San Mateo County

Meet the Candidates for San Mateo County Office of Education

Innovate Public Schools is a nonprofit community organization that builds the leadership and capacity of parents and educators across California and nationwide to realize the excellent, equitable public school systems that our children deserve.

We created this voter guide to help you make your vote count for kids this election.

As a nonprofit 501c3, Innovate Public Schools cannot and does not endorse candidates.


San Mateo County Office of Education

There are seven members of the SMCOE board who are elected by district to four-year terms. Four seats are up. Three candidates are running unopposed.

What does the County Office of Education do?

The County Office of Education has oversight of local school districts - reviewing and approving all school district budgets and Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs). They also coordinate and provide some services such as professional development. Most also operate some programs that provide services directly to students such as special education programs for students with rare disabilities, special day schools for students who have been expelled, and court schools for juvenile offenders. Many also run Regional Occupational Centers/Programs (ROC/Ps). The board also can approve or deny charter schools that were denied by local districts on appeal.

Area 4

Chelsea Bonini

Chelsea is dedicated to improving educational opportunities countywide. Chelsea was a kindergarten and first grade teacher, and she is now the Executive Director of Not Without Us and an attorney. Chelsea served on the school board for the San Mateo-Foster City School District, and most recently, Chelsea was appointed to the San Mateo County Commission on Disabilities and the Personnel Commission for the San Mateo County Office of Education. If elected, Chelsea plans to focus on countywide solutions for adequate and equitable education funding, access to an excellent education for all kids, accountability for providing special education & mental health supports, and early interventions to halt the school-to-prison pipeline.

Rod Hsiao

I am a first generation Chinese-American. My father’s family immigrated to the US and shortly after lost both parents to illness. With limited English, the six siblings had to support themselves, getting jobs before and after school. Our family has never forgotten that tough time.

That is why I seek to address educational equity and help struggling families. I have:

  • Advocated for ways to support underserved families during school closures and distance learning.

  • Helped school districts find better ways to engage and educate students using innovative teaching methods.

  • Directed how to spend school funding effectively using my experience as a non-profit executive.

Please support my re-election to the San Mateo County Board of Education. Learn more at: www.VoteRod.org.

There are three additional seats on the SMCOE board that are up for election, but all have just one candidate and are uncontested:

  • Area 5: Jim Cannon

  • Area 6: Ted Lempert

  • Area 7: Joe Ross

Other Things to Know

Voter registration deadline is October 19! Find out the multiple ways to cast your vote in this upcoming election, including voting with a mail-in ballot automatically sent to all registered voters.

Innovate Public Schools endorses two statewide propositions. Learn why Propositions 15 and 16 are critical for advancing educational opportunity in our state.

Get to know your local school board and city council candidates' views and plans for improving education.

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