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What’s at stake in this race
Local school districts in California largely control budget and curriculum decisions, leaving the state’s superintendent with limited authority. The state is now considering shifting some of the office’s responsibilities to the governor-appointed State Board of Education, shrinking the role even further. Still, the new superintendent will have a statewide platform to promote policies and a record $150 billion budget for nearly 6 million public school students. The office is nonpartisan.
Richard Barrera
Party: No Party Preference
Occupation: State Superintendent adviser
Barrera, president of the San Diego Unified school board, was little known outside San Diego until he won the endorsement of the powerful California Teachers Association. As a Sacramento outsider, he says he can bring a fresh perspective to the job, focusing on boosting school funding, early childhood education and easing the path to becoming a teacher.
Key endorsements
- California Teachers Association
- United Domestic Workers
Nichelle M Henderson
Party: No Party Preference
Occupation: College trustee, teacher
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Henderson is a Los Angeles Community College District trustee with a strong union background. A longtime teacher, she supports expanded health access in schools and standardized testing reform. She also supports divesting state pensions from fossil fuels and “the U.S. war machine.”
Key endorsements
- California Democratic Legislative
- Women’s Caucus
- California Legislative Black Caucus
- California Young Democrats
Frank Lara
Party: No Party Preference
Occupation: Teacher, union VP
Lara is an elementary school teacher in San Francisco Unified who served as vice president of the district’s teachers union.
Key endorsements
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Gus Mattammal
Party: No Party Preference
Occupation: Educator, executive, author
Mattammal runs a tutoring company in Silicon Valley and supports charter schools, homeschooling and other alternatives to traditional public schools.
Al Muratsuchi
Party: No Party Preference
Occupation: Assemblymember, college teacher
Muratsuchi is an assemblymember from Los Angeles’ South Bay area and a former chair of the Assembly Education Committee. With former state Sen. Joshua Newman, he co-authored Prop. 2, the successful $10 billion school facilities bond. He also serves as an adjunct government professor at El Camino College, and previously worked as a deputy attorney general with the state Department of Justice.
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Key endorsements
- Association of California School Administrators
- California Federation of Teachers
- California School Employees Association
Joshua B Newman
Party: No Party Preference
Occupation: Educator, strategic adviser
Newman, a former state senator, is a former chair of the state Senate Education Committee who now serves as a fellow at UC Irvine. With Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, he co-authored Prop. 2, the successful $10 billion school facilities bond. Prior to entering politics, Newman, an Army veteran, founded an organization that helps vets transition to the civilian workforce.
Key endorsements
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Anthony Rendon
Party: No Party Preference
Occupation: Former Assembly speaker
Rendon served as speaker of the Assembly from 2016 to 2023, where he shepherded major K-12 funding increases, universal transitional kindergarten and charter school accountability. Before entering politics, he ran an early childhood program in Los Angeles for 20 years. Early childhood education continues to be a priority, he says.
Key endorsements
Sonja Shaw
Party: No Party Preference
Occupation: School district president
President of the Chino Valley School Board, Shaw has been an outspoken opponent of protections for transgender students. She made headlines in 2023 when she presided over a school board meeting where State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond was escorted out during a debate over transgender student rights. Shaw also supports a shift away from “radical ideologies” in the classroom and a return to the academic basics.
Key endorsements
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