{"id":16,"date":"2026-08-08T18:00:39","date_gmt":"2026-08-08T18:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mikemcmahon.info\/campaign\/?page_id=16"},"modified":"2026-08-17T19:33:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T19:33:09","slug":"why-im-running","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mikemcmahon.info\/campaign\/why-im-running\/","title":{"rendered":"Why I’m Running"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Alameda\u2019s public schools have been an important part of my life for decades\u2014as a parent, community member, and twelve-year member of the AUSD Board of Education.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t

I\u2019m running again because I believe strong schools depend on excellent teaching, responsible governance, and meaningful partnerships with families and the community. At a time of rapid change, I also believe we need thoughtful conversations about how emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence should\u2014and should not\u2014shape education.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t

This campaign is an invitation to have those conversations together.<\/p>\n\t\t

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Why Now<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Education is entering a period of significant change.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Artificial intelligence is already affecting how students learn, how teachers work, and how information is created and understood. The technology will continue to evolve, but the way Alameda responds to it is not predetermined.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Our community has an opportunity to ask important questions early: How can AI support great teaching without replacing the human relationships at the heart of education? How do we protect student privacy? How do we ensure equitable access? How do we prepare students to use these tools thoughtfully and responsibly?<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Those decisions should not be made by technology companies\u2014or by a few people behind closed doors. They should be shaped through meaningful dialogue among educators, students, families, administrators, and the broader Alameda community.<\/p>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n

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What I Believe<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Excellent teaching comes first.<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Technology can provide new tools, but great schools begin with talented educators who know their students and inspire them to learn.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Good governance starts with listening.<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Board members should ask good questions, consider different perspectives, and make decisions with the long-term interests of the entire school community in mind.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Families and the community should be partners.<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Public education is strongest when educators, families, students, and community members have meaningful opportunities to participate.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t

We should prepare students for a changing future.<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Our responsibility is not simply to react to new technology. It is to help students develop the knowledge, judgment, creativity, and critical-thinking skills they will need in a rapidly changing world.<\/p>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n

\n \t\t\t\n\t\tJoin the Conversation\n\t<\/a>\t\t\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Alameda\u2019s public schools have been an important part of my life for decades\u2014as a parent, community member, and twelve-year member of the AUSD Board of Education. I\u2019m running again because I believe strong schools depend on excellent teaching, responsible governance, and meaningful partnerships with families and the community. At a time of rapid change, I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-16","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mikemcmahon.info\/campaign\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mikemcmahon.info\/campaign\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mikemcmahon.info\/campaign\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mikemcmahon.info\/campaign\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mikemcmahon.info\/campaign\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/mikemcmahon.info\/campaign\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":330,"href":"https:\/\/mikemcmahon.info\/campaign\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16\/revisions\/330"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mikemcmahon.info\/campaign\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}