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Welcome back to the “Meet the Candidates” series for District 11, where we ask each candidate to answer one question every week leading up to the election. They must answer the question in 100 words or less. We will link to longer answers.
With District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safaí termed out and running for mayor, seven candidates have thrown their hats in the ring to represent the Excelsior, Oceanview and the Outer Mission.
On Sept. 18, the San Francisco Unified School District will announce the list of schools recommended for closure, merger, or co-location for the 2025-26 school year.
Such a move is part of SFUSD’s Resource Alignment Initiative, which is an ambitious plan to improve student outcomes by creating a new school staffing model, generating more revenue for school properties, reorganizing the central office, investing in priority district-wide programs, and creating a new school portfolio.
District 11 has a large concentration of school-aged children and many parents in this district are following the Resource Alignment Initiative with great interest and concern.
This week, we are asking the candidates: What are your thoughts on the SFUSD Resource Alignment Initiative?
Next week, I will be at Excelsior Coffee (4495 Mission St.) at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 12. You can also reach me with questions, comments, and tips at xueer@missionlocal.com.
Adlah Chisti
- Job: Public policy analyst, caregiver
- Age: 40
- Residency: Live with parents and caregive for them, born in District 11 in 1983 and lived there since, moved out in 2013 and back in 2017
- Transportation: Public
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in politics and in environmental science, and master’s degree in education from University of San Francisco, master’s degree in public policy from Georgetown McCourt School of Public Policy, juris doctorate from University of California Law, San Francisco
- Languages: English, Spanish, Hindi
The SFUSD Resource Alignment Initiative (RAI) raises questions about equity. In District 11, we have 14 public schools, and instead of focusing on curriculum, we are focused on closures. K-8 schools are proposed to close because of their smaller class structure. While building maintenance costs are cited as a reason, and instead of looking at management salaries, we are on a hiring freeze of school counselors, social workers and much needed on site psychologists. The larger question is: Can our district survive this? The SFUSD RAI plan is set to be released on September 18, and we will have to … read more here
Endorsed by: United Educators of San Francisco, Green Party, Run for Something, Police Commissioner Debra Walker, … read more here
Ernest “EJ” Jones
- Job: Community advocate
- Age: 38
- Residency: Tenant, living in District 11 since November 1985 and has lived here always, except for time away at college
- Transportation: Public, car
- Education: Bachelor’s degree, Dominican University, master’s degree in public administration from University of San Francisco
- Languages: English, Spanish
This week I stood with teachers, families, and administrators at 555 Franklin St. The SFUSD Resource Alignment Initiative is a pressing concern, especially for District 11, which has the highest number of school-age children in San Francisco.
As supervisor, I am committed to ensuring that our district does not bear the brunt of any potential school closures. While I may not directly influence SFUSD’s budget, I can advocate for equitable resource distribution and the protection of our public schools. One proposed solution for consolidation is the creation of more K-8 campuses which have proven effective. Nevertheless, I will actively address … read more here
Endorsed by: Supervisors Shamann Walton and Myrna Melgar, Assemblymember Matt Haney, Former SF mayor Willie Brown Jr., Transit Workers Union Local 250A… read more here
Michael Lai
- Job: Early education director, elected to the San Francisco Democratic Party
- Age: 31
- Residency: Tenant, living in District 11 since February 2024
- Transportation: Public
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in government at Harvard College with coursework at Harvard Graduate School of Education
- Languages: English, Mandarin
I’ve heard from a lot of D11 parents that they are rightfully stressed about the SFUSD Resource Alignment Initiative and school closures. As a former volunteer civics teacher and public school kid, school closures should always be the last resort because of the disproportionate negative impact for children, families, and teachers.
We should first focus on increasing revenue, like turning fallow SFUSD land into teacher housing or revenue generating housing.
At a time when District enrollment has fallen to less than 50,000 students, faces a $425 million deficit, and SF has a historic number of small schools, I understand … read more here
Endorsed by: Attorney General Rob Bonta, Senator Scott Wiener, Sheriff Paul Miyamoto, Supervisors Joel Engardio and Matt Dorsey, NorCal Carpenters Union… read more here
Roger Marenco
- Job: Transit operator
- Age: 42
- Residency: Tenant, living in District 11 since May 2014
- Transportation: Public
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in environmental sustainability and social justice from San Francisco State University. City College San Francisco
- Languages: English, Spanish
I’m against closing and/or merging schools because low-income workers and families are the ones that will suffer. I am in support of re-appropriating funds so that we can fund everything that deals with our educational system. This includes repairing infrastructure, updating facilities, increasing teacher salaries, providing adequate resources for students and so on. At a time where San Francisco is suffering from crime, open drug markets, homelessness, and fentanyl, the last thing we should be thinking about is closing schools because if schools close, then drugs and crime will feel like suitable choices for students with no schools.
Jose Morales
- Job: Sales professional, small-business owner
- Age: 28
- Residency: Tenant, born in District 11 in 1995 and has lived there since, except for time away in college from 2014 to 2017 and living in Idaho from 2021 to the end of 2022
- Transportation: Car
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in economics from Sonoma State University
- Languages: English, Spanish
I believe that while budget efficiency is essential for long-term sustainability, I don’t support stripping resources from some schools to give to others. SFUSD needs to do a better job overall in managing resources so that all schools can provide a high-quality education. This includes improving the lottery system so that every child has access to well-resourced schools without disadvantages to others. All our schools should have the tools they need to succeed, and that requires smart, equitable financial decisions across the board.
Chyanne Chen
- Job: Worker organizer, community facilitator and educator
- Age: 39
- Residency: Homeowner, landlord, living in District 11 since August 2000
- Transportation: Walk, public transportation, rideshare, and car
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from University of California, Davis, master’s degree from Cornell University, doctoral degree in education in progress at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Languages: English, Mandarin, Cantonese
I am deeply concerned that we still do not have details on what SFUSD is planning as part of this process. We have heard that schools may close or merge but have learned little about which schools would be impacted and we know, historically, that District 11 has gotten the short end of the stick when it comes to budget reductions.
While the Board of Supervisors does not have direct control over decisions made by SFUSD, I would hope city leaders would be consulted in any major policy decisions to ensure we are not shortchanging students who may need more … read more here
Endorsed by: Assemblymember Phil Ting, former police commissioner Larry Yee, San Francisco Board of Education commissioner Jenny Lam, former supervisors Norman Yee, Sandy Fewer and Mabel Teng.
Campaign finance
Candidates are ordered alphabetically but rotated weekly. Answers may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, and grammar. If you have questions for the candidates, please let us know at xueer@missionlocal.com.
Read the rest of the District 11 questions here, and the entire “Meet the Candidates” series here.
You can register to vote via the sf.gov website. Illustrations for the series by Neil Ballard.
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Source: missionlocal.org