Candidate for
Board Member; San Francisco Unified School District

I grew up in Brooklyn, New York and attended both public and parochial schools there. My mother was an elementary school teacher, my father worked in sales until war-related disabilities rendered him unable to work while I was still in High School. From age 11 I worked a variety of jobs: street vendor, circular distributor, dishwasher, shape-up day laborer, garment factory go-fer, janitor, sign painter's assistant, stack boy, parcel delivery, hospital clerk and others. For several years I was a full time staffer at The Catholic Worker (CW) House of Hospitality in New York City, providing direct services to homeless men and women in that city's Bowerey (skid row) section. As part of my work with the CW I also participated in pacifist opposition to the Viet Nam War. In 1966 I voluntarily surrendered my student draft deferment and subsequently was imprisoned for two years for resisting the military draft After prison I became a registered Nurse, and ultimately a Pediatrician, moving to San Francisco in 1982 to complete my residency at UCSF. I have been a staff physician at North East Medical Services in Chinatown, at St Mary's Hospital Clinic, and on the clinical faculty at SFGH/UCSF. Since 1987 I have been in practice at Pacific Pediatrics Medical Group. My wife and I have three adult children, one of whom is still in college. All three children attended SFUSD's first Chinese Immersion program starting from kindergarden.

Education/Professional:

• AA, Nursing Bronx Community College 1973
• BS, Biology. Magna Cum Laude, Columbia University
• MD, Stanford University, 1980
• Pediatric Internship Los Angeles Children's Hospital 1980
• Pediatric Residency UCSF 1982
• Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics

• Phi Beta Kappa, Columbia University, 1976
• Pediatric Chief Residency UCSF 1984
• Most Outstanding Alumni Award, Stanford Medical School, 1995

• 21 years as parent in the SFUSD,
• Bd member UCSF Childcare/Study Center, 4 yrs
• Bd member West Portal Care, 6 yrs
• Bd member Parents for Immersion Education 6 yrs
• Bd member The SF Child Abuse Prevention Center 12 yrs
• Instructor, Tahoe Adaptive Ski School 10 yrs
• Advisory Committee, SF Arts Education Project 10yrs
• Advisory Committee, Ruth Asawa Fund 2yrs
• Marriage Commissioner, officiated at same-sex weddings in 2004

• Elected San Francisco Board of Education 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002,
• President, 1995, 2004
• Vice President, four terms
• Chaired: Budget, Rules, and Curriculum committees multiple terms

• Restored Arts Programs to K-5 curriculum
• Strengthened High School curriculum standards
• Led the effort to reduce class size
• Improved the Early Childhood Program
• Increased support for classroom supplies
• Wrote Safe Routes To Schools policy improving pedestrian safety
• Supported Bilingual Education for all students
• Strengthened policies against sexual harassment
• Increased support for counseling and library services
• Opposed the fiscal irresponsibility prior Board leadership
• Strongly opposed school privatization
• Strongly opposed anti-immigrant and anti-bilingual state

initiatives

• Supported teachers whose licenses were threatened for hosting

CUAV speakers in their classroom

• Sponsored School Gardens Program
• Sponsored School Nutrition Program
• Sponsored "Tools for Schools" promoting Indoor air quality and

Asthma awareness standards

• Strengthened Family Diversity curriculum supporting LGBT families
• Protected students' privacy against unwanted recruitment

approaches

• Negotiated Beijing-San Francisco student exchange program