# Superintendent of Public Instruction

URL: https://www.californiapeople.org/candidates/superintendent

- office: Superintendent of Public Instruction (nonpartisan)
- what_the_job_is: Runs the state Department of Education for ~6 million students. Note: starting in 2027 a governor-appointed education commissioner will run the department and many duties shift to the State Board, shrinking this office.
- candidates: [Richard Barrera, Sonja Shaw]

# 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]

### Résumé
- UC San Diego BA, Harvard MPP; held a leadership post at a regional labor council of 135 unions; San Diego Unified board member for 18 years (five as president); since 2024 a paid adviser at the state Department of Education under Supt. Tony Thurmond. [^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]

### Résumé
- No college; former stay-at-home mom who organized parents to attend board meetings during the pandemic, then won a board seat; now president. [^5]

### 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]

### 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.

## Sources
[^1]: SoS, certified candidate list (Nov 3, 2026 general). https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/statewide-elections/2026-general/cert-list-candidates.pdf
[^2]: EdSource on Barrera. https://edsource.org/2026/richard-barrera-california-education-superintendent/756001
[^3]: EdSource / LA School Report (Oct 15, 2026). https://www.laschoolreport.com/shaw-and-barrera-offer-starkly-different-visions-for-california-schools/
[^4]: CalMatters SPI guide. https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2026/superintendent-of-public-instruction/
[^5]: EdSource on Shaw. https://edsource.org/2026/sonja-shaw-california-superintendent-candidate/756133
[^6]: Spectrum News (Mar 19, 2025). https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/southern-california/education/2025/03/19/parental-notification-policy-chino-valley-