Your Guide To The California State Schools Superintendent Race: Wide-open Race To Replace Tony Thurmond

Every Democrat connected this database could beryllium expected to activity successful wide harmony pinch a Democratic politician and successful guidance to cardinal Trump management policies.

There are differences successful their backgrounds, but only insignificant argumentation divergences, including connected nan information of trans athletes successful women’s and girls’ sports.

Listed successful alphabetical order, pinch an excerpt from their study responses:

Richard Barrera, 59, is simply a longtime schoolhouse committee personnel successful San Diego Unified, nan state’s second-largest schoolhouse system, a elder advisor to Thurmond and earlier that was a section labour national executive.

“The 3 experiences that champion suffice maine for this agency are nan ones that required maine to govern a nationalist schoolhouse system, execute argumentation wrong nan authorities agency, and understand workforce realities successful practice,” Barrera said.

Wendy Castañeda-Leal, 42, has pursued a profession successful much agrarian areas, presently serving arsenic superintendent for nan Semitropic Elementary School District, which has 1 TK-8 schoolhouse pinch astir 140 students disconnected Highway 46 successful Kern County. She’s besides been head of full kid acquisition for Roseland School District and a secondary replacement schoolhouse principal.

“I lead districtwide efforts aligned pinch California’s priorities by advancing equity, strengthening world achievement, and expanding supports for nan full child, including multilingual learners and underserved student populations,” Castañeda-Leal said. “I besides bring extended tract activity acquisition arsenic a main astatine nan elementary, mediate and precocious schoolhouse levels, wherever I improved student outcomes.”

Nichelle Henderson

(Courtesy of Nichelle Henderson.)

Nichelle Henderson, 57, is an elected trustee of nan Los Angeles Community College District. Her acquisition profession began arsenic a school assistant. She later taught sixth people mathematics and subject successful Compton Unified. She’s presently a module advisor and objective section supervisor successful a Cal State coach mentation program.

“What it is clear among Democratic candidates is that location are candidates that are seeking this position because they want a safe spot to onshore aft having termed out,” Henderson said. “My extremity is to build nan capacity of our TK-12 nationalist schools to hole students for higher acquisition and to participate successful nan section and world workforce.”

Ainye Long, 41, a San Francisco Unified mediate schoolhouse mathematics section chair, ran 4 years agone pinch nary important resources and came wrong little than 1 percent constituent of making nan runoff. It helped past that nary Democrat ran against Thurmond and that Republican challengers divided nan Republican vote. Long besides had past — and still has — nan ballot designation: “public schoolhouse teacher.” She besides is simply a past elder administrator astatine a charter-school group.

“One occupation of nan [state superintendent] is to measurement nan effectiveness [in believe — what really happens] of our laws, and thief to find amended ways to amended our body,” Long said. “The group closest to nan activity are closest to nan problems of practice, truthful they’re nan first to spot nan solution.”

Al Muratsuchi

(Photo courtesy of Al Muratsuchi)

Al Muratsuchi, 61, represents nan 66th Assembly District, encompassing parts of nan South Bay, and has been nan chair of nan authorities Assembly acquisition committee. He taught concisely astatine nan assemblage level and served arsenic an elected committee personnel of nan Torrance Unified School District.

“I americium nan only campaigner moving for State Superintendent of Public Instruction pinch nan mixed acquisition of statewide acquisition argumentation leadership, ... section schoolhouse territory governance arsenic a erstwhile Torrance Unified School District committee trustee, and schoolroom educator,” Muratsuchi said, adding that he authored 23 education-related bills that were signed into law.

Josh Newman

(Josh Newman)

Josh Newman, 61, has been a authorities senator, including chairing nan acquisition committee, and a exertion institution executive. He served successful nan Army and taught concisely some astatine nan assemblage and mediate schoolhouse levels.

“Among nan Democrats successful this race, nan astir important favoritism is betwixt candidates whose attack to this agency is chiefly organized astir labour relationships and backing advocacy, and my own, which emphasizes accountability, outcomes, and nan afloat scope of students’ needs alongside continued investment,” Newman said.

Anthony Rendon

(Photo courtesy of Rendon campaign)

Anthony Rendon, 58, was authorities Assembly Speaker from 2016-23, antecedently directed Plaza de la Raza Child Development Services and served arsenic main operating serviceman for Mexican American Opportunity Foundation.

He said of “the domiciled that exertion is playing successful nan degradation of younker intelligence wellness and happiness. The adjacent superintendent needs to decently instrumentality California’s prohibition connected phones successful classrooms, beryllium up of nan curve successful establishing policies connected generative AI use, and make judge teachers person nan training and support they request to make judge nan schoolroom is astir learning.”

No campaigner received capable votes to triumph nan Democratic Party endorsement. The tally was arsenic follows: Henderson: 24.75%; Muratsuchi 21.97%; Rendon 17.43%; Newman 16.82%; Barrera 12.77%.