The San Francisco Unified School District is in trouble. From a massive deficit to looming school closures, the seven elected commissioners have their work cut out for them. In November, city voters will elect four commissioners to the Board of Education and it's telling that Matt Alexander is the only incumbent seeking reelection. Queer Commissioner Mark Sanchez and his colleagues, Kevine Boggess and Jenny Lam, have opted not to seek reelection.
That means voters will have an opportunity to remake the board. (Gay Commissioner Phil Kim, whom Mayor London Breed appointed in August to replace former president Lainie Motamedi, is not up for election this November but will face voters in the local election thereafter.) Of the candidates who returned our endorsement questionnaire, we recommend the four below.
Matt Alexander
A former longtime teacher and principal in the district, Alexander, a straight ally who has two adult sons, now works as a bilingual community organizer. Currently board president, returning Alexander to the body would ensure some continuity as members grapple with the fiscal and school closure issues, among other matters. He noted that the district's track record when it comes to shuttering schools has been "deeply flawed, with a disproportionate impact on the Black community and low-income residents."
"Because of this, I've been skeptical about school closures — but it's also true that in 1996, the year I started teaching in SFUSD, we had 64,000 students, and this year we have 49,000," he wrote. "Fewer students means less state funding, so we have to decide if we want to keep spreading our resources thinly across over 100 campuses, or if it makes more sense to have fewer schools which are each better resourced. We should only move forward with mergers or closures if we can get the process right and avoid the negative impacts of past closures."
He stated he would follow the lead of students, families, and educators in the process. District Superintendent Matt Wayne recently stated that the district would name schools recommended for closure in October. (He was to release the list this week.)
On support for LGBTQ students, Alexander stated that on a policy level, the district is very supportive of trans students. "We need to keep advocating to ensure that those policies are carried out in practice, every single day, in every SFUSD school," he stated.
In terms of the district's budget, Alexander pegged the problem largely to a structural deficit, meaning its long-term projected expenses exceed revenue. Since 2021, the district has had fiscal experts assigned by the California Department of Education, he noted. The state agency has moved the district to a "negative" certification, indicating that progress must accelerate, he stated. The state does not see SFUSD as being close to receivership, which is a good thing. Still, there are problems with the district's ability to track budgeted, filled, and unfilled positions, and the district still does not have a functional integrated payroll system. The board must address those challenges.
Alexander has a solid sense of the issues facing the district and has institutional knowledge. He has our endorsement for reelection.
Jaime Huling
Huling is running on a slate with fellow candidates John Jersin and Parag Gupta. A bi married mom of two children, one a second grader in the district, Huling would bring a welcome additional LGBTQ voice to the board. She's a former staff attorney for the National Center for Lesbian Rights and previously served on the San Francisco Human Rights Commission's LGBTQ Advisory Committee. In January, she left the city attorney's office to take a job as a supervising deputy city attorney with Oakland's city attorney.
Huling stated in her questionnaire that school closures will be difficult. "I'll push to ensure that resource alignment results in fully-staffed, fully-funded schools in historically underserved neighborhoods, especially those in the southeast," she stated. "As schools do close, I would work to ensure that teachers and staff at affected schools are supported in finding new roles within the district. We've got too many vacancies at our schools now, and filling those with experienced United Educators of San Francisco educators ensures that all of our students receive the enrichment opportunities and supportive resources that our kids deserve." She agrees with the criteria set by the district that any closures are based on equity, excellence, and effective use of resources.
One idea she has regarding LGBTQ students is that the district may consider offering resources for trans and queer students as they prepare for college to ensure their rights are protected, especially if they are considering campuses out of state. "Helping all students pick post-graduation options that will set them up for success is a key part of college and career readiness," she added.
Huling welcomed the addition of Kim to the school board in her endorsement questionnaire last month. "Although my family appears outwardly straight, I have come to personally identify as bi," she stated. "I've spent my entire life in queer and queer-adjacent spaces as an LGBTQ-rights activist, and hope to be a resource and listening ear for LGBTQ students, faculty, and parents. Having worked at NCLR and Lambda Legal, I have connections to many experts in the field who I can reach out to as issues facing the community continue to evolve."
Huling would bring a wealth of knowledge to the school board and she has our endorsement.
John Jersin
Jersin, a straight ally who has two kids with his wife, works at LinkedIn and stated in his endorsement questionnaire that one of his signature projects removed bias from the recruiting search process at thousands of employers. "The 'LinkedIn Recruiter Representative Results' project, as covered by MIT Tech Review and elsewhere, was a project I led to prevent discrimination based on gender identity," he stated. "To this day, it's the only effort of its kind on any hiring platform, and I have been vocal about the need to remove bias from other platforms."
Jersin eventually became a parent and that's what got him interested in seeking a school board seat, he stated. "Now, as I see my kids about to spend the next 10+ years in SFUSD, I see the challenges our district faces — the financial crisis, the staffing crisis — and I see how my skills and experience are a direct fit. I would be the only member of the board with significant financial experience," he wrote.
On the district's staffing shortages, Jersin was direct. "We talk far too little about the staffing crisis," he stated. "By some estimates, on the first day of class this year 20% of classrooms didn't have a teacher. Roughly 25% of the teachers we do have aren't qualified to teach, and we've taken away credential pathways." He added that pay must improve and that due to his experience at LinkedIn, he knows about effective recruitment methods.
Jersin, the brother-in-law of a teacher in the district, noted he's been appointed to a panel tasked with overseeing the district's facilities spending — another experience that sets him up to be an effective board member. "I found millions in potential savings after my very first meeting," he stated. "After investing $5,000,000 in a central kitchen, SFUSD wasn't using it to its full capacity. We could have and should have been producing more nutritious, better tasting meals for students, and saved loads of money."
As a parent, Jersin stated the school closure process so far "has been unclear, and anxiety inducing."
"While the district must consider school closures in light of decreasing enrollment, we have failed to optimize our budget before making such drastic cuts, and closures will not solve the problem on their own," he added.
Jersin has a lot of good ideas and his fiscal background should be a benefit. We endorse him for the school board.
Parag Gupta
Gupta, a straight ally whose daughter attends a district school, was elected to the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee this year. Now he wants to help the beleaguered school district. He's an executive at Mercy Housing, the largest affordable housing organization in the country, with $4.4 billion in assets. (Mercy partners with Openhouse on its affordable housing for seniors, including LGBTQs.)
On school closures, Gupta stated he attended two resource alignment town halls, as the sessions are being called.
"The announcement on which schools will be closed will occur in a few weeks," he stated. "I appreciate the three criteria that have been identified: 50% equity, 25% excellence, and 25% effective use. ... I recognize that potential school closures will result in meaningful disruptions to impacted students, teachers, and families and that is why thorough stakeholder engagement must continue."
Gupta is committed to dramatically reducing bullying as one way the district can help LGBTQ students: "I remember being bullied because of the brown color of my skin and being called racial epithets. It hurt and made me feel like I did not belong. ... If elected to the San Francisco school board, I will monitor and ensure enforcement of a zero tolerance policy concerning LGBTQ discrimination with a strong set of procedures to deal with bullying."
Gupta brings a solid background in fiscal management that should be welcomed by the district. We endorse him for a seat on the school board.
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