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Long-time PTA member and substitute teacher Chris Colohan joins the Palo Alto school board race. Photo by Greg Brail.

For years Chris Colohan’s family and friends have predicted he’d be on Palo Alto’s school board. And for years, he wasn’t so sure. 

But when he saw the direct impact school board decisions had on the Palo Alto community during the COVID pandemic, his trajectory shifted. 

He knew he wanted to help bring ease to the community. 

That’s when Colohan, a stay-at-home dad with a passion for teaching, decided to join this year’s Palo Alto Unified School District Board race.

As a long-time PTA member and substitute teacher with two children in Palo Alto public schools, Colohan has been a part of the city’s education system for years. 

“I’ve grown to learn the value of leadership to bring the community together,” he said.  

After receiving his doctorate, Colohan was set on becoming a professor, as he had always wanted to be a teacher. But he shifted gears to work more directly in managing people. 

For 10 years he worked for Google, first as a software engineer and then a manager for the majority of his time. 

Through his management experience, Colohan said he feels he is able to lead people through empowerment and helping others shine through their strengths. As a leader, he also aims to listen thoroughly and explain his thought processes. 

“It tends to bring calm where there was previously strife,” Colohan said. 

In addition to being a communicative leader, Colohan wants to improve parent-school district communication.

I believe I can help the board stay on a path of good governance,” he said. 

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2 Comments

  1. Dear Mr. Colohan,

    If you win, please hold Mr. Austin accountable for the damage he has done to the district. Contract extensions and healthy pay raises only encourage his bad behavior. Do not fear his “army”.

  2. I hope voters will be advised of candidates’ stances on key topics such as: discipline/order in our schools, excellence in curriculum, and philosphy of teaching. I hope high quality Mathematics consistent with successful neighboring districts is offered and supported.
    I hope cellphones will be forbidden in elementary schools (admittedly, I don’t know current PAUSD policy on that; fortunately my children grew up before the cellphone distraction problem took hold to monetize kids and created online bullying, distraction).

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