This month newly elected school board members Jaime Huling, Parag Gupta, and Supryia Ray will take their seats on the San Francisco Unified School District School Board, alongside incumbent Matt Alexander. The quintet secured 17 percent, 14 percent, 13 percent, and 12 percent of last November’s votes respectively, with Alexander edging out John Jersin by less than 300 votes.
Voter turnout for the November 2024 election reached 79 percent, significantly higher than the 62 percent November 2022 participation, but less than the 86 percent achieved in the November 2020 election. Voter turnout in Dogpatch, Mission Creek, and Potrero Hill was generally higher than in the rest of the City, reaching 88 percent in some precincts. Overall voter turnout in the state was 71 percent.
Ray said her constituents want public schools to deliver better academic results.
“We need to implement sound, evidence-based policy, stick to our budget, and be a reliable and well-functioning workplace for teachers and staff,” said Ray.
She added that considerable work needed to be done to prevent a state takeover, reduce absenteeism, increase enrollment, and improve outcomes.
“We can meet these challenges. A major concern is that we must deal with both a significant budget crunch and staffing shortages. We’ve had trouble finding enough qualified teachers for a long time. That will get more difficult in the coming year,” said Ray. “We can also innovate in special education. One idea is hiring administrative staff to help special education teachers complete the enormous amount of paperwork and scheduling they have to do. That takes away from them teaching kids in the classroom.”.
Southside neighborhoods strongly supported Huling, with upwards of 70 percent of voters in Potrero Hill and Dogpatch precincts choosing him. Up to 60 percent of voters in Mission Bay precincts backed Gupta.
Gupta, Huling, and Ray were endorsed by the Eastern Neighborhoods Democratic Club. United Educators of San Francisco (UESF), SFUSD’s teacher union, backed Alexander, Gupta, and Huling. Alexander, Huling, and Ray were endorsed by the Potrero Hill Democratic Club (PHDC). Ray was also recommended by SF Guardians, a group founded in 2021 that successfully recalled school board members.
Joni Eisen, PHDC vice president, said the club was gratified that the school board candidates it endorsed were all elected. She described Alexander as “one of only two progressives in a field dominated by well-funded moderates. The seven-member board will include four who are new; one appointed and three elected. In dealing with the multitude of serious issues facing SFUSD, experience can be a valuable complement to fresh perspectives.”
Ray’s “…on the front lines and is a candidate with integrity. We didn’t endorse any other candidate except Laurance Lee. It is disappointing to see Alexander (squeezed) his way back in. Hopefully this time around he’ll do a better job,” said Siva Raj, SF Guardians co-founder. “There is no easy way to shut schools but it’s necessary. How equitable is it to send kids to underfunded, under-enrolled schools? Every student should be going to a school that’s fully resourced and fully staffed.”
After the election SF Guardians ceased operating.
“We came together to recall certain Board members, and then continued on to do a few other things. But now our work has ended,” said Raj.
“While we didn’t endorse Ray, we’re willing to collaborate with anyone who is willing to fight for schools our students deserve. We look forward to building a partnership with her,” said Cris Garza, director of the Committee on Political Education (COPE) for UESF. “We need to keep our eyes on the prize of achieving thriving and joyful school communities that support students and educators to succeed. Whether a school board member is brand new or a veteran, what matters most is implementing effective policies and interventions to achieve ambitious goals. It’s about staying focused on our students and strengthening our public schools. That’s true for everyone from the school board to the Mayor to the President of the United States. We plan to continue holding our elected leadership accountable at all levels because our students are counting on us.”
Alina Ferguson