We are pleased to offer our endorsement of Amal Smith for School Board.

Amal is a valued member of our school board who is deeply invested in our community. We appreciate her commitment to giving back to the district after benefitting from a solid K-12 education for her two sons. Amal is a champion of student wellness and we admire her passion for ensuring that our students are both happy and high achieving.

Amal has a proven track record of working well with others through her prior volunteer work in Piedmont and her endorsements by all of her fellow current school board members. Further, her experience in higher education at both the University of California and UCSF is an asset in navigating the complex relationships between the many stakeholders of our school system: students, teachers, administrators, staff and parents.

With her deep background in finance, Amal will be especially useful in what we expect to be continued turbulent years ahead with regard to budget. With CalSTRS using an unrealistic expected rate of return of 7%, Piedmont must expect further erosion of our operating budget to fund pension liabilities. Amal is the kind of financially savvy operator we will need to analyze our expected shortfalls and cooperate with others to address them.

School Board representation requires a heavy investment from both the candidate and the community. Let’s take advantage of the four years Amal and Piedmont has invested and reap more fruitful work from a capable professional who is already up to speed on our district’s issues and dynamics.

– Dion and Amy Lim, Piedmont Residents