Corzo, Zack-Kanga and Thiel for San Mateo-Foster City school board

Still, the three who are elected to oversee the district and its administration will have their hands full with current issues and those that arise in the future.

There are seven candidates for three seats — Noelia Corzo, Alexander Haislip, Rebecca Hitchcock, Shiraz Zack-Kanga, Thomas Morgan, Jacob Thiel and Shara Watkins. Each bring a unique perspective and agree on quite a bit.

Watkins has tremendous upside and brings a perspective as a former teacher. It is difficult not to endorse her since she is bright and capable. Yet she could use a bit more immersion in the district’s specific issues so she can apply her passion for equity and experience in the classroom to this district. Let’s hope she stays involved.

Both Hitchcock and Morgan also provide a good perspective, Hitchcock as an early educator and Thomas as a certified public accountant.

One candidate clearly rises to the top and that is Corzo. In fact, it would be great if she could begin serving today, right this very second. She has a wide breadth of experience beginning as a student herself and as a current parent. She knows the district’s issues from top to bottom and presents a clear-eyed view on how she can make it better. Closing the achievement gap and encouraging parental involvement are key for her along with ensuring there is better transparency and communication — that includes more accessible and clear data so parents and other members of the community can understand what is happening in the classroom. Providing an avenue for teacher engagement in district issues is also a key plank in her platform. She recognizes the value of teachers and seeks to ensure they are valued and respected in all ways.

Thiel too sees the value of teachers and has interesting ideas on including them. One is to have a teacher representative sit with the district administration during board meetings to have their points of view clearly identified during important discussions. It is that kind of out-of-the box thinking that would benefit the district. Thiel has a business background and could provide some of that perspective to think of new approaches to age-old problems. His philosophy that children want to learn and that adults must be creative in engaging them is critical.

Zack-Kanga makes no bones about the need to improve test scores but recognizes there are also needs when it comes to social and emotional learning as well. Her approach is well-rounded and her ideas are creative. For instance, an issue with the achievement gap is always parental involvement and she thinks there could be more social resources — possibly even something as simple as washers and dryers in a new school in North Central San Mateo — as a way to bring parents into the school and create a true community. Another idea is to establish more after-school support and resources in the parents’ language to include them more. She also believes there should be more transparency and communication with the overall community so that everyone is on the same page.

This is an important time for the San Mateo-Foster City Elementary School District and this is an important election for now and the future. What direction the district takes can be forged in how voters in these two cities decide. Right now, the best candidates for these three open seats are Noelia Corzo, Shiraz Zack-Kanga and Jacob Thiel.