Megha Chawla for San Carlos School BoardMegha ChawlaSan Carlos School Board

Priorities

Four priorities I'm running on

Practical commitments shaped by conversations with educators, staff, and families: student well-being, academic excellence, supporting great educators and staff, and future-ready learning.

01

Student Well-Being

Every child should feel safe, supported and that they belong.

Academic success begins with well-being. Every child, regardless of their background, race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, or family circumstances, deserves to feel safe, respected, and supported at school. I will strengthen student support, belonging, and family partnerships so every child has the opportunity to learn and thrive.

  • Increase awareness of the mental-health and counseling resources our district already offers
  • Strengthen partnerships with families so support at school and at home work together
  • Identify needs early and connect students with help before small struggles become big ones
  • Foster belonging on every campus, with a clear focus on bullying prevention
  • Support smoother transitions, especially into middle school
02

Academic Excellence

Support every student. Challenge every student.

San Carlos schools are known for strong academics. Keeping them strong means protecting the fundamentals and a well-rounded education for every student.

  • Continue to keep a sharp focus on literacy, math, and science fundamentals, plus arts, music, and enrichment
  • Support high-quality instruction and meaningful, ongoing professional development of teachers
  • Support appropriate differentiation so students who need additional help receive it, while students ready for greater challenge continue to grow
  • Emphasize critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving alongside technology skills
03

Supporting Great Educators & Staff

Great schools depend on great people. Let’s keep them here.

Great schools depend on great people. Teachers, paraeducators, instructional aides, custodians, support staff, and everyone who helps our schools run successfully play an important role in our students' education and well-being.

  • Treat retaining great educators and staff as a priority because stability and experience directly benefit students
  • Partner with the City of San Carlos to explore workforce housing solutions that help our school employees afford to remain in our community
  • Give educators a meaningful voice in evaluating classroom technology and provide training and support when new tools are adopted
  • Technology should support educators’ work, never replace their professional judgment or the relationships at the heart of teaching
  • Protect teachers' planning time and look for ways to reduce unnecessary administrative burden across our schools
  • Make sure educators and staff have a meaningful voice in decisions that affect their work and our students
04

Future-Ready Learning

Strong foundations first. Technology where it truly helps.

Preparing children for the future does not mean putting more technology in front of them. In K–8, it starts with strong foundations in reading, writing, math, science, creativity, independent thinking and critical thinking.

  • Keep foundational learning and critical thinking at the center of K–8 education
  • Do not make generative AI a routine classroom learning tool for young students
  • Give educators a meaningful voice in decisions about classroom technology
  • Protect student privacy and carefully evaluate the safety and educational value of new tools before introducing them
  • Consider targeted uses of technology where there is a clear student benefit, such as appropriate accessibility, special-needs support or language support
  • As students mature, build the digital literacy and critical-thinking skills they need to understand emerging technologies and navigate them responsibly

How I'll Govern

My approach to leadership on the board

Transparent, Responsible Leadership

I will bring 25 years of professional leadership experience to responsible budgeting, transparent decisions and thoughtful tradeoffs that protect classroom programs and prioritize resources that directly benefit students.

  • Fiscal responsibility and careful stewardship of district resources, with a focus on protecting classroom programs
  • Transparency in how decisions are made and communicated
  • Genuine community engagement with families, educators, staff, and students
  • Data-informed decisions grounded in evidence, not assumptions
  • Long-term planning that balances competing priorities

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