and other factors, aiming to eliminate racial segregation in San Francisco schools.
But it was far from a perfect system. Reports emerged that largely well-to-do parents worked hard to hack the system, sometimes lying about their addresses to gain admission to competitive schools. Many children were never placed into the school of their parents’ choosing, sometimes having to travel miles away to get to their school.
In San Francisco’s District 10, the debate is complicated.
Many schools in San Francisco’s southeast, including Willie Brown Middle School, have historically been underfunded and segregated. Since the lottery system was implemented, the school has improved significantly and become in-demand across the city, along with others in District 10. Some worry that if the system switches back, inequities could resurface.
But Vice President Jaime Huling, who voted for the change back to neighborhood-based school placement, said that move could allow for the district’s to instead focus on improving schools across the city, rather than creating more “adversity” through its current system — leading, hopefully, to more equitable resources.
This week, for Mission Local’s last Meet the Candidates question, we asked each of the District 10 candidates whether they support the school board’s choice. This is how they answered.
J.R. Eppler
- Job: Small-business attorney
- Age: 46
- Residency: Homeowner, lived in San Francisco since 2007 and Potrero Hill since 2010
- Transportation: Driving, public transit, walking, biking
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, law degree from University of California, Los Angeles, MBA from University of California, Los Angeles
- Languages: English
Yes.
Every neighborhood deserves a fully resourced school. Choice means little if reaching that school requires a car or transit that has underserved southeastern families for decades.
Underenrollment leaves District 10 schools struggling to sustain essential staff. Neighborhood assignment can stabilize enrollment, but equitable investment is necessary to earn families’ trust. Resources must meet students’ needs and maintain access to language and specialized programs. As supervisor, I will protect the Student Success Fund and Public Education Enrichment Fund and advocate for the teachers, librarians, counselors, and academic support our children deserve.
A child’s address should never limit their opportunity.
Endorsed by: Harvey Milk Democratic Club, SF League of Pissed Off Voters, United Educators of San Francisco, California Working Families Party, read more here.
Dion-Jay “DJ” Brookter
- Job: No current job, formerly chief executive officer at Young Community Developers
- Age: 43
- Residency: Homeowner in Candlestick Point/Little Hollywood area since 2021, moved to San Francisco in 2014
- Transportation: Driving, public transit, walking
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in speech communication, Utah State University, master’s degree in business administration, University of Phoenix
- Languages: English, some Spanish
Under current conditions, I oppose neighborhood-based school assignments. Implementing them before every school has equitable resources risks deepening racial and economic segregation and widening educational gaps.
In San Francisco’s Southeast, where schools have historically faced resource inequities, this could further disadvantage students. Every child deserves access to a quality education, regardless of their ZIP code or family income. We must first ensure all schools have the resources, programs, and support students need to thrive while preserving families’ ability to choose the school that best meets their child’s needs.
Endorsed by: Supervisor Shamann Walton, Former Mayor Willie Brown, Supervisor Connie Chan, Supervisor Myrna Melgar, Former Mayor Art Agnos, Former Supervisor Sophie Maxwell, Former Supervisor Aaron Peskin, Former Supervisor Dean Preston, Former Supervisor John Avalos, read more here.
Theo Ellington
- Job: Executive director, Ruth Williams Bayview Opera House. Policy director, Brownstein, public affairs director for the Golden State Warriors and the first director of homelessness initiatives and community development for The Salvation Army San Francisco.
- Age: 37
- Residency: Renter and former homeowner, lifelong San Franciscan and third-generation resident, born and raised in Bayview near Third and Palou streets, has lived in the Hunters Point Shipyard in District 10 since 2016
- Transportation: Driving, public transit, walking
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in political science, Notre Dame de Namur University; master’s degree in urban affairs from the University of San Francisco.
- Languages: English
SFUSD recently voted to eliminate the lottery system and move towards neighborhood schools.
I’m an SFUSD parent and a product of SF public schools. In my first 100 days, I will push to reinstate the City and School District Select Committee to bring City Hall and SFUSD together.
With this new system in place, we must target resources to historically underserved neighborhoods, align family and youth services, plan new schools around housing and transit, and track outcomes with transparent reporting. My fear as a parent is that neighborhood schools will deepen inequities if the proper resources are not allocated to fully support students, families, and educators.
Endorsed by: Mayor Daniel Lurie, State Controller Malia Cohen, San Francisco Democratic Party, Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, State Treasurer Fiona Ma, Congressman Kevin Mullin, Former Mayor London Breed, State Senator Scott Wiener, Congresswoman Lateefah Simon, Former Mayor Willie Brown, Supervisor Matt Dorsey, read more here.
Answers may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, grammar, and to meet the word limit requirement. Do you have questions you’d like to ask the candidates? Email marina@missionlocal.com.
You can register to vote here.