Maria Su

Stories

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

Leading district

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.

Updated Yesterday

San Francisco school board votes to replace lottery with neighborhood-based enrollment

Rule Changes

Recommended Option C and pushed it through the board; said boundary lines will be shared publicly in early January 2027

San Francisco's school board voted 5-2 on October 13 to replace the citywide choice lottery with a neighborhood-based system. Every family will get a guaranteed seat at a nearby elementary school starting with the 2028-29 school year. Citywide programs such as language immersion and K-8 schools will still take applications.

Updated Nov 1

SFUSD reveals temporary location for new Mandarin immersion school

New Capabilities

Leading the district's expansion of language immersion programs

San Francisco's new Mandarin immersion school will open in fall 2027 at the Mission Education Center in Noe Valley with one transitional kindergarten class and three kindergarten classes. It will add a grade each year until it reaches K-8.

Updated Oct 26

SFUSD board votes to replace school lottery with neighborhood schools

Rule Changes

Pushed for neighborhood schools, won 5-2 board vote

San Francisco's school board voted 5-2 on October 13 to replace the city's elementary school lottery with neighborhood assignments. Every family gets a seat at its neighborhood school even if it applies late, but can apply elsewhere only to citywide programs such as language immersion and K-8 schools. The Third Baptist Church of San Francisco and Black parents say the change will fall hardest on Black students.

Updated Oct 25

Justice Department investigates SFUSD gender policies as superintendent warns staff to preserve records

Rule Changes

Managing district response to DOJ Title IX investigation

The Justice Department is investigating the San Francisco Unified School District over how it handles gender and sexuality instruction. Superintendent Maria Su told staff Thursday to preserve all records that might relate to the probe.

Updated Oct 17

Notable Quotes

This is an exciting moment for San Francisco families who have been asking for a TK-8 Mandarin Immersion school.

from SFUSD reveals temporary location for new Mandarin immersion school · Updated Oct 26

We are excited to take this next step toward opening this new school as part of the vision to grow and expand learning opportunities at SFUSD.

from SFUSD reveals temporary location for new Mandarin immersion school · Updated Oct 26

Families should not have to roll the dice and try their luck in our system. Families should not have to leave where they live to secure their child's future. The school down the street should be a good option and a certain one.

from SFUSD board votes to replace school lottery with neighborhood schools · Updated Oct 25

Nearly all of our work is subject to open records requests and the District cannot delete or alter records. — Maria Su, email to staff, Oct. 1, 2026

from Justice Department investigates SFUSD gender policies as superintendent warns staff to preserve records · Updated Oct 17

We've heard from families that our enrollment process needs to be easier, it has to be simple and I've said this before, the front door has to be really wide open and easy for families to come into our district.

from San Francisco school board advances plan to replace citywide enrollment lottery · Updated Oct 14

At the end of the day, if we do not have enough families in certain schools, we're going to then engage in those types of conversations about being creative about mergers or other things.

from San Francisco school board advances plan to replace citywide enrollment lottery · Updated Oct 14