About
Working towards better public schools in SF
As the political advocacy affiliate (501c4) of the San Francisco Parent Coalition, we advocate for policies and elected officials who put the needs of San Francisco's public school students first.
Our mission is to empower public school parents in San Francisco to advocate for policy change and local candidates who support public school families and students.
We organize parents and community partners to keep our elected leaders accountable to student-centered policies.
We have to remember who we're fighting for: our city’s kids. There are deep inequities in our public school system. That alone demands our full attention. At SF Parents, we work to make sure that does not get lost. Our commitment is to true equity and excellence in San Francisco’s public schools, and supporting candidates who will ensure all SFUSD students can access an excellent education and everything they need to thrive, no matter their background.
We are a true grassroots collective of parent advocates, and we need your help! Please consider signing up to volunteer with us today.
We cannot achieve these important wins for kids without funding to:
- build an incredible canvassing team
- print materials and translate to multiple languages
- run a strong parent-led endorsement process
- facilitate a first-of-its-kind-in-SF School Board leadership program for parents and supporters
- push out digital ads, send mailers, and write postcards to thousands of SF voters
Please if you can, support our work with a donation of any size today.
SF Parent Action (formerly Decreasing the Distance) was founded in the summer of 2020, and is a collective of thousands of San Francisco public school parents, students, teachers, and community champions. The organization is the political sister organization to SF Parent Coalition, and we advocate for policies and elected officials who put the needs of San Francisco's public school students first. Our mission is to empower public school parents in San Francisco to advocate for policy change and local candidates who support public school families and students. We organize families and family champions to keep our elected leaders accountable to student-centered policies.
Past News
San Francisco Unified recall shows how parents can transform a school district.
School boards shouldn’t be political stepping stones for higher office.
Edsource
Collins, López and Moliga are out.
Here’s how parents can keep the new S.F. school board in line
The San Francisco Chronicle
In Landslide, San Francisco Forces Out 3 Board of Education Members
The recall, which galvanized Asian Americans, was a victory for parents angered by the district’s priorities during the pandemic.
The New York Times
San Francisco Voters Oust 3 School Board Members in Recall
After years of friction, they lose in a landslide.
Bloomberg
Our Board
Meredith Willa Dodson
Meredith Willa Dodson is an education policy professional with a background in nonprofit planning and evaluation. She is a parent of a preschooler and a kindergartener, and plans to see them go through SFUSD start-to-finish following in the footsteps of their dad. Her commitment to this work is grounded in listening, lifting up, and advocating for what is best for children and families. Meredith’s first jobs out of college—first as a social worker in the Bronx, NY, then as a researcher for the National Center for Children in Poverty—solidified her understanding of injustices and inequities embedded in our society as well as her commitment to applying her waking, working hours to fighting them. She has a Masters in Public Policy from UC Berkeley, and a Bachelors in Child Development from Cornell University. You can reach Meredith at [email protected].
Yvette Byes Edwards
Yvette Byes Edwards brings a passion for learning and advocating, and strong research skills gained through her experience as a legal educator for California bar examinees and an Adjunct Professor of Law. Yvette has been working in the post-legal education field and with academic support programs at Bay Area law schools for 20 years. She works closely with law schools, and their students, as they prepare for the bar exam, and is also an educator in the e-learning industry. She believes access to information is a critical driver for every person being able to make informed decisions. She holds a Juris Doctorate from Syracuse University College of Law, and is a parent of a rising 3rd Grader and 5th Grader within SFUSD.
Amanda Kahn Fried
Amanda Kahn Fried is Policy and Communications leader in the City and County of San Francisco. She has held a variety of roles in local government in both San Francisco and New York City. She currently serves on the Board of the Urban Services YMCA. Amanda grew up in Philadelphia and earned a B.A. in Political Science and Urban Studies from Stanford University, and a Masters in Public Administration from New York University. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and two daughters.
Alex Wong
Alex Wong is a public policy professional with vast experience working on Capitol Hill, state legislatures and political campaigns. He current is a community and governmental relations manager for Kaiser Permanente and previously served as the senior field representative for California State Senator Scott Wiener. He was also a staffer for Congressman Chris Van Hollen (MD-08). He has a masters in public policy from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelors in political science from the University of Virginia.
His passion policies are tax, health and transportation issues.
Volunteer
Volunteers are the heart of our organization. We are volunteer run and led. Please join us in doing the important work of advocating for San Francisco’s public school families.
