november 2022 VOTER GUIDE

BOARD OF EDUCATION

What is the Board of Education?

  • A seven-member board of elected officials that govern the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD). They are responsible for establishing educational goals and standards; approving curriculum; setting the district budget, which is independent of the city's budget; confirming appointments; and approving purchases of equipment, supplies, services, leases, renovation, construction, and union contracts

  • The stipend for this part-time position totals to about $6,000 per year

Why You Should Care

SFUSD is facing a myriad of serious issues right now: a $125 million budget deficit, student equity and achievement gaps, facilities that are in disrepair, and severe educator and staff shortages. Voters historically recalled 3 BOE commissioners earlier this year, mainly citing mismanagement and incompetence. This November’s opportunity to vote in three new commissioners is a chance to keep the BOE focused on student outcomes, not politics.

Our Vision for the Board of Education

We’d like to see the BOE commit to being a trustee board solely focused on high-level decision making, instead of performative politics.

A Note About Our Candidate Choices

We believe that the BOE needs Ann Hsu, Lainie Motamedi, and Lisa Weissman-Ward. All three of these accomplished and compassionate mothers represent a diverse array of voices and as a group they are laser-focused on what's most important: outcomes for kids’ education.

Why we're voting for her: Hsu is a mother of twin boys attending high school in San Francisco public schools. Her prior work experience founding two successful companies gives her a unique perspective on the business aspect of the Board of Education. Given the District’s notorious poor budgeting practices, Hsu’s MBA from U.C. Berkeley would add the degree of fiscal expertise that the board needs.
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Hsu became involved in the Board of Education recall in 2021 in response to the challenges presented by remote learning and school closures. In addition to joining the parent advocacy group Families for San Francisco, Hsu started an all-volunteer group in December 2021 called the Chinese/API Voter Outreach Taskforce, which registered first-time voters and non-citizen parents to vote in the recall election.
Why we're voting for her: Motamedi is also a public school parent. She has sound ideas on how to address some of the District’s biggest issues, like educational equity. Instead of throwing mone​​y at the problem, she supports close partnerships with school sites and their students for early intervention, particularly for mathematics, an area the district struggles in. To address the district’s budget woes, Motamedi supports re-examining and re-adjusting the district’s ratio of staff and facilities to students—there are less than 50,000 students in the district, despite it being funded to serve 70,000. Motamedi is the type of critical thinker SFUSD needs.
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The child of Los Angeles Unified School District parents, Motamedi has been actively involved in the SFUSD system for 10 years, including serving on Parent Teacher Associations, School Site Councils, and leading an entity that advises on how approximately $80 million of City funds given to SFUSD annually should be spent.

She served as a board member of the San Francisco Botanical Garden between 2018 and 2021 and was a member of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition’s Board of Directors between 2009 and 2016.
Why we're voting for her: Weissman-Ward works as the Associate Director of the Stanford Law School Immigrants’ Right Clinic. She has two young children that attend public schools and cares so deeply about the state of SFUSD education that she is balancing her job with motherhood and her current appointed role on the BOE. Her work in immigration law has allowed her to develop strong relationships in the Latino and Black communities, giving her a robust perspective on the needs of BIPOC students.
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Weissman-Ward has demonstrated a keen interest in financial stability, and voted against a whimsical virtual school which would have cost the district $4 million. This school was unjustified and lacked evidence as to why it was necessary.

Weissman-Ward is also endorsed by the United Educators of San Francisco, the San Francisco teachers’ union, which shows that she had broad political appeal.

Paid for by TogetherSF Action. Not authorized by any candidate or a committee controlled by a candidate. Financial disclosures are available at sfethics.org.

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