Student Well-Being
Every child should feel safe, supported and that they belong.
Strengthen student support, belonging and family partnerships so every child has the opportunity to learn and thrive.
For the
Future
Candidate for San Carlos School District, Governing Board
Megha Chawla
Helping Every Student Thrive
Parent. Community volunteer. Experienced leader.
25 years leading organizations. Decades mentoring, tutoring and coaching kids. Bringing both experiences to the San Carlos School Board.
01
Student Well-Being
02
Academic Excellence
03
Supporting Great Educators & Staff
04
Future-Ready Learning
Our schools must protect what matters most: the well-being of our students, while preparing them with the skills, critical thinking, and confidence to succeed in a changing world.
Parenting and participating in our vibrant San Carlos community
A parent, community volunteer, and technology leader.
Leadership Experience
More than 25 years leading teams and managing complex budgets at Microsoft, Oracle, and startups, experience I will bring to the Board.
Community Service
From youth mentoring and tutoring to coaching and local volunteering, I have spent years showing up for San Carlos families.
Technology Leadership
I bring decades of technology leadership to help our schools make thoughtful decisions about emerging technologies, protecting student privacy, preserving teacher judgment and keeping learning at the center.
Why I'm Running
Education is the greatest equalizer.
Coming from a small town and a humble background, education was the greatest opportunity I had. It opened doors that otherwise would have remained closed and made it possible for me to build the life and career I have today. That experience shaped my belief that education is one of the greatest equalizers.
For more than 20 years I have also dedicated my time to mentoring, coaching, tutoring, and volunteering because I believe every child deserves adults who invest in their success.
Today our children are entering a rapidly changing world. Our responsibility is to preserve the strong academic foundation our schools are known for while preparing students for the world they will graduate into.
What I'll Focus On
My four priorities
Academic Excellence
Support every student. Challenge every student.
Protect strong fundamentals and high-quality instruction, with added help or greater challenge based on what each student needs.
Supporting Great Educators & Staff
Great schools depend on great people. Let’s keep them here.
Support, retain and listen to the educators and staff who make our schools successful.
Future-Ready Learning
Strong foundations first. Technology where it truly helps.
Build strong fundamentals, creativity and critical thinking, using technology thoughtfully only when it adds clear value.
Why Megha
Why I'm qualified
I bring both professional leadership and a long record of showing up for San Carlos families.
Leadership
25+ years leading teams and complex technology organizations.
Fiscal Responsibility
Drawing on 25 years of leadership to manage significant budgets, make thoughtful tradeoffs, protect classroom programs, and plan for the long term.
Community
Long-time San Carlos resident, tutor, youth mentor, athletic director, coach, and education volunteer.
Responsible Leadership
Bring independent judgment, careful listening, and data-informed decision-making to every board vote, always putting students, educators, and families first.
Community Voices
Endorsements
Trusted by organizations, elected leaders, educators, parents, and neighbors across San Carlos.
Editorial Endorsement
“Also impressive is Chawla, who focuses on data and also making sure she can be a bridge of communication with parents.”
Organizational Endorsement
San Mateo County Democrats
Organizational Endorsement
San Mateo County AAPI Alliance
Unions
Union Endorsement
San Mateo County Central Labor Council
Union Endorsement
North Coast States Carpenters Union
Elected & Education Leaders
John Dugan
San Carlos City Council member
Mark Olbert
Former Mayor - City of San Carlos
Ron Collins
Former Mayor - City of San Carlos
Patricia Love
San Mateo County Board of Education Trustee, Area 6 (Representing San Carlos)
Mary Beth Thompson
Sequoia Union High School District Trustee, representing Area B
Supported by educators, parents, community leaders, and neighbors across San Carlos.
Titles and affiliations are listed for identification purposes only. Endorsers are participating as private individuals; their organizations are not endorsing this campaign.
Where I Stand
My positions, in brief.
Clear, short answers on the issues families ask about most.
Local school funding / parcel tax
I support our local parcel tax for locally controlled, accountable school funding.
Student well-being
Student well-being comes first. Build partnerships with local resources to bring complete support centered around students and parents.
Strong academics
Protect strong fundamentals in literacy, math, science, arts, music, and enrichment.
Strong Foundations Before AI
In K–8, students should first develop their own ability to read, write, reason, create and think critically. I do not believe generative AI should be a routine classroom learning tool for young students.
Responsible budgeting
Bring fiscal discipline, transparency, and careful oversight to district budgets, making thoughtful tradeoffs while protecting what matters most for students and classrooms.
Supporting educators and staff
Partner with the City Council on creative workforce housing solutions to make housing more affordable for our school employees.
Get Involved
Good schools are built by neighbors who show up.
This campaign is about listening first, to educators and staff, to families, and to students, and then doing the careful work of turning what we hear into thoughtful decisions.