Due to San Francisco school board president Lainie Motamedi resigning because of personal and health issues, San Francisco Mayor London Breed is appointing gay education official Phil Kim to serve out the remainder of Motamedi's term through 2026. She is to swear Kim into office at a ceremony Friday afternoon at City Hall, allowing Kim to take part in his first school board meeting Tuesday.
In taking on the new role, Kim is resigning as of August 23 as executive director for school strategy and coherence in the superintendent's office for the San Francisco Unified School District. He had begun in the role in January, after leaving his position as national senior director of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) for the public charter schools network the KIPP Foundation.
"I am excited to roll up my sleeves and ensure we continue to build a really thriving school system. Our kids deserve it," Kim, 34, told the Bay Area Reporter during a phone interview Thursday.
Kim, who lives in the city's Castro district, will ensure LGBTQ representation on the oversight body due to the pending departure of queer school board member Mark Sanchez. He opted not to seek reelection this November to his seat on the board.
No LGBTQ person had filed to seek one of the four school board seats that are up this year. Until Friday, Sanchez had been the lone LGBTQ person serving on the board.
"I would say, first and foremost, as both a gay identifying male, and having the relationships and community I have had been fortunate in building, it is not lost on me our schools are incredibly powerful and safe places for our youth, particularly our LGBTQ youth," said Kim, who became estranged from his South Korean immigrant family due to his coming out of the closet. "You see this conversation at the national level and you see the impacts at the local level. I am really proud of the work SFUSD has done to build those safe spaces and inclusive spaces for our queer youth."
After being delayed for years due to fiscal constraints, the district is working to launch an LGBTQ parent advisory committee this academic year and is actively seeking applicants for it. Kim said LGBTQ youth and families should remain confident the school district will take their needs into consideration.
"I don't anticipate that changing moving forward. I hope to ensure that stays a priority for the district," said Kim, a former board co-chair with the San Francisco LGBTQ youth nonprofit LYRIC.
Fiscal challenges
Kim joins the school board as it faces mounting financial challenges and has started a process looking at closing school sites as a cost-saving measure, which he had been working on the past eight months in his position with the district. In June, the state Department of Education downgraded the district's certification level to "negative," raising the prospect of a potential state takeover if it doesn't address a looming $421 million deficit projected for next fiscal year.
"The district has numerous challenges ahead of it, and we need a strong, experienced voice who understands the issues the district is facing and is ready to go on day one," stated Breed. "Phil Kim has extensive experience in education, and importantly he has been working in the district on the very issues that we know are most challenging. I'm confident he is ready to work with his colleagues, the administration, our educators, and the families of our public schools to make San Francisco Unified School District stronger."
Asked about the possibility of seeing the district shutter the Castro's Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy, a K-5 elementary school that is the only one named after an LGBTQ icon, Kim told the B.A.R. he couldn't say what the future holds for any of the district's school sites.
"I don't know where this is going to go," Kim acknowledged. "I recognize as a commissioner that a significant responsibility for ours is to ensure we build a sustainable portfolio for our district that reflects the values of our community. There are some tough decisions ahead, and I am prepared to have those conversations and be in community and partner with my colleagues on doing what is right for our district."
His appointment to the school board is a stunning turn of events for Kim, who twice lost bids for a school board seat in 2016 and 2018. He had also entered the school board race in 2022 but ended up suspending his campaign that year.
At the time, he had ruled out mounting another political campaign in the future and turned his attention to finding a different way to impact change within the city's beleaguered school district. It was what led him to apply for the job with the district last year, Kim told the B.A.R.
Then, last Friday, August 16, Kim fielded a call from the mayor to learn about her decision to appoint him to the school board vacancy. It was another monumental life change this summer for Kim, who became engaged to his fiancé, Andrew Tremblay, last month on his birthday.
"I would say, first and foremost, I was a little shocked," said Kim, who over three years ago began dating Tremblay, an orchestra personnel manager with the San Francisco Symphony. "I am very, deeply grateful for this opportunity. The district is in a really unique and challenging spot right now. I am really grateful to be able to continue the work and move it forward, just in a different capacity."
Kim told the B.A.R. he intends to seek a full, four-year term on the school board in 2026. He will first need to run in a special election to serve out the remainder of Motamedi's term, which would be on the June primary ballot in 2026 unless a special election is called before it.
As for what he will do for work, being barred from working for the city's school district as a board member, he was unsure.
"I jumped at the opportunity to join SFUSD and do right by our kids as a member of the SFUSD community. I really was not anticipating running for office again," said Kim, who hasn't endorsed any of the school board candidates in this year's race and doesn't expect to do so. "I look forward to whatever opportunity I take on next. Hopefully, it will be just as impactful as the one I had now."
Coincidentally, Breed had appointed Motamedi in March 2022 to fill one of the vacant school board seats following the successful recall of three members that year. This past January Motamedi was elected board president.
"It's been an honor to serve on behalf of our students and families to make much needed, and sometimes difficult decisions to improve our school district," stated Motamedi. "While there is much work ahead, I can confidently say I am leaving the district much better off than when I joined it. Every decision I have made has been for the benefit of our kids and their futures."
She also praised Breed's decision in naming Kim as her successor.
"I deeply appreciate our mayor's continued and unwavering support and commitment to families and public education, and I wholeheartedly support her choice in appointing Phil Kim for the remainder of this term. He has the experience, commitment, and energy to deliver for our kids," stated Motamedi.
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