Welcome back to the “Meet the Candidates” series for the school board, where we ask each candidate one question every two weeks. They must answer the question in 100 words or fewer. We will link to longer answers.
Eleven candidates are vying for four seats on the city’s seven-person school board. 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 here.
We’ve been following the school board candidates since summer, asking their opinions on the rescheduled antisemitism workshops, the now-scrapped school closure plan and balancing the budget. Amid a crowded slate, the candidates have sometimes presented very similar answers. So this week, we asked the candidates:
What makes you stand out, and why should people vote for you?
Candidates cited occupational and advocacy backgrounds they believed made them unique, ranging from SFUSD experience to corporate leadership to law. One candidate just graduated from an SFUSD high school; another has decades of experience as an educator.
Parag Gupta
- Job: Chief program officer at Mercy Housing
- Age: 46
- Residency: San Francisco
- Educational background: Bachelor’s degree with honors from the University of Chicago; master’s degree in Public Policy from Harvard University
- SFUSD experience: 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 programs to help students, including SFUSD students, complete postsecondary education
- Languages: Basic Spanish, basic French, conversational Hindi
I stand out, and ready to serve, because:
1. I am a proud public school parent and served on the governing board of my daughter’s elementary school.
2. I bring 25 years of impact leadership — balancing financials and impact in large complex systems. This includes helping thousands of low-income students achieve academic success. Currently, I’m a leader at Mercy Housing, an affordable houser.
3. As an elected SF Democratic Party member, I’ve worked collaboratively across differences towards results. My moral compass is to always make decisions my daughter (and all SF children) will appreciate even a decade from now.
Endorsed by: SF Democratic Party, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, Senator Scott Wiener, UESF … read more here
Ann Hsu
- Job: Head of School at Bertrand D Hsu American & Chinese Bicultural Academy
- Age: 57
- Residency: Richmond District
- Educational background: Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Pennsylvania State University, master’s degree in electrical engineering and master’s in business from University of California, Berkeley
- SFUSD experience: Two sons in SFUSD; SFUSD Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee chair; Galileo High School PTSA president; active in recall efforts; appointed by Mayor Breed to school board in 2022 and served until early 2023
- Languages: English; Chinese, Mandarin
I speak the truth, even when it may be controversial or unpopular, and vote my convictions. I had demonstrated this clearly when I served on the BOE two years ago. This time, I will apply my experience and knowledge gained as a principal, teacher, former commissioner, parent and entrepreneur to address the District’s fiscal, operational and academic challenges, all the while putting students, not politics, first.
Jaime Huling
- Job: Deputy city attorney, formerly in San Francisco and now in Oakland
- Age: 42
- Residency: Glen Park; previously Hayes Valley and 13 years in the Mission
- Educational background: Juris doctor degree from Stanford Law School with distinction; bachelor’s in history from Northwestern University with honors, minor in gender studies
- SFUSD experience: 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
- Languages: English, some Spanish and French
I’m a proven fighter for San Franciscans. As a Deputy City Attorney and LGBTQ movement lawyer, I’ve stood up for workers and students at the Supreme Court and sued the Trump Administration and won. With experience solving local government problems, parents want me on the board to fight for our kids as we face a potential state takeover of our school district. As a Latina and public school mom, I’ve worked for over a decade to expand college access for first-generation students and am committed to making sure all of our kids get the education they deserve.
Endorsed by: SF Democratic Party, UESF, SF Parent Action, GrowSF … read more here
John Jersin
- Job: Co-founder of education nonprofit Jersin Foundation, previously a LinkedIn executive
- Age: 40
- Residency: Noe Valley
- Educational background: California public schools from kindergarten through college; bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of California, San Diego, master’s degree in computer science from Stanford University
- SFUSD experience: Brother-in-law of SFUSD teacher; SFUSD Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee; parent of two young children who will attend SFUSD schools
- Languages: English, learning Mandarin
I have experience leading large organizations and budgets. These skills grew from a deeply held family value – education. My mother grew up in poverty, but public school math helped her work her way out. My public schools taught me to code, to start a business; and eventually I became an executive at LinkedIn.
It was exciting to work as a leader of an organization with thousands of people, and a multi-billion dollar budget. Now, for my kids and others, I’m eager to help our schools address the fiscal crisis and mismanagement. I’m optimistic that I could make a real impact.
Endorsed by: SF Democratic Party, UESF, GrowSF, TogetherSF Action … read more here
Madeline Krantz
- Job: Dual enrollment student at CCSF and SJSU
- Age: 19
- Residency: Inner Sunset
- Educational background: Synergy School for K-8, Abraham Lincoln High School, experience working as teacher’s aide in synagogue and currently working toward education degree
- SFUSD experience: Worked with SFUSD students as part of Teacher Academy at Lincoln
- Languages: English
I’m 19 and just graduated from high school, which gives me a unique perspective on the challenges SFUSD is facing. Over the past few years I’ve seen firsthand how much Board of Education inaction hurts public schools, and public school students. Kids today don’t believe city officials care about their needs. We can change that by communicating better and working together to find creative solutions to the district’s problems. But I believe it will take a new generation of leaders to make this happen. Should someone my age be on San Francisco’s Board of Education? Isn’t it long overdue?
Laurance Lee
- Job: Small business owner, L3 Construction LLC
- Age: 54
- Residency: Noe Valley
- Educational background: Went to SFUSD K-12, bachelor’s degree in chemistry and history of science from Harvard University, graduate work at Stanford University
- SFUSD experience: SFUSD Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee, extended family who are SFUSD student and educators
- Languages: English
As the only K-12 SFUSD graduate, I have a deep and long history with the joys, challenges, and potential of public schools here. My proven fiscal aptitude and volunteer contributions district-wide have demonstrated that I can and will stop all our current crises and bring our schools into a time of balanced budgets and growing enrollment.
Endorsed by: SF Guardians, State Treasurer Fiona Ma, former School Board President Emily Murase … read more here
Supryia Ray
- Job: Attorney and writer
- Age: 51
- Residency: Sunset
- Educational background: Bachelor’s degree in political science and French from University of Miami, summa cum laude; juris doctor degree from Harvard Law School, magna cum laude
- SFUSD experience: Parent of two SFUSD students; Jefferson Elementary parent-teacher association leadership; parent advocate on issues such as outdoor learning and school safety
- Languages: French, some Spanish
We can work toward a thriving school district that lifts up all students by electing a School Board dedicated to improving student outcomes, responsible governance, and accountable spending.
We know what must be done. But the Board hasn’t acted effectively. It’s time for change.
Unlike most candidates, I have years of direct experience working to improve our schools — PTA board service; leading efforts for outdoor learning; collaborating on literacy, algebra, and safety issues. Having worked with parents and communities citywide, I understand the value of listening, learning, and then leading.
SF Democratic Party and SF Parents endorse me. See RayForBOE.com … read more here
Endorsed by: SF Democratic Party, SF Guardians, SF Parent Action, GrowSF … read more here
Matt Alexander
- Job: Community organizer at Faith in Action Bay Area, incumbent board member
- Age: 54
- Residency: Outer Sunset
- Educational background: Master’s degree in education
- SFUSD experience: Teacher and principal; current school board vice president
- Languages: English, Spanish
I’m the only candidate in this race who’s a public school educator. I have over 20 years of experience as a teacher and principal in SFUSD. I’m not interested in using the school board as a springboard for other political office. I’m endorsed by the teachers’ union, the nurses, and the firefighters.
In my first term on the board, I’ve shown that I can deliver for our kids: See https://www.mattalexandersf.org/accomplishments. I’m running for re-election because we need school board members who value the voices of students, families, and the educators who serve them.
Endorsed by: UESF, Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club
Min Chang
- Job: CEO at healthcare organization Homebridge
- Age: 58
- Residency: San Francisco
- Educational background: Ph.D. in international affairs and master’s degree in international public policy from Johns Hopkins University; master’s degree in management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan; bachelor’s degrees from the University of Pennsylvania
- SFUSD experience: Doing outreach in SFUSD and attending school board meetings.
- Languages: English, Chinese, French
Experience matters on the School Board, and I bring 35 years of experience in solving problems collaboratively and getting things done. This is what I do every day as CEO of a SF healthcare company with 500+ employees. Managing $1B budgets is not foreign to me. In fact, I have worked for Fortune 100 companies in six continents (speak English, French, Chinese), headed up regions/businesses, and collaborated with all types of groups to achieve results. Having been CEO multiple times gives me the unique ability to turnaround businesses, which is what is needed given the fiscal crisis at SFUSD.
Endorsed by: The San Francisco Republican Party, San Francisco Young Republicans, The Republican Club of San Francisco, San Francisco Briones Society … read more here
Virginia Cheung
- Job: SFUSD parent, co-founder and vice president of Give a Beat Foundation (volunteer work) and previously director of advancement at Wu Yee Children’s Services
- Age: 41
- Residency: District 11
- Educational background: Bachelor’s degree in social ecology (first in family to graduate college).
- SFUSD experience: Parent of Alice Fong Yu student; Wah Mei BASE! ExCEL program Parent Advisory Board
- Languages: Basic Cantonese and Mandarin, conversational French
I’m a trusted community leader who will always prioritize people over profit. While most candidates recognize that early education is the most effective way to close opportunity gaps for children, I am the only candidate with direct experience in early education policy and reform, working to build a system that supports every child from cradle to career. Over the past eight years, I have worked to elevate the field of early childhood development by increasing wages for early educators, expanding family-owned childcare small businesses, and working to pass Proposition C, also known as ‘Baby Prop C.’ Investments in early education … read more here
Endorsed by: Mayor London Breed, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, School Board Commissioner Jenny Lam … read more here
Lefteris Eleftheriou
- Job: Regional sales manager, Sanyo Denki
- Age: 56
- Residency: District 7
- Educational background: Bachelor’s degree in engineering, master’s degree in education
- SFUSD experience: No direct experience, but previously ran an art school in Belmont.
- Languages: English, Japanese, Greek
For me, the hardest thing about running for office has been talking about myself. I am much more comfortable listening to what others have to say. Having said that, I do have a unique set of skills & experiences that I believe will help our struggling public school system. I have degrees in both engineering and education, have lived and worked in different countries, speak multiple languages, and successfully worked with or for some of the most prominent tech companies in the world, such as Toyota, Google, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, SpaceX, and NTT. I have also owned and operated a school, … read more here
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 anne@missionlocal.com.
Read the rest of the school board 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.
About the author
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