Palo Alto residents will vote between Rowena Chiu, Nicole Chiu-Wang, Chris Colohan, Alison Kamhi and Josh Salcman to fill three open seats on Palo Alto Unified School District’s Board of Education on Nov. 5.
Diligently selecting a school board is crucial in ensuring proper oversight of the district. Among other functions, the Board is tasked with establishing district-wide policies, selecting the Superintendent, managing the budget and shaping the curriculum.
The Campanile thinks Rowena Chiu, Alison Kamhi and Josh Salcman will best represent our priorities of maintaining consistent communication with students, parents and teachers, highlighting student well-being and focusing on individualized academic success.
Chiu, Kamhi and Salcman are all endorsed by Palo Alto Mayor Greer Stone, the Palo Alto Educators Association and current School Board Member Shana Segal, among others.
Rowena Chiu, a mother of four, has been a room parent in PAUSD since 2009, a JLS Connections Board president and the Ohlone Elementary PTA president for two years. In May 2023 while serving as the PTA president, Chiu advocated for families affected by the transfer of moderate to severe special education classes from Ohlone Elementary to Nixon Elementary. Her priority for involving families in the decision-making process during this event aligns with the community’s continued calls for transparency from the district. Chiu says she hopes to empower students by granting them a voice in her campaign, inviting them to campaign gatherings and speaking at Response Inclusive Safe Environment Club’s event on April 25. Chiu’s prioritization of mental health, as demonstrated through advocating for student autonomy and speaking for RISE, aligns with The Campanile’s desire to improve mental health resources for students in the district.
Given last spring’s impasse — where PAEA struggled to come to a contract agreement with PAUSD — we think Chiu, the only candidate to rank teacher and staff retention as a top priority, will be a necessary advocate for pushing the district to proactively work to improve its relationships with teachers, benefiting students directly.
Alison Kamhi, a parent of middle school and elementary school PAUSD students who represents immigrant children in legal hearings as part of her day job, emphasizes safety at the forefront of her campaign.
Considering ongoing mental health struggles within PAUSD, we endorse Kamhi for her efforts to improve school safety by co-founding a Gun Violence Prevention group for the Palo Alto Council of PTAs, planning safe bike routes and advocating for investing in mental health and special needs services across the district to combat bullying.
Josh Salcman, a stay-at-home father of three PAUSD students and a PTA member for 10 years, is focused on giving every student the best opportunity to grow.
As a parent of a student with special needs and another with disabilities, Salcman said he prioritizes individualized earning — tailoring educational strategies to the needs and differences of students.
In addition to more learning resources for underserved students, Salcman favors offering Multivariable Calculus and promoting advancement in math.
And with his opposition to limiting the number of Advanced Placement classes students can take, we think Salcman deserves a seat for his efforts to give all students the necessary resources to reach their full potential.
Additionally, in light of California Assembly Bill 3216 — which requires districts to implement a policy limiting or regulating phone use — we support Salcman’s opposition to a blanket ban on cellphones and think his experience as a CEO of a startup centered around education technology for K-12 is an important asset for a school board member in optimizing the integration of technology in classes.
We urge Palo Altans to vote for Chiu, Kamhi and Salcman — however, our main priority is encouraging the community to vote and educate themselves further on each candidate to ensure their selected candidates best represent their individual beliefs.
Editors’ note: The Campanile adviser is a Palo Alto resident and has publicly supported board of education candidates. He did not have a voice in The Campanile’s choices and did not edit this editorial. It was sent to an out-of-state journalist for advice before printing.
