On July 20, 2026, I withdrew from the race for the San Francisco Board of Education. For the three Board seats on the November 3 ballot, I'm endorsing Phil Kim, Alida Fisher, and Ryan Hazelton. They're listed in no particular order.
Official status: As of October 15, the city's candidate page lists eight people running for the three Board seats. My name isn't on the list, though the page doesn't say why or mention my withdrawal. The sample ballot the Department of Elections mails to every voter shows exactly who is on yours.
Each card links to that candidate's own campaign website and donation page. The campaigns run those sites; they aren't official election resources.
Ryan's plan starts with families and teachers, which is why I'm endorsing him. He wants to make SFUSD easier to join by reforming the lottery, pay educators fairly and on time (which means fixing the district's payroll system), and cut chronic absenteeism. He runs Mariposa Kids, a nonprofit that provides after-school programs for SFUSD children in the Mission and Bernal Heights.
I'm backing Phil because he keeps the Board focused on what happens in classrooms. In his published answers, he says the district should use data to find where students are struggling, reach them early, invest in coaching for teachers, and tie the budget to student outcomes. On district finances, he calls for careful revenue forecasts and spending the district can sustain.
Alida was a special education advocate before she joined the Board, and that work is why I'm endorsing her. In the official voter guide, she writes that every decision should center students and families, with a focus on early intervention, inclusion, and meaningful support. To keep teachers, she wants competitive pay and benefits, more programs that help people from the community earn a teaching credential, and manageable special education caseloads.
In 2020 the Board voted to replace the school lottery with zone-based assignment, but as of August the district still hadn't presented the zones. Asked whether to move ahead, Ryan said yes, provided integration goals are built into the zones from the start, and he wants the superintendent to deliver without further delay. Phil also said yes. As Board president he led the Board in making zone-based enrollment a priority for the superintendent, and he wants it done with data and careful planning. Alida said it depends. She agrees the current system isn't working, but says a redesign won't succeed unless resources are shared fairly and every zone offers language pathways, special education, STEM, and inclusive classrooms. My own questionnaire answer is closest to Ryan's: no more delays.
Phil and Alida both point to about 14,000 empty seats across the district. In written answers published September 4, Phil said any merger plan needs genuine community engagement, transparent data, and a plan to strengthen the schools that remain. Alida wrote that closing schools won't save money, but that a careful realignment could put more resources into fewer, stronger schools if families and educators are part of it. Ryan wrote that consolidation may be needed at some point but isn't the only answer; he'd start by reducing absenteeism and fixing the lottery. At a September 11 forum, candidates gave yes-or-no answers on school closures: Phil and Alida said yes, and Ryan said no.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. For your ballot and the current rules, go to the San Francisco Department of Elections. Its voter guide, dated August 31, comes in English, Chinese, Spanish, Filipino, and Vietnamese, and there's an audio version in English. Candidates write their own statements in the guide, and no city agency checks them for accuracy.