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Amy Koo is the parent of two Sequoia Union High School District students and is currently representing Area A, which includes Redwood Shores, Belmont, San Carlos and parts of Redwood City. She told The Almanac that she’s running for re-election to continue the work she started during her first term. She’s facing challenger Alon Shiran on the Nov. 3 ballot.
Koo said her priorities are similar to her first term: Improving communication, recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers, improving operational and fiscal responsibility, and creating a safe and inclusive environment.
Koo’s background is in engineering but she currently works as a financial educator and planner. Her past experiences have given her analytical skills, allowing her to look at everything from a strategic standpoint, she said.
Learn more about this race
Candidate Comparison Grids: Where do Sequoia Union High School District candidates stand?
The Sequoia Union High School District will have two seats on the Nov. 3 ballot, representing Areas A and D on the school board.
View the comparison grid ➔Over the last four years, Koo said the board has been able to conduct a communications audit, launch a new website, produce an internal newsletter for parents and staff and provide parents with a platform that tracks student achievements.
For her second term, Koo is looking forward to working on “things that are harder to implement … where the rubber meets the road.”
As other parents, including candidates for the school board, make it a priority to restore all ninth-grade advanced courses at district campuses, Koo is firmly against the idea. She said high school should be a place where students can figure out what they’re interested in by the time they graduate without having to feel stressed and anxious.
Voter Guide 2026
Get to know the candidates and measures on your ballot with The Almanac’s 2026 Voter Guide, including in-depth profiles, issue comparison grids and campaign finance coverage.
View the Voter Guide ➔“Ninth grade is kind of a big melting pot,” she said. “The students are coming from many different places, so we want to free up time for them to explore different things.”
Koo said students should be challenged, but “not so much that they’re doing it for the wrong reasons,” due to the pressure of “checking all the boxes to get into a top college.” Rather, students should pursue advanced classes in subjects that interest them, she added.
The recent closure of TIDE Academy in Menlo Park, the increase in lawsuits against the district and growing discontent from parents about advanced courses have contributed to tensions between some parents and the school board. Koo said she thinks continuing to improve district communications and broadening methods of sharing information is one way to regain the community’s trust.
Koo said she is aware that the public is concerned that the board is “not listening” or “not engaging and taking their opinions.” She adds that not every decision the district makes will be supported by all groups, but as long as people understand the rationale behind it and can accept the decision, the board has done its job.
“I’m a pretty transparent person and that’s really what you’re voting for — someone who is open to listening and taking in different inputs, ” Koo said. “I do my research. I’m open-minded. I talk about change and I advocate for change.”
For more information on Koo’s campaign, visit amykoo.org.
Visit The Almanac’s 2026 Election Center to learn more about the local races on your ballot.
Read about the other candidate
Voter Guide: Alon Shiran, Sequoia Union High School District’s Area A seat
Alon Shiran is a Belmont resident and parent of three prospective Sequoia Union High School District students who is running for the Area A seat on the board.
Koo is an embarrassment to the district. She needs to go.
I didn’t realize that 9th grade was primarily supposed to be a “melting pot.” I thought that it was supposed to be a continuation of a student’s education, based on his or her level of preparedness.
What happens in these “melting pot” classrooms is largely unproductive for all involved. How is an English teacher supposed to teach to a class of students whose ability levels span 5-6 grade levels? How can a science teacher educate a class where some students are taking algebra II and some don’t know how to add negative numbers?
We cannot sacrifice the goal of education at the feet of social policies. If SUHSD insists on continuing down this path, it will just push wealthier families into private schools—defeating the attempt to create a melting pot in the first place.