Mayoral Candidates Discuss Future of SFUSD

By Lillian Hannan, Langston Montgomery 

GEORGE WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL - On Monday, Sept. 16, the San Francisco Parent Coalition hosted a mayoral forum inside Washington’s auditorium. The mayoral hopefuls showcased their plans for the future of public schools, and the key policy differences voters should remember on election day in less than 5 weeks. The candidates include current mayor London Breed, District Two Supervisor Ahsha Safari, District Three Supervisor Aaron Peskin, non-profit founder and Levi Strauss heir Daniel Lurie, and former Mayor Mark Farrell.

The forum was hosted by the San Francisco Parent Coalition, an organization created during 2020 to advocate for students getting back into in-person school. When answering questions about their motive to host this event, a volunteer explains they wanted to address and raise awareness for education-related issues. Their audience being parents and anyone willing to listen and help promote change. 

While San Francisco's Mayor does not have direct control over the school board or district, they make decisions that directly impact SFUSD students such as delegating fund money, providing affordable housing for families, and working to improve buses and student transportation. Alexis Madrigal, the forum host made sure to touch on all these subjects, questioning each candidate on how they will use the platform of mayor to improve the school district. 

London Breed

Current Mayor London Breed joins the moderator first, she promptly brought up her childhood and attended Galileo HS, making the public school system something she has a personal investment in. When responding to questions regarding whether she is satisfied with the way the district has been run during her time as mayor, Breed responds no. She acknowledges COVID made schooling extremely difficult for students and teachers alike, but pointed out that as mayor, she had sent in resources to the superintendent and worked to get homeless students and families into homes. She also brought up the school system pre-COVID explaining how she worked to fund wellness centers and mental health resources for students across the city, explaining, “I gave additional money to the school district to add more [wellness resources]... before the pandemic,” emphasizing how important it is to her personally that students have a safe place to go, stating she went, “went above and beyond.”  

The conversation turned towards teacher shortages, with Breed addressing the main challenge as the cost of living in San Francisco, explaining, “all roads lead to housing.” She further explains how she is very aggressive about housing and building homes for the youth and the future of the city. Overall, Breed seemed comfortable and confident, answering questions highlighting her success with mental health facilities and the desire to prioritize the youth, but recognizing that the school system needs structural change.  

Ahsha Safari

District Two supervisor Ahsha Safari comes out with enthusiastic energy, sitting on the edge of his seat and using large hand movements to accompany his points. The conversation began with Safari talking about how his kids attend a Spanish immersion school, stating his proudest achievement as supervisor is ensuring quality education. He talked passionately about transit, explaining that access to muni is extremely important for kids getting to school. The moderator addressed a comment Safari made earlier in his campaign, regarding firing the Head of the MTA. He dived into this topic, explaining how transit operators don’t feel they are being heard and the department needs a change in leadership.

When asked about school closures, Safari states, “We have to do everything we can to avoid school closures.” Explaining how much “disruption” they will create. The list of schools closing being postponed has only created more chaos and anxiety among school communities.

This diverged into a question about transparency the school should provide regarding school closures. Safari did not answer this directly; instead, he shifted his response to focus on how much money the mayor had access to. The moderator calls him for this and restates the question. This time Safari answers briefly, saying there needs to be, “robust community outreach conversations,” however he directs quickly back to the present mayor, criticizing her for eliminating the, “Mayor's office and neighborhood services,” a program Safari would bring back as mayor. Ending his segment by explaining how he wants SF to be a city for all, including middle and working-class families. 

Aaron Peskin

District 3 Supervisor Aaron Peskin takes the stage, focusing on his experience, past accomplishments, and future aspirations for our city and school district. Notably, the laid-back Peskin honed in on his commitment to affordable housing, saying he’s approved more housing developments than all the other candidates combined. The discussion then centered on housing for teachers, “Our challenge is around affordability.” This challenge has been a priority of not just the city, but of the state, as back in 2020, Gavin Newsom signed a bill that made it easier to create affordable housing for teachers.

Distinctly, while other candidates faced questions about their pasts in the private education sector, Peskin has direct ties to the public school system. His father taught at San Francisco State University and he's a child of educators. Growing up in Alameda County, east of San Francisco, he tied his past to the Vice President and Candidate for President of the United States. He mentioned his first-grade class with Vice President Harris and his connections with public school. 

A major topic that every candidate faced in the short sit-down interviews was the topic of school closures. Peskin argued against the closure of schools, saying, “Once they’re closed, they will never be reopened.” The issues of school closures and mergers have been divisive, with some saying they are necessary to uphold the district in the best way possible, while others say it will disproportionately affect the most marginalized communities and cause more harm than good. 

Daniel Lurie 

Daniel Lurie was up next, and began with a strong message about his commitment to teachers and how we need to pay them and, “pay them well.” He came out of the gate strongly advocating for a “student-centered district” and “We can always, always do better.” 

Lurie begins to stumble, however, when the topic of his past and current involvement in private schools is addressed. Lurie attended Town School for Boys, an independent, boys-only school for kindergarten to 8th grade students. Afterward, he attended University High School, another private school in Presidio Heights. Furthermore, his children currently attend private school while he runs for SF mayor. Lurie is also the heir to Levi’s, the infamous clothing company based in San Francisco, and according to The San Francisco Standard, is, “one of the wealthiest people to ever run a campaign to become mayor of San Francisco.” Daniel Lurie is extraordinarily wealthy, coupled with his message to rid City Hall of “insiders” and paint the other politicians as established elites falls particularly flat coming from an actual San Francisco elite. 

Despite this, Lurie seemed the most engaged with the moderator and the audience. He typically leans forward, attentive, and addresses the audience more directly as opposed to the leaned-back and relaxed posture that was standard amongst the other candidates.   

Mark Farrell      

Mark Farrell, a former supervisor of District Two, was elected acting Mayor for seven months in 2018 after the tragic passing of Late Mayor Ed Lee. He was the last candidate to be interviewed, passionately starting his segment with a conversation on being proactive. Including the importance of leadership and how there is currently no, “conversation on what it is like to be a student,” which he believes takes initiative from the mayor and a shift in priorities. 

This conversation then changed to a topic repeatedly discussed that night, homelessness. Farrell is blatant about how there is, “no silver solution to homelessness,” but there are ways to manage the issue humanely. Including treating people and families with compassion and offering them housing before tearing down encampments. He also explains the desperate need for more shelters and to simply get people off the streets as quickly as possible, an opinion that differs from incumbent London Breed who stated in her interview that building housing is the most important aspect of resolving the homelessness crisis. 

In addition, Farrell also differs in that, if appointed Mayor he will declare a federal state of emergency due to the extremity of the Homelessness disaster. This would automatically get San Francisco more funding and law enforcement which he believes is necessary as the current harm reduction strategies are not working. 

The conversation switches to focus on Farrell himself, who has experienced backlash in the past from SFUSD parents for being openly Catholic, with both him and his kids attending private Catholic schools. He shuts down these concerns saying this does not impact his view of public school and can still recognize the importance of the Mayor’s role in the school system. Explaining how he will address issues from transit and getting students to school to school safety concerns. Which he plans to assist by creating an emergency 311 number for students. Farewell ends the night by affirming as mayor he will listen to any additional ideas people have as he wants to be a leader of change through setting new policies. 

Closing 

After the forum, when the host, Alexis Madrigal responds to whether he thought the night was successful by stating it is, “very difficult to interview politicians,” inferring they either avoid questions or give non answers. 

Although the candidates deflect questions, overall, the forum led to productive conversations with each candidate that helped showcase their priorities and political views. Therefore, leading the audience to make informed decisions on how they will place their votes this election season.