Telepeer

What candidates for California’s top schools job had to say about funding, ethnic studies programs and more

April 25, 2026

When it comes to the state of California’s public schools, seven candidates vying to lead the state’s Department of Education largely agreed: There’s room for improvement, particularly when it comes to funding.

Seven of the 10 candidates for the state superintendent of public instruction job gathered Saturday morning, April 25, for a virtual forum, covering topics that ranged from the role of charter schools in California’s education system to concerns about the encroachment of religious influence in public schools to the stalled implementation of an ethnic studies mandate.

When it comes to how well California’s public schools are faring, candidates pointed to funding and equity issues.

“My No. 1 priority would be to fully fund our schools,” said Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, criticizing the governor’s proposal to withhold $5.6 billion in constitutionally mandated school funding as part of his budget proposal.

Classrooms also need, Muratsuchi said, fully credentialed and experienced teachers, and the superintendent’s role should focus on supporting those teachers.

Meanwhile, former Speaker Anthony Rendon honed in on equity. Some schools are faring exceptionally well, he said, while others are failing.

“We have a lot of the skills, particularly with the smart adoption of the science of reading legislation recently, that we need. We just don’t have the equity amongst our schools,” Rendon said, proposing a consideration of enrollment rather than attendance for how schools are reimbursed.

Frank Lara pointed to high turnover among educators and superintendents, calling it “not a stable system.” Structurally, said Lara, the vice president of the United Educators of San Francisco union, the state superintendent should be focused more on stability.

Richard Barrera, president of the San Diego Unified School Board, criticized what he called “this corporate reform model of education.”

“People are going to sit back, look at easy-to-understand data, like once-a-year standardized test scores, and then use a rewards and punishment system to try to improve test scores — and by the way, that’s never worked,” said Barrera, who works in the California Department of Education.

He advocated for a community schools model that supports families and focuses on students’ well-being alongside education.

Candidates varied, though, when it came to the purpose of charter schools in California’s public education system.

“If done correctly, charter schools can be a great asset for every student, every family around California,” said Wendy Castaneda Leal, superintendent of Semitropic School District in Kern County. “The issue is that at the state level, we underfund public schools and then we initiate all these programs and tell school districts, ‘Here, go at it,’ and there is no support or not enough funds.”

Charter schools can intrigue parents, Castaneda Leal said, because they have more flexibility with curriculum.

Gus Mattammal, the director of Advantage Testing of Silicon Valley and a Pomona College alumnus, also said charter school teachers have more “freedom of action” to help students who may have fallen behind. He said charter schools are “a very important tool in the toolbox,” while “not a magic bullet.”

“Above a certain income level, everybody already has universal school choice. It’s only lower-income people who aren’t allowed choices,” said Mattammal.

Charter schools serve as a relevant option in certain circumstances, such as when there isn’t a good traditional public school nearby, said Nichelle M. Henderson, a Los Angeles Community College Board trustee. At the core, Henderson said she would rather see traditional public schools be fully funded, teachers be paid a living wage and wrap-around services offered to students and families.

“My goal and intention as superintendent of public instruction is to make charter schools irrelevant by uplifting our public schools,” Henderson said.

Saturday’s event, hosted by the non-partisan Contemporary Policy Institute and the American Association of University Women of California, featured seven of the 10 candidates.

School teacher Ainye Long, former state Sen. Josh Newman and Chino Valley Unified School Board President Sonja Shaw did not participate.

During a rapid-fire round, candidates agreed when asked whether they support stronger enforcement to ensure districts are complying with a comprehensive sexual education mandate and the development of a robust, uniform complaint system for parents.

Mattammal broke with his fellow candidates, though, on the issues of a mandated ethnic studies curriculum and a federal program that provides vouchers for private schools.

An ethnic studies mandate essentially stalled when funding for it was left out of the budget last year. But just what is taught as part of that curriculum, and how, has been largely controversial.

Mattammal said because it is not funded, there’s an opportunity to revise the curriculum to ensure it’s “a values-neutral curriculum, instead of what it is, which is a propaganda piece today.”

And when it comes to a federal program choice program, six of the candidates during Saturday’s forum said they do not support California participating. Again, Mattammal disagreed, arguing it leaves money on the table.

“You’ve just heard a bunch of people talk about needing to fully fund the schools (and) are now willing to let a bunch of money walk outside the state of California just to performatively give the president the middle finger,” he said.

Candidates also disagreed over whether there should be a concern over an encroachment of religious influence in education.

Rendon said he was “petrified” by the concept, pointing to a push in Oklahoma to teach the Bible.

“We have seen time and time again so many things that have happened via the Trump administration that we thought could never happen in this country,” said Rendon. “The separation of our public schools and religious thought has to be absolute and is something I think is very much in danger.”

“I’m fully respectful of individual and family choices when it comes to their religion, but I think it’s clear, ever since the founding of our country, a core principle of our country has always been the separation of church and state, and that extends to our publicly funded schools,” said Muratsuchi, a former Torrance School Board president.

Castaneda Leal, meanwhile, said it’s important to educate students about cultural diversity, but there has to be context to teaching about religion.

“I’m not fearful of the encroachment of religion in our schools. However, I do believe that we should be mindful of how we demonstrate respect for diversity and the diversity of belief systems in our classrooms to make sure we give students a sense of pride in self,” said Henderson. “I don’t approve of teaching religion in our public schools as a way to impose a belief system onto students through the lens of bias, but we should be mindful of diversity as it pertains to religion and acknowledging students’ and families’ religious beliefs and how they impact student learning.”

A recent survey of adult California residents found that about half think the TK-12 public education system is headed in the right direction. But about half of those surveyed by the Public Policy Institute of California also said the quality of education has gotten worse over the last few years, and they would like to see major changes in the state’s public schools.

When asked about the race for the top schools official, 32% of likely voters said they did not know yet who they would pick on their ballots. The PPIC survey said that rang true across political parties.

“A shrug emoji may be the best way to describe likely voters’ feelings about the race for state superintendent of public instruction,” PPIC described voters’ sentiments.

The poll found 9% of likely voters each would pick Long or Rendon, and 7% each backed Barrera or Shaw. But 34% picked other candidates.

The race for state superintendent of public instruction is a non-partisan one. The top two vote-getters in the primary election will advance to the general election in the fall.

Orange County Register

News Details

What candidates for California’s top schools job had to say about funding, ethnic studies programs and more

News

CONTACT INFO

QUICK LINKS

SERVICES

CURRENT NEWS