Seven of the eight local school board seats heading to the November ballot have drawn just one candidate or none at all, with the filing deadline at 5 p.m. Friday, August 7.

Across San Mateo County, 23 of 32 school board trustee positions are uncontested or lack any candidate, according to the county Elections Office roster cited by the San Mateo Daily Journal on Monday, July 27. Only five incumbents countywide face a challenger.

The pattern holds close to home.

Here's where the three local districts stand, based on the county candidate roster printed July 20:

Burlingame School District (3,419 students, two seats on the ballot)

  • Trustee Area 1: Semonti Mitra Stephens is the sole filer. Her status is listed as "Pending."
  • Trustee Area 4: Laura Bull, who lists her ballot designation as Parent/Attorney, is the only qualified candidate.

Hillsborough City School District (1,198 students, three seats)

All three incumbents filed and no challengers have emerged. Gilbert Wai filed July 20; An Huang Chen and Don Geddis both filed July 13.

San Mateo Union High School District (9,302 students, three seats covering Burlingame High families)

  • Trustee Area 1: Incumbent Teri L. Chavez is running unopposed.
  • Trustee Area 3: The only contested local race. Challenger Diana Harris, a teacher and mother, is running against incumbent Jennifer Jacobson.
  • Trustee Area 5: No candidate had filed as of July 20.

The county roster is updated daily through August 7; filings after July 20 may not be reflected above.

"We don't put enough attention on school board races, and they can be really consequential," San Mateo County Superintendent-Elect Hector Camacho told the Daily Journal. Camacho served on the County Board of Education from 2014 to 2025, including three terms as board president.

As we reported July 14, the filing period opened Monday, July 13. Candidates must be registered voters in their district and at least 18 years old. If an eligible incumbent does not file by August 7, the deadline for that specific seat extends to 5 p.m. Wednesday, August 12.

To file, contact San Mateo County Candidate Services at [email protected] or call (650) 312-5222. All seats appear on the Tuesday, November 3 general election ballot.