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Elections and Education

Elections have a major impact on California education. Voters have passed ballot measures that set the level of state education funding. They banned bilingual education and later reversed that ban. Voters elect the state superintendent of public instruction and local school board members. And they elect governors who have power over school funding, appointing members to the State Board of Education and to the UC Board of Regents and the CSU Board of Trustees.

Student Well-Being
March 21, 2023

Are kids collateral damage in California culture wars?

Political polarization is negatively impacting school staff, undermining school management and heightening anxiety and hostility among students, according to a survey of 150 school principals.

Diana Lambert
Legislation
February 28, 2023

Proposed constitutional amendment would make state superintendent of public instruction an appointed position

A proposed constitutional amendment could make the superintendent of public instruction an appointed position, instead of an elected one.

Diana Lambert
Elections and Education
February 22, 2023

Orange Unified accused of 'full ambush' to fire superintendent; did it violate state's open meeting law?

A citizen complaint demands that the school board hold a repeat, legal meeting.

John Fensterwald
Elections and Education
January 6, 2023

Orange Unified's conservative majority fires superintendent with a day's notice

Orange Unified became the second district in Orange County to fire its leader in a month. Just before Christmas, newly empowered conservatives in Capistrano Unified dismissed that district's long-time superintendent.

John Fensterwald
Elections and Education
November 10, 2022

California school board races don’t see red wave

The state GOP Parent Revolt program and other conservative organizations spent more than a year recruiting, training and endorsing an army of candidates in an effort to win what are generally considered nonpartisan seats.

Diana Lambert
Elections and Education
November 8, 2022

Tony Thurmond cruises to reelection as California state superintendent

Thurmond, running for a second term, easily defeated Lance Christensen, a conservative education policy advocate and supporter of a private school choice initiative.

John Fensterwald
Elections and Education
October 19, 2022

School choice advocate, CTA opponent Lance Christensen would be a very different state superintendent

Christensen faces long odds to defeat much better financed incumbent Tony Thurmond, but he assumes parents frustrated by pandemic school closures will vote for change.

John Fensterwald
Elections and Education
October 13, 2022

Conservatives are waging a war for control over California school boards

The California Republican Party, churches and other conservative organizations hope to ride a wave of parent discontent to victories in school board races across the state.

Diana Lambert
Testing and Accountability
September 27, 2022

California reverses course, will release Smarter Balanced test scores next month, official says

State test results that will reveal how students fared through the pandemic will be released in October, a state official now says. This is a reversal of of the state's position just last week in which it refused an EdSource public records request to release the data.

Thomas Peele
Elections and Education
June 8, 2022

State Supt. Tony Thurmond likely to face runoff election in November

Thurmond so far is falling short of 50% needed to avoid a runoff election. It's too close to identify which of three opponents he will face.

John Fensterwald
Commentary
May 20, 2022

California education to be spared divisive statewide election battles this year

Education ballot measures that promised to be most divisive failed to gather enough support and signatures to make it to the ballot this year.

Louis Freedberg
Commentary
April 22, 2022

State Superintendent Tony Thurmond on path to reelection

After two contentious and expensive elections in 2014 and 2018, this year's race for California state superintendent of public instruction seems to be generating far less interest.

Louis Freedberg
Elections and Education
March 10, 2022

Redistricting gets political as California school boards draw new boundaries

School districts across California were required to draw new maps for trustee elections by Feb. 28, a process that's become political in some districts.

Emma Gallegos
Gig by gig at California Community Colleges
February 14, 2022

Health care benefits key battleground for California’s adjunct community college faculty

2022 may be the year of health benefits for part-time faculty at California's community colleges, where adjuncts teach about half of the courses and make up about two-thirds of the faculty. Gov. Newsom is proposing more funding that could give some of these instructors coverage for the first time.

Thomas Peele
Parent Involvement
February 4, 2022

Noncitizen parents can vote in San Francisco school board recall. But will they?

Elected officials and advocates for allowing noncitizen parents to vote in the San Francisco school board recall say it’s important because many of the district’s parents are not citizens.

Zaidee Stavely