Why You Should Care About This Election

Since honors and Advanced Standing courses were eliminated for freshmen and sophomores districtwide, over 1,200 parents signed a petition asking the board to bring them back. In April 2026, a motion to restore honors access failed on a 3–2 vote. The Almanac, April 2026

This isn't an abstract curriculum debate. Every kid is passionate about something different - math, chemistry, English, the arts - and it shouldn't matter which. It's about whether your child gets a real chance to be challenged in whatever area they're ready for, instead of being held to the same pace as everyone else.

The district cut Advanced Standing science courses at Carlmont too - physics and chemistry among them. Advanced English for incoming freshmen is one of the few courses Carlmont still has, while the district removed it entirely at the other three campuses, which may be exactly why this doesn't feel urgent if your kids are there. Last April, a trustee proposed adding the honors English option back at the other three schools, without touching Carlmont's. The board member I'm challenging voted against that expansion, and at the same meeting said the district should look into why Carlmont still offers English while the other schools had it removed SUHSD Board Meeting, April 2026. This board has only ever equalized access by cutting it. There's nothing stopping that from being next.

Our kids deserve a school system that keeps them competitive, not one that's falling further behind. See Alon's plan to restore academic choice.

SUHSD spends close to $270 million a year to educate our kids SUHSD Board Meeting, June 2026, yet only 51 cents of every dollar goes into direct classroom instruction Ballotpedia. The rest goes to administrative and operating costs rather than direct instruction.

Sound management matters, but more of every dollar should reach the classroom, teachers, and students first.

A starting SUHSD teacher earns $86,466 a year - low income by Bay Area standards M-A Chronicle. The average home in Belmont is now valued at $2.6 million Belmont home values. Statewide, 84% of California teachers say they can't afford to live near their schools, and 4 in 10 are considering leaving the profession over financial pressure The Almanac, July 2026 - a crisis playing out right here in our own community.

The board has real tools here that don't require a new tax. It can partner with existing county programs - like below-market home loans and down payment assistance - to help teachers buy locally. It can also use the state's 2022 Teacher Housing Act to explore building workforce housing directly on land the district already owns, without a rezoning fight EdSource. Our neighboring Jefferson Union High School District already did this: it built 122 below-market apartments for its teachers and staff on land it already owned ABC7 News. SUHSD hasn't seriously pursued either path. I'll make sure it does.

AI is moving faster than any technology shift in a generation - and honestly, that's a little scary. It's exactly why our kids need to be prepared for it, not caught off guard by it. That means teaching them to actually leverage AI as a tool, doubling down on the skills it can't replace - leadership, public speaking, storytelling - and excelling in the sciences AI is supercharging, not replacing.

A board that's reactive instead of proactive on AI in the classroom is preparing kids for a world that no longer exists. This district needs a board member who understands the technology shaping our kids' future firsthand - not one learning it for the first time on the job.

Strong public schools build strong communities. A school system anchored by real academic excellence is one of the best things a community can offer, not just to the families enrolled today, but to everyone who lives here.

When a public school stops offering real academic challenge, the families who can afford to opt out for private school or private tutoring will, and the families who can't are left with less. A public school should be the place where every kid gets a real shot at being challenged, not just the ones whose parents can pay around the gaps.

That loss of confidence shows up in home values too. Most of us didn't move to Area A by accident, we came here for the schools, and real estate data shows school quality is one of the biggest drivers of home values on the Peninsula, with well-regarded districts commanding a real premium over comparable homes nearby. San Carlos vs. Belmont: Why Home Prices Are Higher