On November 3, Californians will cast ballots for the state superintendent of public instruction, a role that, beginning January 15, 2027, will no longer manage the California Department of Education. The shift stems from Assembly Bill AB 181 signed by Governor Gavin Newsom on July 10, and creates an education commissioner appointed by the governor to run the department’s 2,500-person workforce and its $299 million 2026-27 budget.
The elected superintendent will retain a nonpartisan title, a modest staff of about a dozen, and seats on several higher-education boards, but the day-to-day operational authority will move to the commissioner. This structural overhaul reshapes who can be held accountable for statewide outcomes such as literacy rates, funding formulas, and compliance monitoring.
How AB 181 rewrites California’s education governance
Before the law takes effect, the superintendent supervises the department that distributes state and federal school dollars, monitors district compliance, and gathers data for the California School Dashboard. Under AB 181, those responsibilities shift to a governor-appointed commissioner confirmed by the state Senate. The department’s 2,500 employees and its $299 million operating budget will answer directly to the governor’s office.
The State Board of Education expands from 11 to 13 members, with the superintendent occupying one of the new seats. The superintendent also joins the Community College Board of Governors and keeps voting positions on the UC Board of Regents and the CSU Board of Trustees, bodies that influence college tuition and admissions policies.
The law leaves the exact duties of the post-2027 superintendent unwritten. AB 181 directs the superintendent and commissioner to spend the first six months of 2027 crafting a job description, which the Legislature must approve in the fall of that year. The bill cleared the Senate 21-4 and the Assembly 52-5, despite opposition from the California Teachers Association and the term-limited superintendent Tony Thurmond.
Who is running and what they stand for
The ballot features two school-board presidents: Sonja Shaw who leads the Chino Valley Unified School District, and Richard Barrera president of the San Diego Unified School District. Both oversee districts that feed thousands of graduates into the UC system, which currently admits students based on GPA and coursework without a mandatory SAT.
During their sole debate on October 7, the candidates sparred over testing, parental rights, LGBTQ+ issues, and the legacy of former President Trump. Shaw warned, “More than half of our kids cannot read and write and do math, that’s priority number one” citing state data that only 48.8 % of students met or exceeded English standards and 37.3 % did so in math for the 2024-25 tests.
Barrera framed the superintendent’s future role as that of “an organizer” who must build coalitions around goals the state currently lacks. He argued that the UC system should decide whether to reinstate the SAT—a decision the Regents are expected to make next year, with the superintendent casting a vote.
Both candidates oppose AB 181. Shaw called the measure an “unprecedented, unconstitutional power grab” and said she will sue to preserve the office’s traditional authority. Barrera, while acknowledging the confusion the law creates, asserted, “you don’t get to define my job,” and promised to work with the appointed commissioner.
What the changes mean for families and schools
For students walking into classrooms in January, nothing will shift overnight. Local school boards will continue to hire principals, adopt curricula, and receive funding based on existing formulas. What does change is the chain of command above the districts: the governor, through the education commissioner, will now be the single point of accountability for statewide initiatives such as literacy campaigns or transitional-kindergarten rollouts.
The superintendent’s influence will concentrate on three voting arenas: the State Board of Education, the UC Regents (where the SAT future will be debated), and the community-college and CSU governance boards. Meanwhile, programs like Cal Grants and the Middle-Class Scholarship remain under the California Student Aid Commission, untouched by the reorganization.
After the November 3 election, the winning superintendent will serve a four-year term while the governor appoints the education commissioner. By June 30, 2027, the commissioner must submit a funding plan for the superintendent’s reduced duties, and a final oversight report is due October 1, 2027. Should Shaw pursue legal action, another court date will be added to the calendar.
In short, the real battle for California’s schools will play out not in classroom walls but in Sacramento’s executive office and the boards where the newly elected superintendent casts a few, but pivotal, votes.
