Role of California state superintendent to be vastly overhauled

Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a bill that will vastly reshape the role of the state superintendent of public instruction, an elected position that currently oversees the California Department of Education.

Instead of leading the department, the new position will act as more of a public advocate — “a nonpartisan voice for the public interest in the governance of the state’s educational systems,” the bill states. The Department of Education will be instead headed by a new education commissioner appointed by the incoming governor.

The details of the superintendent role will still need to be hashed out, according to the legislation, but plans for the position include "ensuring independent evaluation of existing educational laws and programs.”

In February, LAist reported on how the state has spent billions of dollars on a new grade for 4-year-olds called transitional kindergarten with no plan to evaluate its implementation, despite research showing how crucial the quality of learning is in the early years — and the possibility of leading to negative effects later on.

State Assemblymember David Alvarez, who co-authored the bill, told LAist earlier this year, he wanted to see more accountability of statewide investments.

“What was very shocking to me was that very often, there were no evaluations or no assessments that were required with many of the programs that we’re funding,” he said.  ”For TK, as you've covered well, you know, it's nonexistent.”

A previous version of the legislation would have added a fiscal trigger for independent evaluations, automatically requiring independent evaluations of any new education initiative that costs at least $500 million a year or $1 billion in one-time spending.

That language was not included in the final bill. Instead, the legislation directs the new education commissioner to report to the legislature by October 2027 recommendations about refining the role of the new state superintendent, including “ensuring independent evaluation.”

Proponents of the bill said restructuring the role of the elected state superintendent and creating a new education commissioner would lead to more accountability of the state’s education system.

"By modernizing governance and strengthening California’s capacity for independent evaluation as part of a more coherent education governance system, California is building a stronger foundation for better policy, better implementation and better outcomes for students," said Lupita Cortez Alcalá, executive director of Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE), which recommended the changes in a report.

Critics, including those running for the state superintendent office in November, say the overhaul was unwarranted and undermined the democratic process.

“Democracy gives people a voice in decisions that shape their communities. Removing voters' ability to elect a superintendent accountable to the public who is running the Department of Education undermines this principle,” the California Teachers Association said.