Campaign News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 14, 2025
Chelsea Bonini Announces Candidacy for San Mateo County Superintendent of Schools
SAN MATEO, CA — County Board of Education Trustee Chelsea Bonini announced today her candidacy for San Mateo County Superintendent of Schools in the June 2026 election. Bonini, who has represented Area 4 since unseating a fourteen-year incumbent in 2020 and winning re-election in 2024, seeks to fill the position that will be vacated by the current Superintendent's retirement.
"Strong schools are the foundation of thriving communities," said Bonini. "I am committed to ensuring that every student in San Mateo County has access to inclusive and high-quality educational opportunities."
Bonini brings over a decade of educational leadership experience to her candidacy. Her service includes terms on the County Office of Education's Personnel Commission and as a San Mateo-Foster City School Board Trustee, representing the county's largest school district. Her educational career in San Mateo County began in 1994 as a kindergarten teacher in the South San Francisco Unified School District.
As County Superintendent, Bonini intends to prioritize several key initiatives. She has championed structured literacy strategies that make reading accessible for all students, including those with dyslexia. "Learning to read is a civil right," Bonini emphasizes. "As educators, we are responsible for making literacy accessible to every student."
Drawing from her leadership on the County's Commission on Disabilities and Behavioral Health Commission, where she helped launch the Mental Health Pathways project, Bonini is committed to expanding access to mental health resources. "Our children cannot learn effectively if their mental health needs are not addressed," notes Bonini. "Our mental health supports for students and families need to become more proactive, seamless, empathetic, and stigma-free."
On the County Board, Bonini has led efforts to increase transparency and accountability for the office's $100+ million budget through policy revisions and the adoption of a governance handbook establishing clear expectations and protocols. She also successfully advocated for maintaining the County Board's Gateway Community School when the current administration sought its closure in 2022, ensuring that students furthest from opportunity retain access to this vital countywide resource.
Bonini plans to continue efforts toward regional collaboration to secure increased and sustainable funding for San Mateo County's school districts, with the goal of closing the current $20,000+ per-student funding gap across the county.
In preparation for her candidacy, Bonini completed her Master of Arts in Educational Administration & Leadership at San Francisco State University's Department of Equity, Leadership Studies, and Instructional Technologies and fulfilled her Preliminary Administrative Services Credential requirements. Bonini lives in the City of San Mateo with her husband and two sons and currently teaches second grade in Los Altos.
For more information, please contact Chelsea Bonini at [email protected] or (415) 531-0508.
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April 14, 2025
Chelsea Bonini Announces Candidacy for San Mateo County Superintendent of Schools
SAN MATEO, CA — County Board of Education Trustee Chelsea Bonini announced today her candidacy for San Mateo County Superintendent of Schools in the June 2026 election. Bonini, who has represented Area 4 since unseating a fourteen-year incumbent in 2020 and winning re-election in 2024, seeks to fill the position that will be vacated by the current Superintendent's retirement.
"Strong schools are the foundation of thriving communities," said Bonini. "I am committed to ensuring that every student in San Mateo County has access to inclusive and high-quality educational opportunities."
Bonini brings over a decade of educational leadership experience to her candidacy. Her service includes terms on the County Office of Education's Personnel Commission and as a San Mateo-Foster City School Board Trustee, representing the county's largest school district. Her educational career in San Mateo County began in 1994 as a kindergarten teacher in the South San Francisco Unified School District.
As County Superintendent, Bonini intends to prioritize several key initiatives. She has championed structured literacy strategies that make reading accessible for all students, including those with dyslexia. "Learning to read is a civil right," Bonini emphasizes. "As educators, we are responsible for making literacy accessible to every student."
Drawing from her leadership on the County's Commission on Disabilities and Behavioral Health Commission, where she helped launch the Mental Health Pathways project, Bonini is committed to expanding access to mental health resources. "Our children cannot learn effectively if their mental health needs are not addressed," notes Bonini. "Our mental health supports for students and families need to become more proactive, seamless, empathetic, and stigma-free."
On the County Board, Bonini has led efforts to increase transparency and accountability for the office's $100+ million budget through policy revisions and the adoption of a governance handbook establishing clear expectations and protocols. She also successfully advocated for maintaining the County Board's Gateway Community School when the current administration sought its closure in 2022, ensuring that students furthest from opportunity retain access to this vital countywide resource.
Bonini plans to continue efforts toward regional collaboration to secure increased and sustainable funding for San Mateo County's school districts, with the goal of closing the current $20,000+ per-student funding gap across the county.
In preparation for her candidacy, Bonini completed her Master of Arts in Educational Administration & Leadership at San Francisco State University's Department of Equity, Leadership Studies, and Instructional Technologies and fulfilled her Preliminary Administrative Services Credential requirements. Bonini lives in the City of San Mateo with her husband and two sons and currently teaches second grade in Los Altos.
For more information, please contact Chelsea Bonini at [email protected] or (415) 531-0508.
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