State superintendent candidates slam California Gov. Gavin Newsom proposal to strip position of its authority over schools

California voters will soon choose the state's next schools chief. But by the time the winner takes office, the job may no longer control the state Department of Education.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed shifting the department's executive and administrative duties to a new education commissioner appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate. The move has rocked the wide-open race and sparked outrage among the 10 candidates.

"I wouldn't accept the changes. I would fight against them," said Anthony Rendon, former Assembly speaker, at a recent state superintendent candidate forum held online. "There's a reason we have an independently elected superintendent of public instruction. … For the governor and the legislature to do this, particularly without approval of Californians, is undemocratic. It's a concentration of power."

Superintendent candidate and Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, who represents Torrance, also said he opposes the proposed changes, citing Gov. Gavin Newsom's attempt to temporarily withhold $3.9 billion in state education funds.

Newsom said the move to defer the funding is necessary to create a cushion for uncertain state revenue projections, but educators argued it will further exacerbate teacher shortages and threaten students' education, as it comes at a time when districts across the state are struggling with multimillion-dollar budget deficits and laying off thousands of staff.

"That's a classic example as to why we don't want to consolidate more power with the governor who has competing interests, who's not laser focused on championing public education," Muratsuchi said.

No candidate, however, presented a plan for how they would challenge Newsom's restructuring proposal. Current State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said he was blindsided by the proposed changes in a statement earlier this year. Thurmond, who is running for California governor, said that while there are some aspects of Newsom's proposal that could be beneficial, the plan lacks structure and instead shifts authority away from the official elected by California voters to lead the state's public schools.

But none of the race's candidates who had qualified for the ballot have dropped out since Newsom announced the proposed overhaul earlier this year. Instead, the contest has become increasingly crowded leading up to the June 2 primary, and appears to be wide open, with no noticeable leads among the candidates. According to a statewide April poll from the Public Policy Institute of California, 32% of likely voters are still undecided.

As the race draws nearer, the next statewide schools chief faces several pressing education issues. Schools across the state are in financial crisis, with many turning to closures, program cuts or layoffs. California schools have issued at least 2,400 preliminary layoff notices since mid-March, and district leaders are collectively calling for an overhaul of the way schools are funded.

The race also comes as reading and math scores among California's 5.8 million K-12 students continue to trail national averages, with more than half of students reading below grade level. And education policy continues to be at the forefront in the clash between the state and President Donald Trump, with school funding caught in the crosshairs amid disputes over immigration enforcement on school campuses, diversity practices and LGBTQ+ issues.

Most of the candidates jostling for state superintendent agreed that California has a stark achievement gap among students and California schools are not performing to expected standards, but they disagreed on why the state's schools are trailing behind - and how to fix it.

Nichelle Henderson, a Fresno State faculty adviser and Los Angeles Community College District Trustee, said the issue can be traced back to standardized testing.

"Our schools are not performing because on paper, our students are performing very low on standardized tests," Henderson said. "We place a very high-stakes nature on our standardized testing, and we don't allow classroom teachers to teach for long-term learning and comprehension."

Henderson's solution is to reform the state's standardized testing practices and teach students for comprehension, not just performing well on tests. She also advocates for single-payer healthcare, universal basic income, divestment from the war in Palestine, abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and supports California's Billionaire Tax Act.

Frank Lara, the executive vice president of the United Educators of San Francisco and a teacher at Buena Vista Horace Mann School, said students cannot reach proficiency in math, reading and other subjects if California continues to lose educators and administrators. A 2026 Education Week survey found that nearly 50% of California teachers plan to quit or retire within the next decade, a figure significantly higher than the national average, about 35%.

"The state superintendent needs to be laser-focused on providing stability, making sure that the profession actually has professionals that are trained and that are connected with families in order to build up the capacity to educate our children," Lara said. He also advocates for smaller class sizes to improve student-to-teacher ratios and boost students' reading and math skills.

Lara, who identifies as a socialist, also supports making college free for all and says he will "defend educators who teach the truth about the Palestinian struggle and the other anti-imperialist fights of oppressed peoples around the world."

Augustine "Gus" Mattammal, director of the Bay Area-based private tutoring company Advantage Testing of Silicon Valley, said as state superintendent, he would tackle the student achievement gap through "content-driven reforms" to reading, math and history that will better prepare students for the workforce. He advocated for evidence-based literacy instruction and the "Singapore math" method - curriculum that prioritizes deep understanding rather than memorization techniques.

Mattammal also wants to expand school choice options throughout the state, including through federal or state school vouchers that would give California families public dollars to attend private school.

Sonja Shaw, Chino Valley Unified's school board president, pointed to "ideologies in the classroom" as the culprit for students' lagging reading and math skills. She is a staunch supporter of parental rights and supports aligning Title IX with the Trump administration's policies by strictly adhering to Trump's executive order, which only recognizes two biological sexes.

"Our kids are failing at reading, writing and math because we're putting tons and tons of dollars sending people to Pride fest and all of these other things that do not make sense when it comes to education," she said. Shaw did not provide evidence to back up her claim about how the state is diverting education dollars.

Shaw argued that those policies are also impacting the teacher shortage, because "if we're doing what we're doing, teachers don't want to get into this profession." She advocates for a "back-to-basics" approach, focusing on core content skills, recruiting and retaining educators and parental input to improve students' skills and restore trust in education.

Richard Barrera, a San Diego Unified School District trustee, said the solution to the student achievement gap is to allow classroom educators, parents and students to have a role in decision-making. Barrera also advocates for expanding early education and building a strong, sustainable teacher pipeline through better pay, improved working conditions and workforce housing.

Josh Newman, former California state Senator, called the literacy crisis a "civic emergency," as being able to read is the "foundation of all learning, the gateway to civic participation and the key to economic mobility." Newman also said the crisis is unevenly distributed, disproportionately impacting low-income families who can't afford private tutoring. He advocates for "rapid and equitable implementation" of evidence-based reading instruction, limits on screen time, early education and widespread literacy tutors.

Assemblymember Muratsuchi said the key to addressing the student achievement gap is by getting "fully credentialed, experienced and supported teachers" in the classroom. He also advocates for evidence-based reading instruction and co-authored a bill last year that adopts evidence-based reading curriculum and training. Muratsuchi also said ensuring California schools are fully funded is his "No. 1 priority," another crucial step to addressing students' lagging reading and math skills.

A handful of candidates said schools' poor performance is a result of California's inequitable education funding. Wendy Castañeda-Leal, the superintendent of Semitropic Elementary School in Kern County, said increased funding for schools is the key to attracting and retaining quality educators and ensuring students' success, especially in rural and low-income schools. She advocates for extra funding and technology upgrades for low-income schools, signing bonuses for bilingual educators and supporting students' basic needs, including through nutritious meals and mental health resources.

Rendon, former Assembly speaker, also supports more funding for schools, especially in low-income areas. He advocates for limiting screen time and AI use in the classroom, arguing that the technologies have increased mental health issues among students. Rendon said he will also work to protect California's schools from "federal interference" by the Trump administration, which he said poses an "existential threat" to democracy and public education.

Ainye Long, a math teacher in the San Francisco Unified School District, did not respond to a request for comment from this news organization about her priorities as state superintendent. Her campaign website also does not mention her priorities. She previously ran for state superintendent in 2022.

Among major endorsements so far in the race, Barrera is backed by the California Teachers Association and current state Superintendent Thurmond. Muratsuchi has the support of Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and the California School Employees Association, while Rendon is endorsed by the California Faculty Association and Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis. Shaw is endorsed by gubernatorial candidates Chad Bianco and Steve Hilton.

Unlike some statewide races, the nonpartisan state superintendent contest could be decided in the June 2 primary if a candidate secures more than 50% of the votes. But with so many candidates and no overwhelming favorite rising to the top yet, it's likely that the top two finishers will face off in the November general election.

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This story was originally published May 25, 2026 at 3:53 PM.