Superintendent of Public Instruction

#Local note

Sonja Shaw is board president of Chino Valley Unified, near Rancho Cucamonga.

Ballot designations below are as certified by the Secretary of State. ^[1]

#Richard Barrera — "State Superintendent Advisor" (Democrat)

#Key findings

• 18 years on the San Diego Unified board (~103,000 students). 2022 to 2025: reading proficiency 53.1% → 56.2%, math 41.1% → 45.3%, graduation 90.3%. ^[2]
• Keeps only the state-minimum 2% reserve, which some peers call risky. ^[2]
• Former labor-council leader; CTA's independent-expenditure committee has put about $5M behind him. ^[2]

#Track record (sourced)

• San Diego Unified (~103,000 students, $2.9B budget): ELA proficiency 53.1% (2022) → 56.2% (2025); math 41.1% → 45.3%; graduation 90.3% (2025, state 87.5%). ^[2][3]
• Adopted A-G college-prep requirements for all graduates in 2009 (he says Latino A-G completion rose from 25% to 70%, his own figure); early community schools; ethnic studies in high school; teacher pay up 50% over 12 years with 100% family health coverage. ^[2]
• District keeps only the state-minimum 2% reserve, which some peers call risky. ^[2]
• Endorsed by CTA (~$5M in independent spending), California Charter School Advocates, United Domestic Workers. ^[2][4]

#Sonja Shaw — "School District President" (Republican)

#Key findings

• Chino Valley Unified board president (~26,500 students). 2022 to 2025: reading 58.9% → 62.1%, math 44.6% → 49.8%, graduation 95.5%. ^[5]
• Her board's gender-identity parental-notification policy was ruled unconstitutional (Sept 2024), and state law now bans such policies. ^[6]
• Did not attend college; was a stay-at-home mother before organizing parents during the pandemic. ^[5]

#Job-applicant read

Both point to real test-score gains in their districts. Barrera has two decades of board governance of a large district plus labor and state-department experience; Shaw has a few years on a mid-size board, with a record defined by high-profile culture-war fights and a policy courts found unconstitutional.

#Track record (sourced)

• Chino Valley Unified (~26,500 students, $446M budget): ELA proficiency 58.9% (2022) → 62.1% (2025); math 44.6% → 49.8%; graduation 95.5% (2025). Both districts beat state growth. ^[5][3]
• July 2023: her board adopted a policy requiring staff to tell parents within three days if a student asked to change name/pronouns or use facilities or sports that didn't match their birth-certificate gender. AG Bonta sued; a judge blocked parts of it (Oct 2023) and later ruled it violated the state constitution's equal protection clause (Sept 2024). The board replaced it with a gender-neutral records-change notice. A state law in effect since Jan 1, 2025 (SAFETY Act, AB 1955) now bans such policies. ^[6]
• In 2023 she presided over the meeting where then-Supt. Thurmond was escorted out; she accused him of "perverting children." Tore up a cease-and-desist letter from a transgender athlete's mother at a board meeting. ^[5][4]
• Opposes policies allowing transgender athletes in girls' sports; wants a return to academic basics. Endorsed by CA Republican Party, Moms for Liberty, California Rifle and Pistol Association. ^[5][4]