{"id":18,"date":"2026-08-08T18:00:39","date_gmt":"2026-08-08T18:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mikemcmahon.info\/campaign\/?page_id=18"},"modified":"2026-08-14T22:43:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T22:43:31","slug":"strong-schools","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mikemcmahon.info\/campaign\/strong-schools\/","title":{"rendered":"Strong Schools"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Strong public schools are built on fundamentals that do not change with every new trend or technology.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t

They depend on excellent teaching, responsible leadership, safe and welcoming learning environments, meaningful partnerships with families, and a commitment to helping every student grow.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t

My approach to school governance begins with those fundamentals.<\/p>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n

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EXCELLENT TEACHING AND LEARNING<\/h2>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n
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Strong schools begin with excellent teaching and a clear focus on student learning.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Students should be challenged, supported, and given opportunities to develop the knowledge, skills, confidence, and curiosity they will need throughout their lives. High expectations matter, but so do the relationships and instructional practices that help students meet them.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t

The Board\u2019s role is not to tell educators how to teach. It is to create the conditions in which excellent teaching can thrive\u2014through thoughtful policy, responsible budgeting, effective leadership, appropriate resources, and support for continuous improvement.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Academic achievement should remain central to the district\u2019s work, while recognizing that student success is broader than any single test score. Alameda schools should help students become capable learners, thoughtful citizens, and young people prepared for the opportunities and challenges ahead.<\/p>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n

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SUPPORTING AND RETAINING EDUCATORS<\/h2>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n
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Great schools depend on talented, committed educators and staff.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Attracting and retaining excellent teachers, counselors, classified staff, administrators, and other employees requires more than recruiting them. It means creating working environments where people feel respected, supported, and valued for the important work they do with students.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t

The district should listen carefully to educators, provide meaningful opportunities for professional growth, and consider the impact that new programs, policies, and responsibilities have on their time and ability to focus on students.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Supporting educators is not separate from supporting students. When talented people want to build their careers in Alameda schools, students and the entire community benefit.<\/p>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n

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SAFE, WELCOMING, INCLUSIVE SCHOOLS<\/h2>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n
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Students learn best when they feel safe, respected, known, and connected to their schools.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Every student should have the opportunity to participate fully in school life and to learn in an environment where differences are treated with dignity.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Safety also includes students\u2019 physical, emotional, and digital well-being.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t

The district should continually work with students, families, educators, and community partners to understand where improvements are needed and how schools can better support every student.<\/p>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n

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RESPONSIBLE GOVERNANCE<\/h2>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n
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The Board of Education has an important responsibility to the entire community.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Good governance requires listening carefully, asking difficult questions, understanding different perspectives, and making decisions based on the long-term interests of students and the district.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t

It also requires responsible stewardship of public resources.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Budgets, facilities, programs, staffing, and major initiatives should be approached transparently and with an understanding that today's decisions can affect Alameda schools for many years.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Board members do not need to agree on every issue, but they should share a commitment to respectful discussion, careful preparation, and accountable decision-making.<\/p>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n

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MEANINGFUL PARTNERSHIPS<\/h2>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n
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Public education works best when schools and families see one another as partners.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Parents and caregivers should have clear ways to understand what is happening in their schools, raise concerns, ask questions, and participate in district conversations.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Students should also have meaningful opportunities to share their experiences and perspectives.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Community engagement should not begin after a major decision has already been made. Whenever possible, it should help shape the decision itself.<\/p>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n

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PREPARING FOR A CHANGING FUTURE<\/h2>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n
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Schools have always had to prepare students for a world that is changing.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Today, that includes rapid advances in artificial intelligence and other technologies that will influence education, employment, communication, and daily life.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Alameda should approach those changes thoughtfully.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t

New tools should be evaluated according to whether they improve learning, support educators, protect students, and advance the district\u2019s educational goals\u2014not simply because the technology is new.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Preparing for the future also means helping students develop abilities that remain valuable regardless of the technology around them: critical thinking, creativity, communication, judgment, collaboration, and a willingness to continue learning.<\/p>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n

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STRONG SCHOOLS REQUIRE BALANCE<\/h2>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n
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There will always be new challenges competing for attention.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t

The Board\u2019s responsibility is to keep those challenges in perspective while maintaining focus on the basic work of public education.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Excellent teaching. Strong leadership. Responsible stewardship. Safe schools. Engaged families. Students prepared for what comes next.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Those priorities should remain at the center of Alameda\u2019s public schools.<\/p>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n

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JOIN THE CONVERSATION<\/h2>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n
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Strong schools are a community responsibility.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t

I welcome your thoughts about what is working well in Alameda schools, where improvements are needed, and what priorities you believe the Board should focus on in the years ahead.<\/p>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n

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

Strong public schools are built on fundamentals that do not change with every new trend or technology. They depend on excellent teaching, responsible leadership, safe and welcoming learning environments, meaningful partnerships with families, and a commitment to helping every student grow. My approach to school governance begins with those fundamentals. EXCELLENT TEACHING AND LEARNING Strong […]<\/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-18","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mikemcmahon.info\/campaign\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18","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=18"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/mikemcmahon.info\/campaign\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":204,"href":"https:\/\/mikemcmahon.info\/campaign\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18\/revisions\/204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mikemcmahon.info\/campaign\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}