Like many school districts in San Mateo County, Belmont-Redwood Shores Elementary School District is facing challenges with finances and increasing enrollment.
However, its superintendent and Board of Trustees are facing these issues head on and have taken proper steps to ensure there is space and sufficient resources to educate a growing number of children.
While no district or board is perfect, the blend of perspectives of the current board make-up seems to work well. Incumbents Suvarna Bhopale, Amy Koo and Rahila Passi know their stuff, aren’t afraid to ask questions and recognize that community input is paramount in ensuring a successful district.
While it may seem intriguing to add a fresh face to the mix, all three are just getting started. Bhopale was first elected with Koo in 2013, and both are up to speed on district issues.
Koo is beginning to develop relationships at the regional level and engage in further advocacy to ensure inclusion and equity. That is meaningful work and dovetails well with her work on ensuring the district can attract and retain its teachers and stay competitive academically.
Bhopale has a similar mindset and has applied her skills to provide leadership on the district’s strategic planning.
Passi has come up to speed quickly after being named to the board in 2017 and provides an extensive resume of both career experience and district volunteering on a wide range of groups such as PTA and School Force, its education foundation. She is well-versed in district issues and has a keen ability to tick off facts and related ideas and philosophy.
The others in the race bring much to the table as well. After immersing herself in district issues through her involvement and the recent parcel tax campaign, April Northrup would be a tremendous addition to the board if the incumbents were not interested. Honglin Su is also an active volunteer who brings a positive and insightful perspective. Shaunna Solorzano is a relative newcomer and is getting up to speed on district issues. The Belmont-Redwood Shores Elementary School District is a high-functioning school system with its share of issues faced by many similar institutions — enrollment, finances, academic achievement, emotional well-being and the achievement gap. The current make-up of the board is working together well on these issues, and the three incumbents deserve your support.
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