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San Mateo County Superintendent of Schools candidates joined the Portola Valley community during a forum on Monday evening ahead of the June election. Candidates Héctor Camacho and Chelsea Bonini spoke about their vision to improve literacy, student safety and mental health, to facilitate the integration of artificial intelligence, and to review budgets across all school districts.
The superintendent of schools oversees the San Mateo County Office of Education and supports 23 school districts in the county. The elected individual will be responsible for reviewing and approving each district’s budget, monitoring compliance with state and federal laws, and reviewing each district’s Local Control Accountability Plan.
The forum, hosted by the Portola Valley Parent Teacher Organization, was moderated by former school board trustee Amod Setlur.
Both candidates are former educators, drawing on decades of hands-on experience working with students and teachers through their leadership roles.
Camacho currently serves as the executive director of Equity, Social Justice and Inclusion of the San Mateo County Office of Education. For 25 years, he’s worked in various roles as a paraprofessional, teacher, counselor and education leader. Camacho served on the Board of Education for 11 years.
Bonini formerly taught kindergarten, first grade and second grade. She’s also an attorney and has served on the school board for the San Mateo-Foster City Elementary School District. She was elected to the county Board of Education in 2020 and was re-elected in 2024.
Mental health and student safety
Mental health and student safety are top priorities for parents as the county grapples with concerns about youth emotional well-being and heightened campus security. Candidates were asked about how they would expand the county’s efforts to address campus safety and provide resources for mental health crises.
Camacho believes that the best way to ensure all students are safe and receive adequate mental health support is to serve as the coordinator among school districts, first responders and county health.
He added that he thinks mental health support should be provided in the same way the county developed the Big Five, an emergency plan adopted by all San Mateo County school districts and law enforcement agencies for campus security.
Camacho said the county’s United for Youth Blueprint is an ongoing initiative that aims to address student mental health in this way and his focus is to continue the county’s 2030 plan for improving mental health resources.
As a county board member, Bonini said she has been a strong advocate for mental health services. She also emphasized the importance of following the United for Youth Blueprint to reach the county’s goal in providing accessible and affordable resources.
As a mother to a child with a disability, Bonini said she has experienced taking her child to the psychiatric emergency room and has witnessed the trauma that students experience. In times of crises, the county lacks spaces for youth under the age of 12, she said. Bonini said she would like to continue efforts to expand crisis support for local families by partnering with districts and finding better ways to provide services.
AI and social media
With the rise of AI, school districts face the challenge of navigating a new technology amid growing concerns about its use and data privacy.
For insight on how AI affects the younger generations, Camacho said he turns to the county’s youth to hear their biggest concerns.
“They’re concerned with how it is affecting their ability to learn and access information, but also thinking about their future in the workforce that they’re inheriting,” he said. “It’s another pressure that they’re facing, and young people are already coming to school with a lot of pressure.”
He recalled a conversation he had with a high school senior who had concerns about how AI could replace human interaction in the classroom. Camacho highlighted the importance of bringing students into the conversation about how AI can be integrated into their learning.
Amidst a teacher shortage, Camacho suggested that AI could be used to help educators complete non-student-facing tasks, so long as there are proper guardrails around data privacy. He acknowledged that some districts have already adopted AI policies but some have not, so it’s important for the county office to lead a plan that all school districts can follow.
Bonini added that some districts are being recognized for their AI initiatives, such as the San Carlos School District, which recently received the J. Russell Kent Award for its AI Task Force.
“I feel like programs like that need to be extended throughout the other schools within our county, and our county offices (are) in the prime position to make that happen,” said Bonini. “The reason that schools get Kent awards is that they are replicable programs, and that they are trailblazing an issue that we really need to focus on.”
She said opening up conversations about AI and how it impacts mental health is a discussion that needs to be had with both parents and students.
Support local districts, small and large
With 23 school districts within San Mateo County, all have differing needs and receive different levels of funding. The smallest school district in the county has about 260 students while the largest has nearly 10,000. Candidates were asked how their leadership styles would deliver guidance and support to all local districts.
Camacho emphasized the importance of proactively communicating with each school district to get a better understanding of each of their needs.
“The best county offices are not waiting for a fiscal crisis to happen, they’re working alongside districts all along the way, so that we don’t get to the spot of financial crisis,” said Camacho
An effective county superintendent is present in the community and has strong relationships with district superintendents, local organizations and families, he said. He added that he does not want the county office to become the last resort for schools in times of crisis, but rather a place that can provide ongoing support.
“You become an effective office by being in the community and understanding their needs from their perspective,” Camacho added.
Bonini thinks that it’s important for a county leader to always be listening and conversing with district leaders about how they can support their schools’ needs. She shared her experiences in advocating against the closure of a school for at-promise youth, highlighting the lack of support that is available for these students. She said she would support other under-funded programs.
“Our reserves have grown, but we haven’t found ways to use those reserves to serve students. These students need that,” Bonini said. “There are many other types of programs that we aren’t currently supporting that we could use some of the reserves that we have to support those programs as well.”
She acknowledged that funding is “inadequate” across the county, even in the best funded districts, and would like to prioritize helping schools allocate funds to better support other programs that need more support.
Improving literacy and academic performance
In San Mateo County, 42% of third graders are behind in English literacy, according to The Big Lift, a county Office of Education initiative aimed at improving student literacy skills. Candidates discussed what they would implement at the county level to support districts with literacy struggles. Camacho and Bonini both noted the need for professional development and encouraged schools to support each other.
Camacho said he thinks the county office can help coordinate issues like early literacy by helping districts and schools partner to share effective teaching strategies.
“I think it has to be a regional effort,” he said.
Bonini spoke about offering literacy training and sharing these opportunities across districts. She explained a recent training in which superintendents, county board members and district trustees participated in a simulation that put them in the shoes of a student with a learning disability, such as dyslexia.
Bonini emphasized the need for continued awareness of literacy struggles and modeling teaching methods after effective strategies at other schools.
