Serving San Francisco: Why you should run for the Board of Education

As adults, we are responsible for meeting the needs of children. It is our moral obligation.

• Marian Wright Edelman

This is the third post in our series Serving San Francisco, highlighting the different ways you can help our city thrive.

In previous posts, we talked about how commissions work and how to apply for an appointment.

In this post, we’re moving away from political appointments into elected positions, and talking about one of the most impactful positions in San Francisco right now - the Board of Education.

Why should you consider running for the Board of Education?

Every day, over 49,000 students in the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) walk into classrooms across 100+ schools. These students represent every neighborhood, every language, and every dream for a future filled with possibility.

But over the last few decades, San Francisco has increasingly struggled to deliver the high quality public education that our kids deserve. In the face of declining enrollment, we let budget imbalances balloon to the point where we (still) risk a state takeover. In the face of COVID-related learning losses, our Board decided it was more important to wage a culture war. We removed programs that encouraged students to push themselves - like 8th grade algebra, and Lowell’s merit based admissions.

San Francisco has the highest rate of enrollment in private schools of any major city in the US. As one of the wealthiest cities, we should consider our inability to deliver the highest quality public education to every student a failure beyond measure. A functioning Board of Education is one whose members have strong governance skills and relentlessly focus on student outcomes. Electing those people is the first step towards making public education in San Francisco what it should be.

What seats are up for election, and what impact would adding a great BOE member have?

There are three seats currently up for election across the June and November elections in 2026. At least one of those seats is currently held by a GrowSF-supported candidate, Board President Phil Kim. We don’t know yet who will run for re-election. More seats will be up for election in 2028.

In general, we need people on the Board of Education who have a deep understanding of complex systems - particularly school systems - and strong governance skills. With candidates like these, we can continue to increase the amount of focus and discipline the Board shows around academic standards, budget scrutiny, and outcome transparency. We can continue to move the Board, and, by virtue of its oversight, the Superintendent, away from things like the lowering grading standards, or scaling back advanced education programs, which prior Boards have pushed. It would help continue to shift SFUSD into an era of relentless focus on improving academic outcomes.

What makes a great member of the Board of Education?

First and foremost, we want to elect candidates who have a clear and informed vision for what this role is, and how it supports our schools. This is an oversight role, it’s not an activist role.

Second, we need people who understand complex systems - particularly school systems. They know how policies translate into school and classroom realities and when unintended consequences may arise. They appreciate the relationships between district leadership, school sites, and community stakeholders. They can identity root causes vs. symptoms and interpret data and metrics in the appropriate context.

Third, we need people who have strong governance skills to oversee SFUSD’s fiscal state, facilities, and employee and labor relations. We need people who will hold high academic outcome standards, grow enrollment, and build back broken trust with families and staff.

Great Board members bring a mix of humility, preparedness, collaboration, and conviction. Not all have a background in education (though it can help).

And above all, we want people who are servants of student outcomes and student outcomes alone. Great BOE members do not serve twitter followers, ideologies, or interest groups. They serve student outcomes.

I’m ready to dive into the technical details. What is the Board of Education?

The San Francisco Board of Education is the elected governing body of the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD).

Voting members of the Board are elected officials—like Supervisors or the Mayor—but their jurisdiction is limited to the public school system. There are seven members who each serve a 4 year term. Throughout their term, they appoint and evaluate the Superintendent, approve the District’s budget, adopt curriculum standards, and make decisions about school facilities, labor contracts, and more.

What, specifically, does the Board of Education (BOE) do?

Their work touches nearly every aspect of student life and school operation in the city and county of San Francisco. They:

• Set academic policy including curriculum, student rights, school assignments, and more. They adopt and localize state and other mandates.
• Set safety and other policies including discipline, food and nutrition programs, language access, mental health, special education, and afterschool programs.
• Adopt state-mandated academic standards, and establish local ones beyond the state minimum; they regularly review student assessment data (like graduation rates, literacy rates, CAASSP scores) to guide other directives.
• Oversee the budget and capital expenditures; they manage the $1.3B SFUSD budget, approve the purchases of equipment, supplies, eases, services, the renovation and construction of new or existing schools, and school closures.
• Hire, oversee, and (if needed) fire key personnel including the Superintendent. They also oversee union contracts with both teachers and staff.
• Engage with stakeholders like teachers, families, students, labor unions, advisory councils and the broader public.

What doesn’t the Board of Ed do?

The Board of Education is a policy-making and oversight body, not an operational one. They set the vision, approve the budget, hold the Superintendent accountable, and pass policies. But they don’t run schools, manage staff, and they can’t override state law. Here are a few examples of things the Board of Ed does not have control over, and cannot do:

• Set or change school funding formulas; the State of California determines how public schools are funded through Prop 98, the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), and other mechanisms. SFUSD can’t, for example, raise property taxes or reallocate money between schools arbitrarily.
• Oversee all curriculum; much of the curriculum is guided by the California Department of Education, which sets statewide standards (e.g. Common Core, NGSS for science, ethnic studies requirements). The Superintendent and SFUSD’s Curriculum & Instruction Division handle specific materials and implementation, while teachers and principals often choose supplemental materials and pedagogy within district guidelines.
• Manage individual school sites. The Board governs district-wide policy — it does not hire principals, schedule classes, or approve field trips. School principals, under the guidance of Assistant Superintendents, manage site-level decisions like staffing, schedules, discipline practices, and daily operations. Here’s a handy chart:
• Hire or evaluate individual teachers. The Board hires and manages one person: the Superintendent. The Superintendent — through HR — oversees all other personnel decisions, including teacher hiring, placement, and evaluations.
• Administer the school lottery or enrollment. The Board can set overall assignment policy (e.g. zones, diversity goals), but it doesn’t process or review individual applications or appeals.
• Oversee charter schools. The Board can authorize or renew charters, but charter schools operate under separate governance structures, and day-to-day oversight is handled by the charter operator and monitored for compliance through state law.
• Control state or federal mandates. Things like mandatory testing, graduation requirements, and reporting obligations are imposed by state and federal law. SFUSD must comply, regardless of the Board’s preferences.

What challenges will new members of the Board of Education face after they are elected in 2026?

Since the school board was recalled, and a new Superintendent was appointed, SFUSD has delivered a balanced budget to the state (largely) by reducing the size and funding for central operations - shifting spending from the back office directly to schools - and allowed for hiring more teachers. That’s progress - but the district continues to be under pressure from a state takeover. Our future Board will need to both oversee the effectiveness of the Superintendent’s fiscal management plans, and make more tough cuts; all the while, addressing facilities in crisis (a recent audit found over $2 billion in deferred maintenance needs for school buildings), ongoing disputes with United Educators of San Francisco (UESF), anemic enrollment, and fragile trust with educators and with families.

How do you join the Board of Education?

You run for it. Members are elected citywide in November of even-numbered years, serving four-year terms. There are seven seats total. Elections are staggered, so either 3 or 4 seats are on the ballot at any given time.

What does it take to run a campaign?

Most people run for the BOE while working a full time job. But make no mistake - running for office is a serious undertaking. Here’s what it typically involves:

• Fundraising. While this isn’t the most expensive office in SF, recent winning candidates have raised between $50K and $150K.
• Compliance & Paperwork. You’ll need to file paperwork with the Department of Elections, the Ethics Commission, and manage ongoing campaign compliance.
• Community Outreach & Engagement. You’ll need to attend forums, meetings hosted by key partners or constituents. You’ll need to build a coalition of endorsers, volunteers, and advisors to help you win your campaign.
• Communications & Media. You’ll craft a winning campaign message, send mailers, conduct text campaigns, run digital ads, and garner earned media to help voters hear your story.
• Voter Contact. You’ll call, text, knock on doors, and then knock on more doors, and then knock on even more doors with every free minute.

Do Board members get paid?

Yes — as of 2024, members receive a stipend of $6,000 annually.

What are the most challenging parts of being on the Board of Education? The most rewarding?

Most challenging:

• Time. Frankly put, this is a part-time role with full-time expectations. Meetings, site visits, committee work, and constituent communication can easily consume 20+ hours a week.
• Scrutiny. You’ll be in the spotlight. Every vote you take will be analyzed, sometimes unfairly.
• Scope. You’re one of seven. Change takes time, and it takes four votes.

Most rewarding:

• Impact. You can change lives and the fabric of our city. High quality public education can open doors for thousands of children, and will invite more parents to raise their children in San Francisco for generations to come. Now is the time to be a part of the change to our school system that we have long needed.

How are student voices heard?

Student voices are a critical and often overlooked piece of the puzzle. The Board of Education currently has two non-voting seats dedicated for students. And, they work with the Student Advisory Council to ensure student needs and voices are prioritized.

I know someone who should run for the Board of Education. What should they do?

Running can be daunting, but the nudge of a trusted friend or mentor can make all the difference. Encourage them to:

• Educate themselves on the Board and our schools
• Attend Board of Education meetings (or watch online via SFGovTV)
• Connect with former or current Board members for insights
• Start talking with parents, educators, advocacy groups like SF Parents and S.F. Guardians, and school staff
• Reach out to us — we’d be happy to help them think through their path talent@growsf.org