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

Overview

Updated 1 hour ago

San Francisco's school board will have three new or newly elected members in January after Tim Tung and Autumn Brown Garibay won the final two seats on Thursday. They join Phil Kim, who won reelection, giving a slate backed by GrowSF and the San Francisco Democratic Party all three open seats.

The board inherits a district of about 49,000 students and 14,000 empty seats, a budget gap, a new student assignment system and the settlement of February's teachers strike. The union-backed slate lost all three races.

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

Open school board seats

All three seats up for election in November 2026.

Candidates

Eight candidates ran for the three seats.

49,000

Students in SFUSD

Approximate enrollment in the San Francisco Unified School District.

14,000

Empty seats

Approximate number of unfilled seats in district schools.

Union-backed winners

None of the three candidates endorsed by the teachers union won.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

People Involved

Tim Tung

School board member-elect

Won final seat on November 5, 2026

Autumn Brown Garibay

School board member-elect

Won final seat on November 5, 2026

Phil Kim

President, San Francisco Board of Education

Reelected November 3, 2026

Virginia Cheung

Teachers union-backed school board candidate

Lost November 2026 election

Organizations Involved

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

Teachers' union

Backed three losing candidates in 2026

Union representing teachers and other educators in SFUSD.

GrowSF

Political action committee

Spent six figures on winning slate

San Francisco political group that backs candidates it describes as pro-housing and pro-public safety.

SF Parents Action

Political action committee

Endorsed two winners and one loser

Parent-led group that endorses school board candidates.

San Francisco Democratic Party

Political party organization

Endorsed winning slate

Local Democratic Party organization.

Timeline

August 2024 November 2026

6 events Latest: Yesterday

Tap a bar to jump to that date

November 2026
Tung and Brown Garibay declare victory
Latest Election

Tim Tung and Autumn Brown Garibay declare victory after their leads hold in subsequent vote counts.
Yesterday
Kim declared reelected; other seats contested
Election

Phil Kim's win is confirmed. The other two seats remain undecided as votes are counted.
2 days ago
Election day: Kim reelected, newcomers lead
Election

Phil Kim wins reelection; Tung and Brown Garibay lead for two seats.
3 days ago
June 2026
Phil Kim wins special election
Election

Kim defeats Virginia Cheung in a special election for his school board seat.
June 2026
February 2026
Teachers strike shuts SFUSD schools
Labor

Teachers strike for first time in nearly 50 years; deal follows.
February 2026
August 2024
Breed appoints Phil Kim to school board
Appointment

Mayor London Breed appoints Phil Kim to school board vacancy.
August 2024

Scenarios

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.

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.

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