BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHT
Daily Post Staff Writer
Another advanced math advocate is throwing his hat in the ring to become a board member of the Palo Alto Unified School District.
John Craig, 46, registered a fundraising committee and launched a website that has the same design as candidate Avery Wang.
Craig said on April 2 that he hasn’t decided to run.
“Still just considering and talking to folks,” he said in an email.
Craig has spoken at board meetings in support of board member Rowena Chiu and against former Superintendent Don Austin, who agreed to resign on Feb. 20 with a $596,802 payout.
Advanced math push
Craig wants the district to offer Multivariable Calculus — the center of a debate on how far students should be allowed to get ahead academically.
At a meeting on March 17, Craig said neighboring districts offer Multivariable Calculus, and his daughter excels in math but also enjoys after-school activities such as drama.
“I would very much appreciate her being able to finish this (class) during the school day instead of having to do it afterwards,” Craig told the board.
Craig lives in the University South neighborhood and works as vice president of revenue and customer success at RIOS Intelligent Machines, an AI robotics company in Menlo Park.
Craig graduated from the University of Toronto in 2006 and received a Master of Business Administration from Western University in Ontario in 2009, according to his social media.
Three-candidate field
Craig is the third candidate to file papers for a campaign, joining Wang and pro-Israel activist Leor Melamedov.
Melamedov, 35, hasn’t launched a website nor answered any questions about a possible campaign. She is a frequent public commenter at board meetings, also in favor of Chiu and Multivariable Calculus.
Wang, 60, has confirmed he’s running. He sued the district in June 2020 for allegedly holding his son back in high school math, in violation of the 2015 Math Placement Act that requires districts to have fair and transparent placement policies.
Wang is co-founder of Shazam, an app that identifies songs from a snippet of sound. Apple reportedly paid about $400 million to buy Shazam in 2018.
Exiting board members
Candidates are running to replace board members Shounak Dharap and Shana Segal. Dharap is termed out, and Segal is returning to teaching after one term on the board.
Dharap and Segal voted to uphold the Paly Education Council’s decision to not offer Multivaraible Calculus in the fall.
The class was proposed by Paly math teacher Daniel Nguyen to follow Advanced Placement Calculus in the course catalog.
But the council of teachers, counselors and administrators said offering the class “risks amplifying the already significant pressures on students.”
Related stories
• March 17, <a href=https://padailypost.com/2026/03/17/school-board-wont-force-schools-to-offer-advanced-math/>School board won’t force schools to offer advanced math</a>
• March 5, <a href=https://padailypost.com/2026/03/05/two-advocates-of-advanced-math-considering-run-for-school-board/>Two advocates of advanced math, Leor Melamedov and Avery Wang, considering run for school board</a>
• Dec. 18, 2025, <a href=https://padailypost.com/2025/12/18/advance-math-class-gets-approved-despite-opposition-from-some-teachers/>Advanced math class approved despite opposition from teachers</a>
•Dec. 8, 2025, <a href=https://padailypost.com/2025/12/08/teachers-oppose-advanced-math-course/>Teachers oppose advanced math course</a>
• March 25, 2023, <a href=https://padailypost.com/2023/03/25/lawsuit-sparks-debate-over-placement-of-math-students-in-palo-alto-schools/>Lawsuit sparks debate over placement of math students in Palo Alto schools</a>
• Feb. 16, 2023, <a href=https://padailypost.com/2023/02/16/judge-faults-pausds-policy-on-math-placement/>Judge faults PAUSD’s policy on math placement</a>
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