Héctor Camacho for San Mateo County superintendent

Ask the families in communities too often overlooked and they will tell you he shows up and actually listens. Not to check a box, but because he believes their voices should shape what happens in their children’s schools.

He has worked with teachers on things no one wants to have to prepare for, like what to do if immigration enforcement shows up on campus, because students deserve to feel safe the moment they walk through the front gates. That kind of work does not get covered in the news. It just matters.

I have observed him move between worlds that do not always talk to one another and he makes each one feel like he belongs there, because he does. He reads with students in classrooms. He shows up when there is something to celebrate and he shows up in moments of grief.

He builds relationships with community partners and funders so that schools have what they actually need, not just what fits neatly in a budget line.

This is what leadership looks like. Not just where you sit or what meeting you attend, but who you stand with, and what you do when no one is watching.

And Hector stands with our students and families, every day.

Manuel Santamaria

South San Francisco