Photos courtesy of Chelsea Bonini and Hector Camacho
On June 2, San Mateo county voters will select between Chelsea Bonini and Héctor Camacho in a race for county superintendent of schools. The election will have implications for the education system across San Mateo County.
The county superintendent of schools heads the County Office of Education, which provides support services for districts in the county, ensures they are compliant with state laws and reviews and approves districts’ budgets. The county superintendent also oversees special education programs and Court and Community Schools, which serve vulnerable students, such as those in the juvenile justice system, those who have been expelled or those who are experiencing homelessness.
The role was previously held by Nancy Magee, who retired in February and died of cancer in April.
Camacho, the executive director of Equity, Social Justice and Inclusion at the Office of Education and a trustee on the San Mateo County Board of Education, began his 27-year-long career in education working as a classroom aide and has since held many roles in education, including as a teacher and university administrator.
Camacho said he was persuaded to run for superintendent largely because of changes in education by the federal government.
“We had a new federal administration come in, and the goals of that administration, as a California educator, felt very contrary to what we are trying to do here in California schools around [inclusivity],” Camacho said. “The work that [I’ve] been doing has been leading to this moment where we need a real champion for children, for young people, for students — particularly those that have been and continue to be marginalized and [are] now attacked by their federal government.”
Bonini also began her career as a teacher. She then became an attorney and practiced law for 25 years. She became involved in the local education system through her kids’ school and served as a trustee on the San Mateo Foster City School District Board. Bonini also served on other commissions in the County Office of Education and is currently a trustee on the County Board of Education.
She said her experience as a mother has led her to focus on improving services for students with disabilities.
“[A family member] has some mental health disabilities, so I started doing a lot of advocacy around mental health and special education and students with disabilities,” Bonini said. “We need to really focus on special education and make sure that we’re serving kids each and every day and focusing on that, and not the processes that we get caught up within the legal realm around it.”
While both Bonini and Camacho work within education in the county, they come from roles with differing levels of proximity to the superintendent position. Bonini is a trustee on the County Board of Education, which is a governing body that sets policy, while Camacho works as an executive director at the County Office of Education, which implements policy and operates programs.
Some say this seemingly slight difference impacts their knowledge of the system in which the superintendent operates. Camacho might have an advantage in that he is more familiar with the management of the Office of Education, of which the superintendent is the head.
“Education is a system, and it’s a system that is not serving every student and family well,” Camacho said. “So you have to have that breadth of experience [of] actually doing the work to be able to know how to move the work [forward].”
However, others say that Bonini’s experience of both making policy as a trustee on the Board of Education make her a strong candidate.
“She’s done teaching,” said Advanced Placement Psychology teacher Carlo Corti. “She’s also done legal work, and she’s done all kinds of work that just hasn’t been as recent [as Camacho’s work]. So [Camacho] is connected to that office because of what he did in that particular office. But [Bonini’s] role as someone who’s had to make policy and make decisions about policy makes her more valuable.”
Some students also say they prefer candidates with direct experience in education.
“The [county] superintendent should definitely have some sort of experience within the educational system,” said sophomore Mckenna Lindberg. “Especially if they have experience either as a teacher or working more closely with students in several different districts, so that they have a more clear understanding of what students and schools need, and not necessarily only the funding and administration part of it.”
Bonini hopes to utilize her experience as a trustee on the Board of Education to increase communication between the board and the superintendent of schools.
“[I would] push for more transparency and accountability, which, in my experience so far, has been a little bit lacking,” Bonini said. “[We have not been] told as a board about certain agreements that we enter into, [and have not been] part of some of the roles that are embedded in the education code, like the courses of study that we offer students and our schools.”
One of the main priorities for both candidates is improving literacy rates across the county.
“Right now about 55% of our students are reading at grade level by third grade,” Camacho said. “That is not something to be celebrated … That needs to be 100%. We need to go all in, particularly on early literacy because we know that you can’t have access to advanced literature, you can’t have access to science … if you cannot read well.”
In addition to literacy, Camacho also plans to prioritize support for teachers.
“We have an educator workforce that is over taxed, underpaid and under supported in many ways,” Camacho said. “We have to look at salary overall, housing, transportation [and] recruiting and retaining quality educators.”
While the two candidates seem to have similar goals, Camacho may have an advantage in the race. He has raised more money for his campaign than Bonini, reflecting support. He has also been endorsed by the San Mateo Daily Journal and most local officials, including the three previous superintendents of schools.
In spite of this, Bonini was endorsed by the California and San Mateo Union High School District Teachers Associations.
“She’s always shown herself to be someone who puts students first, who’s willing to listen to people who work in classrooms about what the best interests and possibilities are for the students,” Corti said. “Her actual plans are about trying to put resources into special education programs and worker training programs, while also maintaining academic excellence in our schools. She just has the right message.”
Ultimately, voters will decide who they want to lead education in San Mateo County.
