San Francisco school board president Phil Kim won reelection Tuesday night. Mission Local reported that the race was called in his favor soon after the first results posted at 8:45 p.m. Eight candidates ran for three seats.
First-time candidates Tim Tung, a public finance analyst, and Autumn Brown Garibay, an SFUSD parent, were in second and third place. KQED reported that they trailed Kim by more than 6 points. All three were endorsed by the moderate group GrowSF and the San Francisco Democratic Party.
The teachers union slate of Virginia Cheung, Ryan Hazelton and Reina Tello followed, in that order. About 13,000 votes separated Brown Garibay from Cheung in fourth place, KQED said. United Educators of San Francisco president Cassondra Curiel said the union was "still holding out hope." Since 2016, only two UESF-endorsed candidates have lost school board races.
Kim won despite frustration among some parent backers over his vote for Superintendent Maria Su's plan to replace the school lottery with neighborhood assignments. "That means making difficult decisions about school consolidation and ensuring our schools are fully enrolled, adequately funded and positioned to thrive," Kim said in a statement.
Incumbent Alida Fisher, endorsed by SF Parents Action, was near the bottom of the field. KQED said more results were expected Thursday afternoon.
Vote counts cited here are unofficial. Bay Area counties are still processing mail and provisional ballots, and results are not certified until later this month, so margins can change.