STEM tutor and educator Michael Malione is one of three candidates in this year’s uncontested Board of Education race.
How long have you lived in Piedmont?
5½ years
What you do for work, either in or out of your home?
STEM Tutor / Educator
If you have children, do they attend, or have they attended, Piedmont schools? If so, which ones?
Yes. Both my children have attended Wildwood. My son is now a 4th grader there, and my daughter is a 7th grader at Piedmont Middle School.
Have you worked or volunteered in Piedmont schools (or elsewhere) previously? If so, in what capacity(ies)?
In the 2019-2020 school year, I worked as a long term substitute teacher in the Math Department at Piedmont High School, in response to a staffing shortage. I have volunteered with Piedmont ALPS (Advancing Learning for Piedmont Students) since 2019, serving as Treasurer (2019-2020), President (2020-2021), and Co-President (2021-2024). In 2023-2024, I had the good fortune to serve on the Superintendent’s Advisory Council, the Piedmont Middle School Site Council, and the Wildwood Parents Club Executive Board.
What does public education mean to you?
An educated public is necessary in order for individuals and communities to make well-reasoned and well-informed choices. This extends into all areas of life: personal, professional, and political. Education is the pathway to agency, which relies on reasoning, background knowledge, and practiced skills in order to navigate the student’s future world of adulthood with success and prosperity.
Students give years of their time to be present and attentive during their schooling, and we owe them educational effectiveness. They must learn the time-held basics of literacy and numeracy, and then have abundant opportunities to build on that knowledge in ways that support their life’s interests and pursuits.
Public education provides students of all means and origins the opportunity and the protection to learn and grow, and that is its most important function. It must also afford them self-discovery by encouraging the arts, athletics, and particular interests (math, debate, robotics, etc.).
What motivated you to run for office?
I was drawn to run for school board because of my interest in making PUSD a place where every kid gets a great education. As a STEM tutor, long-term substitute math teacher, and co-president of ALPS, I saw firsthand what’s working well for Piedmont students and what isn’t.
Last year I had the opportunity to partner directly with Assistant Superintendent Ariel Dolowich on a Math Enrichment Trial of computer adaptive platforms to foster student learning intervention and self-guided enrichment. We evaluated three platforms head-to-head, which led to introducing Let’s Go Learn to the middle school Math Lab this year.
Joining the school board would allow me to continue championing forward-thinking educational solutions, expanding the range of innovative programs, and ensuring all students thrive academically. I am committed to exploring new opportunities and driving meaningful change for our students’ future.
What are your qualifications to be on the School Board? Any special skills or experience the voters should know about?
Aside from my tutoring, teaching, and volunteer experiences, I served years ago as adjunct faculty at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, where I helped to make STEM subjects more accessible to art students. Prior to that, I worked on the technical side of computer graphics animation at Electronic Arts, Pixar, and Industrial Light & Magic, before transitioning toward education as a Technical Trainer.
I have a wide range of experience studying and working in a variety of educational settings, public and private. I attended public high school at Lowell in San Francisco, carried out my four years of undergraduate study at Harvard, and a masters program in Electrical Engineering at Stanford.
This blend of experiences has shaped my deep commitment to making learning accessible and engaging for all students. I am excited to bring this perspective to the school board, where I can advocate for impactful, inclusive opportunities that will prepare our students for the future.
What do you see as the most challenging issues currently facing the school district?
Our biggest challenge lies in securing the financial sustainability of our district. We need a long-term plan that balances exceptional academic results with making PUSD a great place to work. While we are fortunate to have a community that donates millions each year on top of the district’s significant parcel taxes, the path ahead will be difficult. With declining school-aged populations and rising pension liabilities, this financial burden will only grow.
At the same time, we must rethink how we prepare our graduates for success in an evolving workforce. Our model must be forward-thinking, meeting the needs of students, staff, and maintaining the excellence Piedmont is known for. Like many industries, our district faces high turnover. To address this, we need fresh perspectives and the courage to embrace new tools and approaches while building on proven methods. I’m excited to collaborate with all stakeholders to shape a future where PUSD thrives both academically and financially.
What do you see as strengths of the Piedmont schools?
In recent years, Piedmont schools have done an excellent job of fostering a dynamic, supportive, and safe learning environment for students and staff alike, while maintaining high educational standards. Through the dedication of talented educators and staff, along with a renewed commitment to academic excellence and continuous improvement, our schools are resilient and well-equipped to face the challenges ahead.
We are also fortunate to be supported by a highly engaged community that donates generously and values education. The current school board has steered us well, hiring great leadership in Dr. Hawn, and she has in turn vetted and brought us some great new administrative hires.
What will be your top priority as a Board member?
As a Board member, my top priority will be ensuring that we deliver a high-quality and rewarding education to all our students. This involves focusing on both cost-effectiveness and educational progress. I believe that personalized learning will be essential for maximizing our impact, with new structures of community partnership emerging to help us to accomplish more in this regard as we work within tighter budgets. We can envision a thriving educational environment that leverages the many resources and engagement of our community, to ensure that every student discovers and rises to their full potential.
Do you see yourself being especially involved in any particular school issue or program, whether or not it’s your top priority?
I have a keen interest in curriculum review and plan to engage deeply in this area.
While a well-designed curriculum alone won’t solve all our challenges, it plays a crucial role in our educational success. In a district as well-resourced as Piedmont, both in terms of our talented students and dedicated staff, having a robust curriculum can be transformative.
A thoughtfully crafted curriculum not only aligns with academic standards but also fosters critical thinking, creativity, and student achievement. It sets the foundation for effective teaching practices, supports diverse learning needs, and ensures that every student receives a high-quality education that prepares them for the future. My goal is to collaborate with our educators, administrators, and the community to refine and enhance our curriculum, making it a powerful tool for student success.
How will you support diversity and inclusion within the district?
In keeping with my vision of more personalized learning, I believe that inclusive curriculum and culturally responsive teaching practices will land most effectively in that context. These programs need to be readily available and incorporated into a data-driven approach to foster student performance, engagement, and responsive climate to identify disparities and areas for improvement, in order to be as effective as possible toward positive learning and development.
When implemented well, this approach supports underrepresented groups and ensures all students have access to effective educational resources, extracurricular activities, and advanced courses, tailored to their needs. Personalized learning is more than data; it thrives and has its heart in a welcoming, inclusive school climate. By engaging diverse families, communities, and staff, we foster a culture where students feel safe, valued, and empowered to succeed in reaching high academic goals.
Teacher recruitment and retention has been a challenge for Piedmont in recent years. What should Piedmont do to improve this situation?
High turnover and hiring challenges are all too common across many industries and fields at this time. I believe we will need to explore innovative approaches that serve the students well while also bringing new economies to our overall programs, so that we’ll be able to keep our compensation and benefits for teachers as competitive as possible.
Once we have found the right mix to be successful, the professional development and career growth that we offer will become all the more valuable toward retention. Other ways that we can expand upon this value include fostering a supportive work environment and leveraging community engagement and support.
PUSD’s budget depends on state and local funding. What would you do to ensure our funding is robust?
I support Measure P to raise local funding, but we can’t keep raising the rate of our parcel taxes every election cycle. Voluntary giving can be made more robust. The Piedmont Education Foundation has a campaign to raise the participation rate, and giving at any level by a family is important, because it shows a commitment to your child’s education.
My part in this, as a member of the school board, would be to steer the district toward perceptible benefits, improvements in student learning, community, and academic life, so that the value proposition of donating to the district will be even more compelling than it already is.
Declining enrollment is a problem for Piedmont and school districts throughout California. How should PUSD address this issue?
In the last year, Dr. Hawn has led a concerted effort at recruiting and retaining kids to PUSD which has been very effective. We need to continue these efforts, including promoting PUSD’s educational outcomes. Just look at our test scores, college matriculation rates, and the quality of universities our kids attend. PUSD matches or exceeds most private schools in the Bay Area in these outcomes, and we don’t charge $56,000+ a year in tuition.
School Board members must navigate a wide range of parent opinions and demands. How will you handle those pressures?
I naturally enjoy talking with people to learn about issues, whether they be about a personal matter or a broader policy discussion. In dealing with problems, I understand the need to get as much information as possible and that there are also institutional interests and the law that have to be observed as well.
Do you have a website to share with voters?
https://www.michael4schoolboard.com
Is there anything else you’d like to share with voters about your candidacy?
I would like to thank the voters for their attention and care to read up and learn more about each of the candidates.