{"id":468,"date":"2026-06-02T16:30:40","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T16:30:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/californiamovingreport.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/02\/who-will-lead-california-schools-voters-choose-next-state-superintendent\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T16:30:40","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T16:30:40","slug":"who-will-lead-california-schools-voters-choose-next-state-superintendent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/californiamovingreport.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/02\/who-will-lead-california-schools-voters-choose-next-state-superintendent\/","title":{"rendered":"Who will lead California schools? Voters choose next state superintendent"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<article>\n<div>\n<p>A quiet primary race for state superintendent of public instruction is winding down Tuesday, with no clear front-runner emerging from a wide field of well-qualified candidates for California\u2019s top schools job.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/californiamovingreport.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/02\/california-chooses-its-next-insurance-watchdog-amid-wildfire-crisis\/\">California chooses its next insurance watchdog amid wildfire crisis<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Ten candidates \u2014 including several legislative veterans \u2014 arevying for the opportunity to oversee the state\u2019s 10,000 public K-12 schools during a tumultuous time. Schools are grappling with AI in the classroom, budget uncertainty, declining enrollment, lackluster test scores and other challenges.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<h2>\n<span>ELECTION 2026<\/span><br \/>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The job itself is also up in the air. Gov. Gavin Newsom in January proposed an overhaul of California\u2019s school governance structure, with far fewer duties for the superintendent. Instead, the State Board of Education, an 11-member body appointed by the governor, and a newly appointed education commissioner would hold most of the decision-making power. The superintendent would act as more of a policy advocate.<\/p>\n<p>The shift would streamline a cumbersome and often opaque bureaucracy, adding transparency and accountability, Newsom said. It would also align California with most other states. Candidates for the superintendent position blasted the proposal, saying it takes away power from voters and concentrates too much control with the governor\u2019s office.<\/p>\n<p>Newsom and the current superintendent, Tony Thurmond, are both termed out this year.<\/p>\n<h2>Charter schools are no longer a divisive issue<\/h2>\n<p>The race for superintendent \u2014 at times, in previous election cycles, one of the most expensive and contentious races on the ballot \u2014 has been unusually quiet this year. In the most recent poll, conducted in April, no candidate garnered more than 10% of voters\u2019 support, and 32% of voters were undecided. As of last week, no candidate had raised more than a few hundred thousand dollars. That\u2019s in contrast to the 2018 superintendent race between Thurmond and Marshall Tuck, a former charter school executive, which generated more than $50 million in donations.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/californiamovingreport.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/02\/california-votes-in-most-uncertain-governors-primary-in-years\/\">California votes in most uncertain governor\u2019s primary in years<\/a><\/p>\n<p>But there have been a few surprises in the race. The California Teachers Association and its historic nemesis, the California Charter Schools Association, endorsed the same candidate: Richard Barrera, a San Diego Unified school board member who was little known outside San Diego until this year. Both groups cited his accomplishments on the school board and his commitment to public education.<\/p>\n<p>The dual endorsement shows how much has changed in education debates. For the past two decades, charter schools have been the No. 1 division in the superintendent\u2019s race, generating millions in campaign donations from both sides. This year the subject has barely been mentioned, probably because charter school enrollment appears to have plateaued and both types of schools are now dealing with the same issues.<\/p>\n<p>Another surprise has been the popularity of Sonja Shaw, president of the Chino Valley Unified school board. Shaw made headlines in 2023 when she took on Thurmond over the privacy rights of transgender students, and has made anti-LGBTQ policies the focus of her campaign. In the April poll, she was tied with Barrera.<\/p>\n<p>Other top candidates include: Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, former head of the Assembly education committee; Josh Newman, former head of the Senate education committee; Anthony Rendon, former speaker of the Assembly and a longtime early education program administrator; Nichelle Henderson, a Los Angeles Community College District board member, and Ainye Long, a teacher in San Francisco Unified.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/californiamovingreport.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/02\/california-house-races-could-decide-the-majority-in-congress-who-will-survive-the-primary\/\">California House races could decide the majority in Congress. Who will survive the primary?<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The nonpartisan position pays $210,460 a year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- .entry-content --><br \/>\n<!-- .entry-footer --><br \/>\n<!-- .author-bio --><br \/>\n<\/article>\n<p><!-- #post-${ID} -->\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A San Diego school board leader and veteran lawmakers are running for California state superintendent. Two will advance to the November election.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":467,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[130,77,3,78],"class_list":["post-468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","tag-anthony-rendon","tag-education","tag-election-2026","tag-k-12-education"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Who will lead California schools? 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