Campaign Updates

Our campaign is entering its next phase, and I'm grateful for the support behind it. Thank you for everyone who has reached out, offered support, put up a yard sign, made a donation, or shared a story.

In recent weeks, I've been honored to earn the endorsement of:

• San Mateo County Central Labor Council
• North Coast States Carpenters Union
• San Mateo County AAPI Alliance
• Bay Area Jewish Coalition Action

I've also been named a 2026 Gun Sense Candidate by Moms Demand Action.

These endorsements reflect a shared commitment to strong public schools, safe campuses, and a San Carlos community that works for every family. As the campaign moves into this next stretch, I'll keep listening, learning, and showing up.

Tomorrow, the Board holds a study session on the budget. We'll review the District's current financial position and consider the options we'll need to choose from if Measure K passes and if it comes up short. I'm looking forward to a thorough discussion on the way to a budget stabilization plan in October.

Mark your calendars: the League of Women Voters, SCEF, and the PTAs will host a candidate forum on October 15th. More details to come.

Thank you for being part of this. Let's keep going.

I wanted to share some good news. The San Mateo Daily Journal recently published a piece introducing our San Carlos School District Board race and giving readers a look at why each of us is running. I was glad to talk with them about what drew me to the board in the first place: our district's major capital improvement program, and the chance to help us navigate some genuinely uncertain financial times ahead.

The Daily Journal also made their endorsement and I'm honored to say they're backing my campaign. They called me "by far the most knowledgeable and engaged" candidate in the race, someone who "knows the issues the district is facing and is highly capable of continuing to lead." They also pointed to the continuity I can offer a board that's going through some turnover right now.

That means a lot. There's important work ahead on enrollment, facilities, and finances, and I'm asking San Carlos voters for the chance to keep at it.

This week I sat down for two endorsement interviews: one with the San Mateo County Democratic Party and one with the editorial team at the San Mateo Daily Journal. Both were substantive conversations about what our kids and our schools actually need and I appreciated the chance to make the case.

Afterwards, I took off the candidate hat, put on my dad hat and went to Back to School Night. I got to hear directly from our children's teachers about their plans for the year, and to take in the classrooms: the "About Me" walls, every kid's name up on the board, the goals we’re setting for them and that they're setting for themselves. It's a good reminder of exactly who we're doing all of this for.

Then last night, some news that meant a lot: my interview panel from the San Mateo County Democratic Party unanimously recommended my endorsement, and it received overwhelming support from the San Mateo County Democratic Central Committee. I'm grateful for their confidence and more motivated than ever heading into November.

What's touched me most, though, has been closer to home. This week some of the parents from my kids' school have reached out asking for a yard sign and a few of them told me they'd never actively supported a candidate before. That means more than any endorsement. This is why I love our community.

Thank you for being in this with me. 💙

📷 Top: my interview with the San Mateo Daily Journal. Below: Back to School Night at our school.

A few milestones this week that I wanted to share.

First, I was proud to roll out my initial round of endorsements from leaders who represent San Carlos at every level of government. Their support means a great deal to me, and I'm grateful for the confidence they've placed in this campaign. It's an encouraging start, and there's more to come.

I also had the chance to meet Shivani and Megha, two of my fellow candidates, in person for the first time. It was good to connect, hear about their backgrounds, and what drew them to want to serve on the School Board. However this race unfolds, we all share the same fundamental goal: strong schools and the best possible outcomes for San Carlos students. I appreciated the conversations.

Finally, I took part in a Facilities Steering Committee meeting to review our progress and help chart the path forward on implementing Measure H and the Facilities Master Plan. This work is close to my heart since it's what drew me to the board in the first place and it was energizing to dig into where we are and what comes next. Delivering these projects responsibly, on behalf of the whole community, is exactly the kind of work I want to keep doing.

More soon but in the meantime, the Measure K parcel tax campaign is up and running and could use your help. Check out why this is so important and (if you can) donate to help get the word out.

Another busy week is in the books. The highlights: a ribbon cutting on Monday marking the completion of summer construction (see the post below), taking my kids to visit my son's new TK classroom on Tuesday, the first day of school on Wednesday, and some important updates at Thursday's Board meeting.

I'm still over the moon about all the work that happened across our campuses this summer, and getting to cut the ribbon (alongside Trustee Hamirani's son) was a real highlight. But what matters most is what it represents: the first finished Measure H project. These HVAC upgrades reach every one of our schools and go to work for our learners right away. That was the biggest promise we made with Measure H, and it's been fully delivered just two years later. Wow!

Tuesday and Wednesday were full of first-week excitement. It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces, and to be there as our little guy stepped into his new big-boy school. Maybe it's the spruced-up campus, maybe it's the new food vendor, maybe it's something else entirely but the start of school has felt extra joyous this year. I hope you're all feeling it too.

Finally, we held our first Board meeting of the school year last night. Two updates worth highlighting:

1. We're beginning to review last year's results and metrics, and there are some real markers of progress. First, our chronic absenteeism rate (the share of kids who miss more than 10% of the school year) has fallen to 4.6%, below where it stood in 2019 before the pandemic and down from over 9% in 2023. That's a remarkable result at a time when most districts are still wrestling with elevated absenteeism. Second, our work supporting and reclassifying English Learners who are ready for mainstream classes is paying off: our English Learner population did incredibly well on state tests. Both were data-driven priorities we identified last year, and it's amazing to see the focus deliver.

2. We also got an update on the State budget (moderately good news), where we stand financially (mostly precarious, and highly dependent on what happens with Measure K in November), and the road to a Budget Stabilization Plan in October. That will be an important conversation—staff will bring ideas for our medium-term outlook both if Measure K passes and if it doesn't. I'd love to hear from folks as those plans take shape.

More to come next week!

Yesterday, we were joined by our City Council members and Supervisor Ray Mueller to celebrate the ribbon cutting marking the completion of our summer construction projects at White Oaks, Heather, and Brittan Acres.

Over the summer, crews installed new HVAC systems, upgraded doors and windows, replaced roofs, and completed additional improvements across all three campuses. The result: more comfortable, modern, and energy-efficient learning environments that are ready just in time for students to return to school.

The work was completed in just 44 days. We're grateful to Flint Builders for the tremendous effort that made it possible.

None of this would have happened without the San Carlos voters who passed Measure H. Our thanks go out to them, and huge kudos to San Carlos School District staff, Flint Builders, and all of the partners and construction workers who pulled this off.