California election results: Who will run the schools?

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The primary race for state superintendent of public instruction wraps up Tuesday, with no clear front-runner among a wide field of well-qualified candidates for California’s top school job.

Ten candidates, including several congressional veterans, are vying for the chance to lead the state’s 10,000 public elementary and middle schools in a tumultuous time. Schools face artificial intelligence in classrooms, budget uncertainty, declining enrollment, poor test scores and other challenges.

The position itself is also up in the air. In January, Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed reform of the California school governance structure, with far fewer responsibilities for the superintendent. Instead, the State Board of Education, an 11-member body appointed by the governor, and a new education commissioner will have most of the decision-making power. The superintendent would act more as an advocate for educational policies.

According to Newsom, this change will simplify the cumbersome and often opaque bureaucracy, ensuring transparency and accountability. Additionally, it would bring California in line with most other states. Candidates for superintendent slammed the proposal, saying it takes power away from voters and concentrates too much control in the governor’s office.

Both Newsom and current Superintendent Tony Thurmond are ending their terms this year.

Charter schools are no longer a controversial topic

The race for superintendent — in previous election cycles one of the most expensive and contentious — has been unusually quiet this year. c the latest study held in April, no candidate received more than 10% support from voters, and 32% were undecided. As of last week, no candidate had raised more than a few hundred thousand dollars. That contrasts with the 2018 superintendent race between Thurmond and Marshall Tuck, a former charter school superintendent that generated more than $50 million in donations.

But there were some surprises in the race. The California Association of Teachers and its historic rival, the California Association of Charter Schools, They supported the same candidate : Richard Barrera, a San Diego Unified School District school board member, little known outside of San Diego until this year. Both groups highlighted their accomplishments on the school board and their commitment to public education.

The double approval shows how much the education debate has changed. For the past two decades, charter schools have been the leading issue in the oversight race, generating millions in campaign donations from both parties. This year, the topic is barely mentioned, possibly because charter school enrollment appears to have fallen and both types of schools now face the same problems.

Another surprise was the popularity of Chino Valley Unified School District School Board President Sonja Shaw. Shaw made headlines in 2023 when faced Thurmond for the privacy rights of transgender students and focused her campaign on anti-LGBTQ+ policies. She was tied with Barrera in the April poll.

Other notable candidates are: Member of the Assembly Al Muratsuchi former head of the parliamentary committee on education; Josh Newman former head of the Senate Education Committee; Anthony Rendon former Speaker of the Assembly and administrator of early childhood education programs for many years; Nichelle Henderson, board member of the Los Angeles Community College District, and Ainye Long, a teacher in the San Francisco Unified School District.

This position, which is independent of any political party, has a salary of $210,460 per year.