The 2024 Board of Education Race: Questions for the Candidates

This is a critical election for San Francisco’s public schools as they grapple with falling enrollment, school closures, academic reforms, and a fiscal crisis worsened by a failing HR and payroll system. 

Where does the Board of Education fit in? The seven members provide advice to the administration on a range of subjects and must sign off on the annual budget and key policies. The one person it can hire (or fire) is the superintendent.

It’s a tough job. Board members are practically volunteers, receiving a $6,000 annual stipend. This year, four seats are up for grabs, and there are 11 candidates. Only one sitting board member is running for re-election. Here’s our approach:

The interviews: We asked each candidate two rounds of questions via email plus a final question about Superintendent Matt Wayne. The board called an emergency meeting Sept. 22 after revelations that a hiring snafu left hundreds of special education positions unfilled to start the school year. The board voted to keep Wayne on the job, for now. 

The accuracy: We fact-checked many statements. Links with an asterisk (*) indicate studies, references, and other evidence that The Frisc found. Unmarked links are from the candidates. In rare cases we have removed claims that we could not substantiate or were left unexplained. 

The length: We asked candidates to limit answers to 200 words. In a few cases, we have edited lightly without affecting content. Mostly we left the candidates’ voices and arguments to speak for themselves. All emphases are the candidates’ own.- Ida Mojadad and Alex Lash

All photos courtesy SFGovTV, except Lefteris Eleftheriou, courtesy of himself