Garcia believes his experience set him apart from other candidates. He worked as a college instructional aide, a paraprofessional, a social studies teacher, a coordinator of student federal programs, the principal of Horace Mann, as superintendent in two California school districts and was also vice-president of the McGraw-Hill Publishing Company. “I am uniquely qualified,” he said. “I’m well-experienced and that’s a good asset to have. I can relate to teachers and principals because I’ve done their job.”

Garcia has nigh hopes for the school district. According to Garcia, compared to other school districts San Francisco is very far behind in technology. He said teachers should have laptops and attendance should be done electronically. “Scantrons are old-school,” he explained.

Another idea that Garcia has for the district is virtual classrooms. To accommodate more students, Garcia wants to offer online high school courses. “Students who can’t fit electives into their schedules because of the other master classes could take their electives online and students who don’t pass the CAHSEE test could take courses online and keep improving.” Class programs and blogs would also be available online, according to Garcia.

The plans to help the district advance technologically can be reached soon, according to Garcia. “I think it’s realistic to say that within two to five years, we’ll be there,” he said.

One problem that stands in the way is money. However, Garcia is meeting with corporations, foundations and businesses to ask for financial backing and support for schools. One of the problems within the district, according to Garcia, is the district’s budget. “We need to fix it because it’s a really weak budget,” he said. One of the major overarching goals that he and the Board of Education have agreed on is accountability and ensuring that they’re keeping a balanced budget, according to Garcia.

Garcia also hopes to close the achievement gap in the district. “We can’t talk about equal opportunity when some kids are so far behind,” he said. “We need to devote time and resources to fix that.”

Garcia has a no-nonsense approach to making changes and improvements. “We need to quit talking and actually identify the problems,” he said.

As superintendent, Garcia works closely with the school board. “We have developed priorities together,” he said. Garcia also works at City Hall, with the Board of Supervisors, serving on Mayor Gavin Newsom’s cabinet.

Human capital is the greatest asset that the district has, according to Garcia. “There are really smart people in San Francisco,” he said.

His favorite aspect of working with the students is the optimism they provide for the future. “Students are smarter than people give them credit for,” he said. “It inspires me, how hard most people work. I have high expectations for them and I believe that they can rise to these expectations.”