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Tim Tung and Autumn Brown Garibay win final San Francisco school board seats

Tim Tung and Autumn Brown Garibay win final San Francisco school board seats

Rule Changes San Francisco, CA local

The two newcomers join reelected President Phil Kim, giving a slate backed by GrowSF and the Democratic Party all three open seats, with about $407,000 behind it.

5 days ago: Preliminary report confirms margins

Overview

Updated 3 days ago

Tim Tung and Autumn Brown Garibay won the final two San Francisco school board seats after declaring victory on Thursday, joining reelected board President Phil Kim. The three were backed by GrowSF and the San Francisco Democratic Party, and they took every seat on the ballot.

Campaign filings put about $407,000 behind the winning slate, roughly 1.4 times the $283,000 supporting the teachers union's three candidates. The new board takes office in January with school mergers, a new neighborhood assignment system and federal investigations into district policies ahead.

Why it matters

The new board will decide whether to close schools, redraw enrollment zones and set classroom AI policy for 49,000 students.

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Key Indicators

3
Open school board seats
All three seats up for election in November 2026.
$407K
Spending behind winning slate
Candidate money plus outside spending for Kim, Tung and Brown Garibay, per campaign filings.
$283K
Union slate spending
Raised by the three union-backed candidates and spent on their behalf, including $210,000 from the union and a labor PAC.
16,716
Tung's margin over 4th place
Lead over the nearest unsuccessful candidate in the county's November 6 preliminary report.
0
Union-backed winners
None of the three candidates endorsed by the teachers union won.

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People Involved

TT
Tim Tung
School board member-elect
Won final seat on November 5, 2026
 Autumn Brown Garibay
Autumn Brown Garibay
School board member-elect
Won final seat on November 5, 2026
PK
Phil Kim
President, San Francisco Board of Education
Reelected November 3, 2026
VC
Virginia Cheung
Teachers union-backed school board candidate
Lost November 2026 election
RH
Ryan Hazelton
Teachers union-backed school board candidate
Lost November 2026 election

Organizations Involved

SF
San Francisco Unified School District Board of Education
School board
Governing body for SFUSD

Seven-member board that sets policy and hires the superintendent for San Francisco's public schools.
United Educators of San Francisco
United Educators of San Francisco
Teachers' union
Backed three losing candidates in 2026

Union representing teachers and other educators in SFUSD.
GrowSF
GrowSF
Political action committee
Spent $242,000 on the winning slate

San Francisco political group that backs candidates it describes as pro-housing and pro-public safety.
SF Parents Action
SF Parents Action
Political action committee
Endorsed two winners and one loser

Parent-led group that endorses school board candidates.
San Francisco Democratic Party
San Francisco Democratic Party
Political party organization
Endorsed winning slate

Local Democratic Party organization.

Timeline

August 2024 November 2026

7 events Latest: 5 days ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Preliminary report confirms margins

    Latest Election

    With almost 90% of ballots counted, the county's preliminary report showed Tung ahead of fourth place by 16,716 votes and Brown Garibay by 15,653. Virginia Cheung trailed by more than 14,000 votes.

  2. Tung and Brown Garibay declare victory

    Election

    Tim Tung and Autumn Brown Garibay declare victory after their leads hold in subsequent vote counts.

  3. Kim declared reelected; other seats contested

    Election

    Phil Kim's win is confirmed. The other two seats remain undecided as votes are counted.

  4. Election day: Kim reelected, newcomers lead

    Election

    Phil Kim wins reelection; Tung and Brown Garibay lead for two seats.

  5. Phil Kim wins special election

    Election

    Kim defeats Virginia Cheung in a special election for his school board seat.

  6. Teachers strike shuts SFUSD schools

    Labor

    Teachers strike for first time in nearly 50 years; deal follows.

  7. Breed appoints Phil Kim to school board

    Appointment

    Mayor London Breed appoints Phil Kim to school board vacancy.

Scenarios

1

Board approves first school closures by June 2027

Possible Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: SFUSD administrators and fiscal experts

The district faces about 14,000 empty seats and structural budget deficits. If the new board votes to close or merge at least one school in the 2027 budget cycle, this scenario resolves yes. The vote would likely come after community engagement and a district facilities review.

2

Board rejects closures, keeps all schools open through 2027

Possible Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Community groups and some parent advocates

Opponents of closures argue the district should first fix inequitable resourcing and enrollment before shrinking its footprint. If the board votes down every closure or merger proposal in the 2027 budget cycle, this scenario resolves yes.

3

Board adopts zone-based student assignment system by end of 2027

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: District officials and candidates

The board is expected to take up a revised student assignment system after nearly a decade of work. Tim Tung and Autumn Brown Garibay both support moving toward a zone-based model with some choice. If the board formally adopts a new system, this scenario resolves yes.

Historical Context

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

February 2022

San Francisco school board recall (2022)

San Francisco voters recalled three school board members amid frustration over prolonged pandemic school closures and a focus on renaming schools. The recall drew national attention and reshaped the board.

Then

Mayor London Breed appointed replacements, and the board shifted toward reopening schools and budget oversight.

Now

The recall showed how parent anger over school governance could override union and established endorsements, setting a template for outside spending in later races.

Why this matters now

The 2026 election again pitted a parent- and donor-backed slate against union-backed candidates, with similar arguments about competence and accountability.

February 2026

SFUSD teachers strike (2026)

San Francisco teachers went on strike for the first time in nearly 50 years. The strike ended with a deal that the new board inherits.

Then

The settlement added costs and shaped the election, with the union backing three candidates who lost.

Now

The strike exposed tensions between the board, superintendent and union, and the new board must oversee the deal's implementation.

Why this matters now

The strike was the backdrop to the election, and the union's losing slate shows how the political balance shifted.

Sources

(6)
Mission Local The San Francisco Standard KQED SF Parents Action GrowSF San Francisco Chronicle