{"id":34785,"date":"2024-07-11T12:30:14","date_gmt":"2024-07-11T19:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=34785"},"modified":"2024-07-11T12:30:15","modified_gmt":"2024-07-11T19:30:15","slug":"sf-school-board-candidates-name-their-no-1-issue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2024\/07\/11\/sf-school-board-candidates-name-their-no-1-issue\/","title":{"rendered":"SF school board candidates name their No. 1 issue"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c2aa542c6d33577a7b70b322056a13c1?s=160&amp;d=mm&amp;r=g 2x\" height=\"80\" width=\"80\" src=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c2aa542c6d33577a7b70b322056a13c1?s=80&amp;d=mm&amp;r=g\" alt=\"\"> by\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/missionlocal.org\/author\/annel\/\">ANNE LI<\/a><\/strong> JULY 10, 2024 (MissionLocal.org)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/School-Board-Banner.png?fit=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"An illustrated school board roster with drawings of twelve members, each labeled with their name. The title &quot;School Board&quot; is prominently displayed at the top.\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/mission-local-logo-300x300.jpg?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Mission Local logo, with blue and orange lines on the shape of the Mission District\" class=\"wp-image-639216\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Sign up below to get Mission Local\u2019s&nbsp;<strong>free newsletter<\/strong>, a daily digest of news you won\u2019t find elsewhere.Sign up<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Eleven candidates are vying for four seats on the city\u2019s seven-person school&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfusd.edu\/about-sfusd\/board-education\">board<\/a>, which governs the San Francisco Unified School District\u2019s (SFUSD) policies, budget, personnel and more. (We are not including Wendy Ha Chau, who&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/missionlocal.org\/2024\/06\/dual-filing-candidate-chau-debuts-at-district-3-supervisor-debate\/\">stated<\/a>&nbsp;her intent to withdraw from this race at the District 3 supervisor debate.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The election will take place on Nov. 5. Non-citizen parents of children living in the city are permitted to vote in school board elections and can find information on doing so&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sf.gov\/non-citizen-voting-rights-local-board-education-elections\">here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>The board drew national attention during the pandemic when voters, many believing the board was focusing on the wrong issues amid slow school reopenings, recalled three members in a landslide. The SFUSD now faces a budget crisis and potential school closures. We asked the candidates:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/mission-local-logo-300x300.jpg?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Mission Local logo, with blue and orange lines on the shape of the Mission District\" class=\"wp-image-639216\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Stay informed on local elections \u2014 sign up for&nbsp;<strong>Mission Local&#8217;s free daily newsletter<\/strong>&nbsp;today!Sign up<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What is your number one issue this election, and what do you plan to do about it?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some candidates highlighted promoting academic excellence, addressing chronic absenteeism and increasing teacher pay as priorities. But the district\u2019s budget deficit and management issues were unifying themes for many of the candidates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Matt-Alexander-640x640.png?resize=640%2C640&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Illustration of a person with short, gray hair, wearing a blue collared shirt, depicted inside a purple circle.\" class=\"wp-image-638906\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-matt-alexander\">Matt Alexander<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Job<\/strong>: Community organizer at Faith in Action Bay Area, incumbent board member<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Age<\/strong>: 54<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Residency<\/strong>: Outer Sunset<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Educational background<\/strong>: M.A. in education<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>SFUSD experience<\/strong>: Teacher and principal; current school board vice president<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Languages<\/strong>: English, Spanish<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The number one issue in any public school system must be&nbsp;<strong>promoting academic excellence for all kids<\/strong>. I\u2019ve already done this in multiple ways, such as working with the Board of Supervisors<a href=\"https:\/\/sfstandard.com\/2022\/07\/14\/promising-math-strategy-to-expand-in-san-francisco-schools-theres-really-real-potential\/\">&nbsp;to secure $8 million in City funding to expand a highly effective math program<\/a>. To achieve the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfusd.edu\/about-sfusd\/our-mission-and-vision\/vision-values-goals-and-guardrails\">&nbsp;ambitious academic goals<\/a>&nbsp;we established in 2022, SFUSD also must stabilize our finances, fully staff our schools, and be more responsive to the needs of families. Our teachers\u2019 union has created a<a href=\"https:\/\/uesf.org\/news\/san-francisco-public-education-pledge\/\">&nbsp;public education pledge<\/a>&nbsp;which I support, laying out a road map to confront these and other critical challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.littlemissionstudio.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.broadstreetads.com\/assets\/c5b173b6-ea7a-474e-ad52-735f71db3002.png\" alt=\"SR. Little Mission Studio \"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Endorsed by<\/em><\/strong><em>: UESF<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Min-Chang-640x640.png?resize=640%2C640&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Illustration of a person with wavy black hair, wearing a light pink blouse with a bow, inside a circular blue background.\" class=\"wp-image-638903\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-min-chang\">Min Chang<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Job<\/strong>: CEO at healthcare organization Homebridge<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Age<\/strong>: 58<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Residency<\/strong>: San Francisco<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Educational background<\/strong>: Ph.D. in international affairs and Master of International Public Policy from JHU; M.S. in management from MIT Sloan; B.S. and B.A. from UPenn<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>SFUSD experience<\/strong>: Doing outreach in SFUSD and attending school board meetings.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Languages<\/strong>: English, Chinese, French<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Bring solutions that address the near-term fiscal crisis and longer-term growth.<\/strong>&nbsp;Closing schools is not the only answer; it may make things worse and drive more families away from public schools. It may also make the existing schools more crowded and class sizes even larger. If we must consolidate schools, let us do it responsibly with input from educators\/families so we have the benefit of their perspectives and needs. We need to address the fiscal crisis this fiscal year and will need to make hard decisions in the near term so that SFUSD survives; costs will need to be addressed \u2026&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Min-Chang-Question-1.pdf\"><em>read more here<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Endorsed by<\/em><\/strong><em>:&nbsp;San Francisco Republican Club, San Francisco Young Republicans, Siegel+Gale President Jason Cieslak \u2026&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/voteformin.com\/endorsements\/\"><em>read more here<\/em><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eventbrite.com\/e\/what-you-dont-know-about-local-government-can-hurt-you-registration-928078055447\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.broadstreetads.com\/assets\/fa012815-4780-4fe0-8293-d1178118d033.png\" alt=\"July Spivack event \"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Virginia-Cheung-640x640.png?resize=640%2C640&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Illustration of a woman with medium-length black hair, wearing a red blazer and a white top, set against a light green circular background.\" class=\"wp-image-638904\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-virginia-cheung\"><strong>Virginia Cheung<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Job<\/strong>: SFUSD parent, co-founder and vice president of Give a Beat Foundation (volunteer work) and previously director of advancement at Wu Yee Children\u2019s Services<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Age<\/strong>: 41<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Residency<\/strong>: District 11<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Educational background<\/strong>: B.A. in social ecology (first in family to graduate college).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>SFUSD experience<\/strong>: Parent of Alice Fong Yu student; Wah Mei BASE! ExCEL program Parent Advisory Board<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Languages<\/strong>: Basic Cantonese and Mandarin, conversational French<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>As a candidate for the school board, I&nbsp;<strong>am troubled by the high rate of chronic absenteeism<\/strong>&nbsp;affecting nearly a third of (~15,000) SFUSD students, particularly in communities of color. Research indicates that substantial absences from instructional days result in reduced learning and fewer opportunities, affecting long-term outcomes. If elected, I&nbsp;<strong>will focus on implementing a strong plan to address this pressing issue.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My approach includes forming dedicated school-based attendance teams to identify early signs of absenteeism and provide targeted interventions. These teams will collaborate closely with families and community partners to create a supportive and inclusive school environment \u2026&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Virginia-Cheung-Question-1.pdf\"><em>read more here<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Endorsed by<\/em><\/strong><em>: Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, School Board Commissioner Jenny Lam, School Board Commissioner Mark Sanchez \u2026&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.virginiacheung.com\/endorse\"><em>read more here<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Lefteris-Eleftheriou-640x640.png?resize=640%2C640&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Cartoon drawing of a person with gray hair, light skin, and a blue jacket, set against an orange circular background.\" class=\"wp-image-638899\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-lefteris-eleftheriou\"><strong>Lefteris Eleftheriou<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Job<\/strong>: Unemployed, previously electronics sales and marketing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Age<\/strong>: 56<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Residency<\/strong>: District 7<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Educational background<\/strong>: B.Sc. in engineering, M.A. in education<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>SFUSD experience<\/strong>: No direct experience, but previously ran an art school in Belmont.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Languages<\/strong>: English, Japanese, Greek<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>My number one issue is corruption surrounding the budget &amp; spending.<\/strong>&nbsp;I plan to resolve it by hiring finance and accounting experts and auditing tax filings, bank statements, payroll records, invoices, bills, receipts, etc., and investigating any special interest groups, such as unions, non-profits, government agencies, or private companies that may negatively influence spending. I will make this information public and hold accountable any corrupt organizations or individuals who are using funds illegally or unethically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Parag-Gupta-640x640.png?resize=640%2C640&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Cartoon illustration of a smiling bald person wearing a white shirt, inside a pink circular background.\" class=\"wp-image-638908\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-parag-gupta\"><strong>Parag Gupta<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Job<\/strong>: Chief program officer at Mercy Housing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Age<\/strong>: 46<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Residency<\/strong>: San Francisco<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Educational background<\/strong>: B.A. with honors from UChicago; Master in Public Policy from Harvard<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>SFUSD experience<\/strong>: Parent of recent CIS De Avila grad; School Site Council chair; 8th grade algebra focus group; drafting SFUSD policy priorities for SF Democrats as SF DCCC member; developing financial strategy for Stupski Foundation&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/stupski.org\/our-programs\/postsecondary-success\/\">programs<\/a>&nbsp;to help students, including SFUSD students, complete postsecondary education<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Languages<\/strong>: Basic Spanish, basic French, conversational Hindi<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Under regular circumstances, shrinking the achievement gap<\/strong>&nbsp;would be my top policy goal. However, considering SFUSD\u2019s financial situation,&nbsp;<strong>my top priority is to demonstrate the school district is serious in remedying the projected $421 million deficit so we may avert a total state takeover<\/strong>. I feel strongly that the San Francisco community is best placed to decide its priorities and balance its budget. If elected, I would take office shortly after the Resource Alignment Initiative decisions will be made. Executing on the RAI plan to achieve the projected cost savings, minimize impact on families, and hold SFUSD accountable to fulfill \u2026&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Parag-Gupta-Question-1.pdf\"><em>read more here<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Endorsed by<\/em><\/strong><em>: UESF, SF Parent Action, GrowSF<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Jaime-Hulling-640x640.png?resize=640%2C640&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Illustration of a person with shoulder-length brown hair wearing a dark turtleneck, set against a yellow circular background.\" class=\"wp-image-638902\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-jaime-huling\"><strong>Jaime Huling<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Job<\/strong>: Deputy city attorney, formerly in San Francisco and now in Oakland<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Age<\/strong>: 41<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Residency<\/strong>: Glen Park; previously Hayes Valley and 13 years in the Mission<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Educational background<\/strong>: J.D. from Stanford Law School<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>SFUSD experience<\/strong>: Parent of SFUSD Spanish immersion school student; worked with Mission-based nonprofit ScholarMatch to help first-gen, low-income students of color attend college, including SFUSD students<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Languages<\/strong>: English<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>As a Latina who is the first lawyer in my family, I understand the transformative power of education in our lives, families, and communities. I\u2019m the mom of an SFUSD student and a fighter for San Franciscans. SFUSD is closing schools and is on the verge of being taken over by the state after years of financial mismanagement. I\u2019m running to&nbsp;<strong>ensure we balance the budget to prioritize equity and excellence<\/strong>, and&nbsp;<strong>ensure all of our kids have the opportunities and supports they deserve<\/strong>. I\u2019ll work to restore trust in and draw families back to the district.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Endorsed by<\/em><\/strong><em>: UESF, SF Parent Action, GrowSF<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Josh-Jersin-640x640.png?resize=640%2C640&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Cartoon illustration of a smiling man with a beard and short hair, wearing a light blue collared shirt, set against a teal circular background.\" class=\"wp-image-638907\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-john-jersin\"><strong>John Jersin<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Job<\/strong>: Co-founder of education nonprofit Jersin Foundation, previously LinkedIn executive<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Age<\/strong>: 40<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Residency<\/strong>: Noe Valley<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Educational background<\/strong>: California public schools from kindergarten through college; B.S. in computer science from UCSD, M.S. in computer science from Stanford<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>SFUSD experience<\/strong>: Brother-in-law of SFUSD teacher; SFUSD Citizens\u2019 Bond Oversight Committee; parent of two young children who will attend SFUSD schools<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Languages<\/strong>: English, learning Mandarin<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Our school system is facing a devastating financial crisis driving the closure of potentially dozens of schools. With my background as an executive at LinkedIn and a board member at other companies, I have led organizations of thousands of people, successfully managed and resolved crises, and overseen organizations with very large budgets. As an appointee to CBOC, I have already found millions in potential savings for our schools, and I have found opportunities to increase revenue via fixes to our enrollment system. I am&nbsp;<strong>eager to bring urgently needed management and financial experience<\/strong>&nbsp;to the Board of Education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Endorsed by<\/em><\/strong><em>: UESF, GrowSF<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Madeline-Krantz-640x640.png?resize=640%2C640&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"A digital illustration of a person with wavy brown hair, wearing a purple top, set against a pink background encircled by a black line.\" class=\"wp-image-638896\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-madeline-krantz\"><strong>Madeline Krantz<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Job<\/strong>: Dual enrollment student at CCSF and SJSU<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Age<\/strong>: 19<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Residency<\/strong>: Inner Sunset<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Educational background<\/strong>: Synergy School for K-8, Abraham Lincoln High School, experience working as teacher\u2019s aide in synagogue and currently working toward education degree<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>SFUSD experience<\/strong>: Worked with SFUSD students as part of Teacher Academy at Lincoln<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Languages<\/strong>: English<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>My biggest goal (though it might not be possible immediately)<strong>&nbsp;would be to increase teacher pay and spend some money to help schools with cosmetic and safety problems<\/strong>.<br>I also have an idea about implementing an age-appropriate curriculum starting in 5th grade that teaches kids basic life skills, including topics like drug safety, internet safety, basic first aid, and important life skills like financial management and stress\/anxiety management. I think kids don\u2019t learn about these kinds of things nearly enough. Adding a class like this to the standard grade school curriculum would do a lot to help SF kids \u2026&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Madeline-Krantz-Question-1.pdf\"><em>read more here<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Laurance-Lee-640x640.png?resize=640%2C640&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Cartoon illustration of a smiling man with short-cropped white hair, glasses, and a suit jacket, set against a green circular background.\" class=\"wp-image-638900\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-laurance-lee\"><strong>Laurance Lee<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Job<\/strong>: Small business owner, L3 Construction LLC<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Age<\/strong>: 54<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Residency<\/strong>: Noe Valley<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Educational background<\/strong>: Went to SFUSD K-12, B.A. in chemistry and history of science from Harvard, graduate work at Stanford<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>SFUSD experience<\/strong>: SFUSD Citizens\u2019 Bond Oversight Committee, extended family who are SFUSD student and educators<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Languages<\/strong>: English<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;<strong>number one issue in this election is to balance the district budget<\/strong>&nbsp;and to not have the state take us over. I will push to have the district cut costs in the central administration and elsewhere so that as much money as possible will help student outcomes and help bring up enrollment. I will call for a forensic audit of the district spending for the past few years. I will restore the public\u2019s trust in the school district by having the district fix its problems and be transparent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong><em>Endorsed by<\/em><\/strong>: SF Guardians, State Treasurer Fiona Ma, former School Board President Emily Murase \u2026&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.laurancelemlee.com\/endorsements\">read more here<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Deldelp-Medina-640x640.png?resize=640%2C640&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Illustration of a woman with short gray hair, glasses, and a maroon top, set against a light blue circular background.\" class=\"wp-image-638898\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-deldelp-medina\"><strong>Deldelp Medina<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Job<\/strong>: Executive director at Black &amp; Brown Founders<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Age<\/strong>: 52<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Residency<\/strong>: Mission<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Educational background<\/strong>: B.A. in humanities, minor in political science<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>SFUSD experience<\/strong>: Attended Alvarado Elementary and mother was para-educator with Spanish-speaking kids in Chinatown; kid has attended SFUSD schools; SFUSD Latinx Family Advisory Committee<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Languages<\/strong>: English, Spanish, French<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>At a time when there is a looming self-inflicted crisis, I&nbsp;<strong>want to ensure the board has good governance.<\/strong>&nbsp;Ensuring the superintendent properly manages SFUSD resources, making the school system accountable to marginalized communities. The lack of accountability, and solid process, by the central staff has been highly disappointing. From the EMpower payroll debacle to budgets and allocations being done in spreadsheets, SFUSD doesn\u2019t have solid systems. This is no way to work in any age, but especially in the digital age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Supryia-Ray-640x640.png?resize=640%2C640&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-640422\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-supryia-ray\"><strong>Supryia Ray<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Job<\/strong>: Attorney and writer<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Age<\/strong>: 51<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Residency<\/strong>: Sunset<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Educational background<\/strong>: B.A. in political science and French from University of Miami,&nbsp;<em>summa cum laude<\/em>; J.D. from Harvard Law School,&nbsp;<em>magna cum laude<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>SFUSD experience<\/strong>: Parent of two SFUSD students; Jefferson Elementary parent-teacher association leadership; parent advocate on issues such as outdoor learning and school safety<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Languages<\/strong>: French, some Spanish<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>My #1 issue is the budget crisis<\/strong>. SFUSD is facing huge deficits due to years of overspending and putting off hard decisions. Many people don\u2019t realize how close we are to bankruptcy. The State already has the power to veto our budget decisions, and we are at risk of takeover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our school system has suffered from poor leadership, management, and communication, leaving families and educators in the dark about countless issues. I will insist on transparency and hold administrators accountable for presenting credible budgets; developing and maintaining critical systems; and scrutinizing every dollar spent for its impact on students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Endorsed by:<\/em><\/strong><em>&nbsp;SF Guardians, SF Parent Action, GrowSF \u2026&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rayforboe.com\/\"><em>read more here<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Candidates are ordered alphabetically but rotated every question. Answers may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling and grammar. If you have questions for the candidates, please let us know at&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"mailto:anne@missionlocal.com\"><em>anne@missionlocal.com<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Read the rest of the school board questions&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/missionlocal.org\/2024\/02\/meet-the-candidates-all-2024-district-11-supervisor-answers\/\"><em>here<\/em><\/a><em>, and the entire \u201cMeet the Candidates\u201d series&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/missionlocal.org\/tag\/meet-the-candidates\/\"><em>here<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>You can register to vote via the&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sf.gov\/register-vote\"><em>sf.gov website<\/em><\/a><em>. Illustrations for the series by Neil Ballard.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">READ MORE CANDIDATE ANSWERS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/missionlocal.org\/2024\/07\/meet-the-candidates-san-franciscos-school-board-race\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/School-Board-Banner.png?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Meet the Candidates: San Francisco\u2019s school board race\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/missionlocal.org\/2024\/07\/meet-the-candidates-san-franciscos-school-board-race\/\">Meet the Candidates: San Francisco\u2019s school board race<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/missionlocal.org\/author\/annel\/\"><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/missionlocal.org\/author\/annel\/\">ANNE LI<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"mailto:anne@missionlocal.com\">anne@missionlocal.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Anne Li is a reporting intern from Little Rock, Arkansas. She writes and edits for her campus newspaper, The Stanford Daily. Contact her at anne &#8216;at&#8217; missionlocal.com.<a href=\"https:\/\/missionlocal.org\/author\/annel\/\">More by Anne Li<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by\u00a0ANNE LI JULY 10, 2024 (MissionLocal.org) Sign up below to get Mission Local\u2019s&nbsp;free newsletter, a daily digest of news you won\u2019t find elsewhere.Sign up Eleven candidates are vying for four seats on the city\u2019s seven-person school&nbsp;board, which governs the San Francisco Unified School District\u2019s (SFUSD) policies, budget, personnel and more&#8230;. <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2024\/07\/11\/sf-school-board-candidates-name-their-no-1-issue\/\"> Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr; <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34785"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34785"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34785\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34786,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34785\/revisions\/34786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34785"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}