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Phil Kim, Tim Tung and Autumn Brown Garibay win San Francisco school board seats

Phil Kim, Tim Tung and Autumn Brown Garibay win San Francisco school board seats

Rule Changes San Francisco, CA local

Tung and Garibay were declared winners Thursday, giving GrowSF a sweep and shutting the teachers union out of the board for the first time in more than a decade.

6 days ago: Tung and Garibay win remaining school board seats

Overview

Updated Yesterday

Tim Tung and Autumn Brown Garibay won the two open San Francisco school board seats on Nov. 5, joining board President Phil Kim. The result gives GrowSF a sweep and leaves the teachers union without a seat for the first time in more than a decade.

The new board inherits about 49,000 students and 14,000 empty seats. It is scheduled to give final approval on April 13 to a neighborhood-based assignment system for the 2028-29 school year, then consider closing schools. A study session on reorganization is set for Nov. 10.

Why it matters

The new board will decide whether San Francisco closes schools and how families are assigned to them, affecting 49,000 students.

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Key Indicators

3
School board seats up for election
Three seats were on the ballot; Kim, Tung and Garibay won them.
8
Candidates running
Eight candidates competed for the three seats.
49,000
Students in SFUSD
The district enrolls roughly 49,000 students.
14,000
Empty classroom seats
The district has about 14,000 empty seats, driving closure discussions.
16,139
Votes between third and fourth
Final margin between Autumn Brown Garibay and Virginia Cheung in results updated Nov. 8.
$242K
GrowSF spending
Third-party spending by GrowSF for its slate.
$135K
Teachers union spending
United Educators of San Francisco direct spending on its slate.

Voices

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People Involved

PK
Phil Kim
President, San Francisco Board of Education
Won a full four-year term; finished first with about 22% in final returns.
TT
Tim Tung
Candidate for school board
Won one of two open seats; finished second with about 15.5%.
 Autumn Brown Garibay
Autumn Brown Garibay
Candidate for school board
Won one of two open seats; finished third with about 15.5%.
VC
Virginia Cheung
Candidate for school board
Lost; finished fourth, more than 14,000 votes behind third.
 Alida Fisher
Alida Fisher
Incumbent school board commissioner
Lost reelection bid; finished seventh.
MS
Maria Su
Superintendent, San Francisco Unified School District
Leading district

Organizations Involved

San Francisco Board of Education
San Francisco Board of Education
Governing Body
Three new members elected; board seated in January.

The seven-member board sets policy and hires the superintendent for San Francisco's public schools.
United Educators of San Francisco
United Educators of San Francisco
Teachers' union
Shut out of school board for first time in more than a decade; its three candidates trailed.

The union represents teachers and staff in SFUSD.
GrowSF
GrowSF
Political action committee
All three endorsed candidates won.

A San Francisco political action committee that backs moderate candidates.
SF Parents Action
SF Parents Action
Political action committee
Endorsed Kim and Garibay, who won; Fisher lost.

The political arm of the SF Parent Coalition, formed during the pandemic.

Timeline

2022 November 2026

8 events Latest: 6 days ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Tung and Garibay win remaining school board seats

    Latest Election

    Tim Tung and Autumn Brown Garibay were declared winners Thursday, giving GrowSF all three seats and shutting the teachers union out for the first time in more than a decade.

  2. Updated count keeps GrowSF slate ahead

    Election

    Results released Wednesday afternoon showed Tim Tung and Autumn Brown Garibay more than 6 points ahead of the union-backed slate. About 13,000 votes separated Garibay from Virginia Cheung.

  3. District schedules school reorganization study session

    Policy

    SFUSD announced a Nov. 10 study session on school reorganization, described as a working meeting where the board and staff discuss information in public and do not vote.

  4. Phil Kim reelected; two seats undecided

    Election

    Kim won a full term, while Tim Tung and Autumn Brown Garibay led for the other two seats.

  5. Board votes to replace school lottery

    Policy

    The board voted 5-2 to guarantee seats at neighborhood schools.

  6. Phil Kim wins special election

    Election

    Kim defeated Virginia Cheung to keep his board seat.

  7. Teachers strike ends with deal

    Labor

    A strike by the teachers union ended with a contract deal.

  8. San Francisco recalls three school board members

    Recall

    Voters removed three union-backed board members, shifting board politics toward parent groups.

Scenarios

1

Tim Tung and Autumn Brown Garibay win the two remaining seats

Likely Resolves by Dec 1, 2026

Discussed by: Early returns reported by The San Francisco Standard, Mission Local, and the San Francisco Chronicle

Tung and Garibay won the two remaining seats, according to results declared Nov. 5. The board's moderate bloc expanded.

2

Union-backed candidate captures one of the remaining seats

Possible Resolves by Dec 1, 2026

Discussed by: Mission Local and KALW reporting on the union slate

Did not happen. Virginia Cheung finished fourth, more than 14,000 votes behind Autumn Brown Garibay.

3

New board approves school closure plan by June 2027

Possible Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: SFUSD board statements and San Francisco Chronicle reporting

The board has said it will consider closing schools after final approval of the new assignment system. A vote to close or merge at least one school would mark the next phase of the enrollment overhaul. The timeline depends on how quickly the new board organizes in January.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

2022

San Francisco school board recall (2022)

Voters recalled three union-backed members of the San Francisco school board.

Then

The recalls shifted the board's balance toward parent groups and moderate candidates.

Now

Parent groups and political action committees became more influential in school board races.

Why this matters now

The 2026 election tests whether that shift continues.

February 2026

SFUSD teachers strike (2026)

The teachers union went on strike. The district and union reached a deal that ended the strike.

Then

The deal became a backdrop for the 2026 school board election.

Now

The union endorsed a slate of candidates and spent $135,000 on the race.

Why this matters now

Union-backed candidates are trying to translate strike momentum into board seats.

Sources

(9)
+3
The San Francisco Standard Mission Local San Francisco Chronicle (via Yahoo) KALW KQED SFUSD The San Francisco Focal The Ballot Book Mission Local