San Francisco School Races
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Board of Education
What does (X) do?
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Candidate Statements
Matt Alexander
- Board Vice President
- Representation: “I am the only person running who has dedicated their professional life to teaching and education.”
- Integrity: “I’m only committed to making our schools better for all students and families, and will not use the board as a stepping-stone for political office.”
- Experience: “I was the first candidate endorsed by our teachers union, and am honored by the support of educators across the city who want to keep an experienced and effective leader on the board who understands the ins and outs of the district.”
Virginia Cheung
- Nonprofit educator/mother
- Accessibility: “My transition to public school was difficult. Luckily, I had an amazing kindergarten teacher who set me on course to be the first person in my family to graduate college. I want the same encouragement for all San Francisco children — nobody should not have to rely on luck to get help.”
- Inclusivity: “We must prioritize early intervention, support teachers, fight for equity, restore fiscal accountability, and prepare students for lifelong success.”
- Early Intervention: “Every child deserves access to early intervention, excellent schools, and the opportunity to succeed.”
Parag Gupta
- Affordable housing director
- Housing: “As a leader at Mercy Housing, the largest U.S. affordable housing nonprofit, I fight to improve thousands of children’s lives to provide fresh starts.”
- Curricula: “I fought to improve all student outcomes including smaller classes, STEM curriculum, and additional tutoring for struggling students.”
- Budget: “SFUSD has major challenges: a $421 million budget deficit, school closures, and a state takeover.”
- www.paraggupta.org
Ann Hsu
- School principal
- Transparency: “I’ve pledged to tell the truth, be transparent, and not use this position as a stepping stone to higher office.”
- Collaboration: “I will collaborate with people from all walks of life and across the political spectrum.”
- Priorities: “My priorities: address SFUSD’s fiscal crisis to rebuild stability, retain and attract families to stop the financial hemorrhage, and retain and attract teachers to serve students’ needs.”
- www.annforsfboe.com
Maddy Krantz
- College student
- Accountability: “I saw firsthand how much inaction from the Board of Education hurts our schools and I want those days to end.”
- Transparency: “Especially in this time of budget crisis, we need to encourage teachers and administrators to speak honestly about the problems they face, and we all need to work together creatively to solve them.”
- Inclusivity: “I also want to be a voice for LGBT students, students with learning differences and other challenges, and really, all students.”
Supryia Marie Ray
- Attorney/parent organizer
- Curricula: “My priorities include: providing quality education, including Lowell academics, eighth grade Algebra, high-impact tutoring, and better literacy instruction.”
- Student Safety: “Ensuring schools are safe — from bullying, violence, campus disturbances, and environmental hazards.”
- Transparency: “Restoring trust in SFUSD through transparency, accountability, and program and budget decisions tied to better student outcomes.”
- www.rayforboe.com”
Min Chang
- Chief executive officer
- Budget: “I know how to grow revenue along with reducing costs.”
- Education: “I believe strongly in education as a mother and product of public schools myself.”
- Curricula: “The Board needs the experience I bring to grow our schools, not close them, and bring families back to public schools as well as to push for a stronger curriculum by bringing back core subjects: math, science, languages, and the arts.”
Lefteris Eleftheriou
- Engineer/school owner
- Career Readiness: “I am in a unique position where I understand how to acquire the skills to be successful in the workplace, and how to teach these skills to children.”
- Budget: “I understand how to balance large, complicated budgets, pay staff, hire and train employees, develop lesson plans and curriculums, and communicate effectively.”
- Accountability: “I enjoy what I do and take responsibility for my actions and the results they produce.”
Jaime Huling
- Deputy City Attorney
- School Closures: “As a civil rights attorney with expertise solving complex government problems and the mom of a toddler and SFUSD second grader, I can’t sit on the sidelines as we face school closures and a state takeover.”
- Education: “As the first woman in my mom’s family to graduate college, I understand education’s transformative power.”
- Advocacy: “I’ve spent my career fighting for San Franciscans, and winning against long odds. From litigating for marriage equality, to suing the opioid industry, to taking the Trump administration to court to stop discrimination in health care. I’m ready to fight for our kids!”
- www.jaime4schoolboard.com
John Jersin
- Education nonprofit director
- Experience: “After studying computer science at Stanford, I started a company in a storage closet writing algorithms to match people to jobs. LinkedIn bought the company and asked me to lead their core business.”
- Budget: “I was suddenly a math kid leading an organization of thousands, with a multibillion-dollar budget.”
- Education: “I want to use my experience to help kids in our schools.”
Laurance Lem Lee
- Small business owner
- Curricula: “I worked to get the algebra ballot measure to pass.”
- Student Safety: “I’m the ONLY candidate who supported the students’ rally for safer schools.”
- Bond Oversight: “Restored oversight of $744 million in bond funds.”
- www.leeforsfschoolboard.com
Community College Board
What does (X) do?
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Candidate Statements
Aliya Chisti
- Community College Board
- Transparency: “As your City College trustee for the past four years, I fought for transparency in governing processes, stronger fiscal accountability, facilities/technology improvements, and student-centered policies.”
- Budget: “Oversaw stronger financial practices to stabilize City College’s budget, ensuring oversight of taxpayer dollars.”
- Career Readiness: “Spearheaded efforts to increase job training opportunities as committee chair of Student Success and Policy.”
- www.aliyachisti.com
Ben Kaplan
- College author/economist
- Problem Solving: “I’m running for the Board of Trustees because City College holds the key to solving San Francisco’s toughest challenges — but we need a plan of action now.”
- Career Readiness: “City College was originally founded to provide a pipeline of skilled workers. But currently, the college doesn’t produce nearly enough future police officers, drug counselors, or mental health professionals.”
- Enrollment: “We need to … reignite declining enrollment by tailoring outreach to each type of City College student.”
- www.votebenkaplan.com
Heather McCarty
- Community college professor
- Education: “As a former community college student who progressed from public K–12 to a Ph.D., I’ve experienced firsthand how accessible, high-quality education transforms lives.”
- Accreditation: “City College is the best avenue for economic and social uplift in the city, but it faces critical challenges: low enrollment, financial difficulties, and an accreditation warning due to actions by the current Board.”
- Transparency: “If elected, I’ll bring accountability, transparency, and stability to CCSF.”
- www.heatherforccsf.com
Alan Wong
- Community College Board
- Budget: “If reelected to the City College Board, my priorities are: maintaining a balanced budget, rainy-day reserve fund, and strong financial controls.”
- Career Readiness: “Expanding job training opportunities for San Franciscans.”
- Accessibility: “Closing the opportunity and achievement gap for African American and Latino students.”
- www.alanwong.com
Ruth Ferguson
- Policy analyst/organizer
- Collaboration: “As a policy advocate, community organizer and community college graduate, I will build collaboration to reform the board and support a thriving City College.”
- Enrollment: “As trustee, I will bridge divides between the administration, Board, teachers and students to increase enrollment, stabilize the school’s finances and prioritize student success.”
- Education: “I know the difference that community colleges make because my family relied on them to break the cycle of poverty.”
- www.ruthferguson.com
Leanna C. Louie
- Parent/business owner
- Accreditation: “CCSF is in danger of losing its accreditation, operating in financial debt, and suffering from low enrollment levels. I want to help change that.”
- Budget: “I am committed to putting students, faculty, staff as top priorities, along with balancing the budget, increasing enrollment levels, and attaining full accreditation for City College.”
- Accountability: “A vote for me is a vote for accountability, sensibility, and balance.”
Julio J. Ramos
- Consumer rights lawyer
- Equality: “Throughout my professional career as a lawyer, I have fought on behalf of the most vulnerable groups in our society.”
- Student Rights: “My service on the College Board enabled me to be an advocate for students and teachers.”
- Tuition: “Keeping City College Free will be my primary policy objective if entrusted with a seat on the College Board.”
Luis Zamora
- Community relations director
Education: “I have personally benefited from schools like City College, and I know what it takes to help students succeed.”
Accountability: “City College of San Francisco hasn’t been accountable to our community, and we’ve seen declining enrollment, painful curriculum cuts, and a financial crisis that puts our accreditation at risk.”
Activism: “I’m an LGBTQ+ activist, renter, union member, and community volunteer with a proven track record of getting things done.”
https://luiszamoraforsf.com/
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