Paul Nguyen

Draft. Last updated 2026-10-17. This contest is still being reviewed.

Superintendent of Public Instruction

State 1 seat 2026-11-03

All Fullerton voters. This is a statewide nonpartisan office, so every voter in the city of Fullerton votes in this contest on the November 3, 2026 ballot and no party preference is printed next to either candidate's name.

What this office does

The superintendent of public instruction is a statewide elected office that the Secretary of State's voter guide lists as nonpartisan. The guide's description of the office says the superintendent serves as the state's independently elected nonpartisan voice for the public interest in the governance of the state's educational systems, represents the public interest through advocacy with the Legislature and the Governor on areas of high public concern and with recommendations for addressing identified challenges, and serves as a voting member of governing boards of the state's transitional kindergarten through higher education systems.

CalMatters reports that local school districts largely control their own budgets and curriculum decisions, which leaves the state superintendent with limited authority, and the Los Angeles Times reports the office has always had a challenging role with limited authority over school districts, which are locally managed, that the officeholder managed the California Department of Education, which guides local school districts and provides partial oversight, and that the superintendent worked in close conjunction with the state board of education, which is appointed by the governor, and often in concert with the governor and Legislature.

That changes for the next term. The Governor's office announced on July 10, 2026 that Assembly Bill 181 by Assemblymembers David Alvarez and Darshana Patel was signed into law, unifying the policy-making State Board of Education with the Department of Education that implements those policies by establishing an appointed Education Commissioner under the board to assume management of the department, while making the Superintendent a voting member on the State Board of Education and on all three higher education governing bodies so the office can foster alignment of education policy from early childhood through postsecondary education.

PACE reports the superintendent will no longer oversee the California Department of Education under the law signed July 9, 2026, and that starting January 15 the department will be led by an Education Commissioner appointed by the governor with Senate confirmation. The Governor's office says the legislation takes effect in January 2027 when the new Governor and Superintendent take office, and EdSource reports the winner will now be a voting member on state boards that set policy for California's K-12 schools, community colleges and public university systems.

CalMatters reports the position pays $210,460 and that the office is nonpartisan. The office does not set tax rates, adopt the state budget or set local school district budgets or property taxes; the Legislature and the Governor set state education funding, and school districts set their own budgets and curriculum, which is why candidate positions on funding and on the office's advocacy role are the ones this contest turns on.S2S6S11S12S14S15S16S18S19S24

Contest context

  • Two candidates qualified for this contest. The Secretary of State's certified list names Richard Barrera, with the ballot designation State Superintendent Advisor, and Sonja Shaw, with the ballot designation School District President, both listed as Non-Partisan, in that order, for the November 3, 2026 general election.S1
  • They advanced from the June 2, 2026 primary, which was a single nonpartisan contest in which all candidates appeared on one ballot. The Secretary of State's official Statement of Vote records Sonja Shaw first with 1,737,735 votes, 22.6 percent, and Richard Barrera second with 1,558,298 votes, 20.3 percent, out of 7,675,588 votes cast in the contest. The other eight candidates were Nichelle M. Henderson at 738,236 votes and 9.6 percent, Wendy Castaneda Leal at 675,968 and 8.8 percent, Al Muratsuchi at 646,329 and 8.4 percent, Anthony Rendon at 624,266 and 8.1 percent, Frank Lara at 578,171 and 7.5 percent, Josh Newman at 522,758 and 6.8 percent, Ainye Long at 426,104 and 5.6 percent, and Gus Mattammal at 167,723 and 2.2 percent. The Los Angeles Times reports seven of the 10 candidates were Democrats and that the Democratic candidates together took 67.6 percent of the primary vote, and that Shaw consolidated conservative and Republican support while Barrera split a larger block of more liberal votes with the other Democrats.S1S3S12
  • Orange County results in the June primary, from the Statement of Vote county detail: Shaw received 205,276 votes in the county and Barrera 106,660, with Newman at 66,898, Castaneda Leal at 59,660, Muratsuchi at 51,959, Henderson at 50,004, Rendon at 42,898, Lara at 33,454, Long at 30,030 and Mattammal at 16,381, for 663,220 votes cast in the contest in Orange County.S3
  • There is no incumbent in this contest. The certified list carries no incumbent designation for either candidate and Ballotpedia states there are no incumbents in this race. The Los Angeles Times reports that two-term incumbent Tony Thurmond is leaving the office, was barred by term limits from serving again and ran unsuccessfully for governor, and CalMatters reports the same. EdSource reports that not since the election of Bill Honig in 1982 have California voters selected a superintendent of public instruction who was not a state legislator, and that if Shaw wins she would be the first Republican to hold the seat since Max Rafferty, who served from 1963 to 1971.S1S12S14S23S24
  • The office itself is being reshaped during this election. The Governor's office announced on July 10, 2026 that he signed Assembly Bill 181, which establishes an appointed Education Commissioner under the State Board of Education to manage the California Department of Education starting in January 2027, while the Superintendent becomes a voting member on the State Board of Education and on the three higher education governing bodies. PACE reports the law was signed July 9, 2026, that the department will be led by an Education Commissioner appointed by the governor with Senate confirmation starting January 15, and that the changes came out of state budget negotiations. CalMatters reports the superintendent will have even less power and that starting in 2027 a governor-appointed education commissioner will run the department while many of the superintendent's duties move to the state school board. The Los Angeles Times reports the superintendent loses control over the education department and that many of the new duties have yet to be worked out, and EdSource reports the next superintendent will no longer have administrative authority over the department. CalMatters reported in May 2026, before the bill passed, that the governor's race would carry more relevance to school funding than the superintendent's race.S6S11S12S14S15S18S19S24
  • Money in the race. The Cal-Access committee summaries used for this entry report BARRERA FOR SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION 2026 raising $550,085.37 in contributions, with $198,874.42 in ending cash, and SHAW FOR SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION 2026 raising $353,941.19, with $190,009.98 in ending cash, both for January 1 through September 19, 2026. The CalMatters campaign finance tables built from Secretary of State data report about $778,000 in contributions of $100 or more for Barrera and about $591,000 for Shaw over the 2025 to 2026 cycle. Outside spending is heavily one-sided: CalMatters lists more than $5.11 million in independent expenditures supporting Barrera, led by the California Teachers Association Independent Expenditure Committee at $5,057,539.31, and none opposing him, against $20,000 spent by Reform Local Government PAC supporting Shaw and none opposing her. The Los Angeles Times reports the union spent more than $5 million in the primary, and EdSource reports the union is prepared to invest whatever resources are required and that no candidate has won this office in the past 44 years without its backing.S4S5S6S7S8S9S10S12S14
  • Endorsements divide along party lines. CalMatters lists the California Teachers Association, United Domestic Workers and California Charter School Advocates for Barrera and the California Republican Party, Moms for Liberty and the California Rifle and Pistol Association for Shaw. Statewide organizations appear on each candidate's published list as well: the California Democratic Party, Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California and the Sierra Club California for Barrera, and the California Republican Party, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association PAC, Reform California and the American Independent Party of California for Shaw. Newspaper editorial boards split as well: Barrera lists the San Francisco Chronicle, the Bay Area News Group and several Bee papers, while Shaw lists the Orange County Register and the other Southern California News Group papers, and the Register's own list of endorsements for the November 3 general election lists Sonja Shaw for this contest. Each candidate's full list is summarized in that candidate's entry below.S6S11S20S22S25
  • Polling: Ballotpedia lists one poll with a published margin of error, a SurveyUSA survey fielded September 15 to 20, 2026 for KGTV-TV and the San Diego Union-Tribune, showing Barrera at 26 percent, Shaw at 20 percent and 53 percent undecided among 742 likely voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.6 percentage points. CalMatters reported in May 2026 that a Public Policy Institute of California poll found 32 percent of voters undecided with no candidate above 10 percent before the primary.S23S24
  • The two candidates met in one debate hosted by EdSource in October 2026, which EdSource reported was the sole debate between them before the election. EdSource reports they clashed over testing, parental rights, LGBTQ+ students and the role of politics in schools, that Shaw called the state's reading and math results priority number one and described failed policies and rampant spending, and that Barrera framed the job as that of an organizer who builds coalitions and sets clear goals, and that both showed they could use the office as a platform. EdSource also reports the exchange over the University of California, where the next superintendent will be a voting member of the Board of Regents and which is expected to decide next year whether to return to standardized testing in admissions, and it reports each candidate's post-debate statements about the other.S15S16
  • Both candidates submitted a statement for the official voter guide, and both statements are printed on the Secretary of State's Superintendent of Public Instruction candidate statements page along with the statutory description of the office. That page says the order of the statements was set by randomized drawing and that the statements were supplied by the candidates, paid for by the candidates and not checked for accuracy by any official agency. Each statement is summarized in that candidate's entry below.S2

Candidates

Listed in ballot order. Candidates are described with the same sections and level of detail; no ranking or endorsement is implied.

Richard Barrera

State Superintendent Advisor

Bio

  • The Secretary of State's certified list of candidates for the November 3, 2026 general election names Richard Barrera with the ballot designation State Superintendent Advisor and lists the office as Non-Partisan, so no party preference is printed next to his name on the ballot and the certified list carries no incumbent designation for him.S1
  • The Los Angeles Times reports Barrera is 59 and is president of the San Diego Unified Board of Education, which governs the state's second-largest school system with about 113,000 students, and that he also serves as a senior adviser to state Superintendent Tony Thurmond. EdSource reports he is a senior policy adviser at the California Department of Education.S12S14S16
  • In his Ballotpedia candidate survey he says he has served on the San Diego Unified school board since 2008, including several terms as board president, that he has worked inside the California Department of Education as senior policy advisor since 2024, that he spent two decades before elected office as a community and labor organizer including as Secretary-Treasurer of the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, where he led a campaign that won a higher minimum wage and paid sick days for 200,000 workers, and that he went to California public schools from kindergarten through UC San Diego and earned a master's in public policy from Harvard.S23
  • His voter guide statement says he is an 18-year veteran of the San Diego Unified School Board and its current president, that he brought parents, educators and the community together to cut waste and bureaucracy and invest in students and the classroom, and that he led four successful campaigns to repair 60-year-old schools, upgrade technology and improve school safety with electronic door locks, single points of entry and updated emergency communication. The Los Angeles Times reports his children are grown, and EdSource reports he is the father of two sons.S2S12S14
  • The Los Angeles Times reports he has a long career in community and labor organizing and worked as a senior official in two unions, which combined with his 18 years on the San Diego school board made him an ideological fit with the California Teachers Association, and quotes him saying he has a long demonstrated partnership with the unions that represent educators and that they will always be a core voice in his decisions.S12

Record in office

  • San Diego Unified outcomes while he served on the board: EdSource reports the share of students scoring proficient or advanced in English language arts rose from 53.13 percent in 2022 to 56.17 percent in 2025 and in math from 41.10 percent to 45.3 percent over the same years, and that the district's 2025 graduation rate was 90.3 percent against a state average of 87.5 percent.S14
  • In his Ballotpedia survey response he says that in San Diego the district raised base pay for educators by more than 40 percent while keeping fully paid family health care, that it is building affordable housing for school employees on district land, and that he now leads that housing work at the Department of Education.S23
  • His voter guide statement says he fought to keep federal immigration enforcement out of schools, stood up for LGBTQ students and worked on student vaccination, and his campaign priorities page says he championed school nurses on the San Diego board and led efforts to increase nurse to student ratios and guarantee full-time nurses.S2S21
  • His campaign priorities page says that as state superintendent he would support districts in using the California Youth Behavioral Health Initiative, which allows districts to bill private health insurers, in addition to billing Medi-Cal, to pay for school-based health services.S21
  • The Los Angeles Times reports that the California Department of Education said Barrera has no involvement in handling complaints such as the one filed against Chino Valley Unified in August 2026, even though he works at the department.S13
  • EdSource reports that in San Diego Unified he led efforts to require ethnic studies in high school and to hire more bilingual teachers, and that he has been a strong proponent of ethnic studies.S14
  • Gaps in the record for this contest: he has not held the office he is seeking, so there are no decisions made as superintendent of public instruction to report for him, and the material reviewed for this entry contains no vote or official action by him on state school funding formulas, on the state board of education or on the UC Board of Regents, bodies the office sits on.S6S12S23

Positions

Education
  • Says the San Diego approach shows what works: teaching reading with phonics, backing teachers with materials and coaches, catching struggling readers early, and giving the students furthest behind smaller early-grade classes, tutoring tied to their classwork and summer school. He says that as superintendent he would find the districts getting results, spread what they do, and report every district's progress so families can see whether the numbers are moving.S23
  • His campaign priorities page says he would lead a statewide effort to increase education funding, hold the federal government accountable for meeting its obligations to programs such as special education, and help local school districts organize and pass their own funding measures, and it also says he would maximize efficiency, reduce waste and ensure resources reach the classrooms and students who need them most.S21
  • His campaign priorities page says he would expand paid teacher apprenticeships so future teachers can earn while they learn, cover tuition for those who commit to teaching in California public schools, strengthen partnerships between districts and higher education, and invest in current teachers with support, resources and fair pay.S21
  • His campaign priorities page says he would protect the rights of LGBTQ+ students and make schools places of belonging, expand dual-language immersion so students graduate bilingual, make college-prep courses available in every high school, and expand career technical education, apprenticeships and vocational training, adding that a college degree should not be the only route to a stable career. The Los Angeles Times and EdSource report he supports California law allowing students to participate in sports based on gender identity and that he said he would work to protect the civil rights of LGBTQ+ students in all districts, including Chino Valley Unified.S21S12S14
  • On the University of California, he said in the EdSource debate that the question is how to prepare young people to succeed in college, that he sees the same sink-or-swim attitude among faculty that existed decades ago, and that it is everyone's job to support students rather than treat an elite institution as exempt from teaching. The same debate report says the Board of Regents is expected to decide next year whether to return to standardized testing in admissions.S16
Taxes
  • In his Ballotpedia survey response he says California is the fourth-largest economy in the world and does not invest enough in its schools, that Proposition 98 guarantees minimum funding for schools and the governor withheld money this year, that he supports Proposition 3 on the November 2026 ballot, which keeps the tax on the highest incomes and sends the money directly to schools, and that he would organize parents, educators and labor to close corporate tax loopholes. He also says he would bring educators, parents and district leaders together every year to draft an education budget built on ongoing funding and take it to the Legislature.S23
Housing
  • His campaign priorities page says districts should be helped to secure funding to build workforce housing for teachers and school staff, that schools should be connected with developers and labor partners to turn housing projects into reality, and that statewide programs supporting educators with housing costs should be expanded, so that teachers can live in the communities they serve.S21
Cost of living
  • His campaign priorities page says he supports free, universal, high-quality early childhood education for every three-year-old in California, delivered by professional early childhood educators earning family-supporting wages and health care, through preschool, family child care or community-based programs, and that he would address the shortage of early childhood educators through fair pay, benefits and professional support.S21
Health care
  • His campaign priorities page says mental health and student wellness must be a top priority in every school, that he would expand access to school counselors and physical and mental health services, put peer counseling programs in every high school, and move beyond test scores to measure school success by making social-emotional learning a core priority.S21
Immigration
  • The Los Angeles Times reports he calls federal immigration raids harmful and quotes him saying the assault on immigrant families by the federal government affects students and educators and that he will stand up to it. His voter guide statement says he fought to keep federal immigration enforcement out of schools.S12S2
Economy and jobs
  • His campaign priorities page says there is dignity in all work and that the education system must recognize it by providing robust vocational training, apprenticeships and career and technical education programs, including hands-on experience in fields such as health care and the trades.S21
Local services
  • In the October 2026 EdSource debate he said he sees the job as that of an organizer who builds coalitions around ideas, that California has many entities with some responsibility for education but no clear set of goals and priorities for students, and that he would bring parents, educators, superintendents, board members and community leaders together to set shared goals and hold schools and state leaders accountable for meeting them.S16S14

Endorsements

  • CalMatters lists the California Teachers Association, United Domestic Workers and California Charter School Advocates as his key endorsements, and the same list appears in the LAist voter guide, which is a CalMatters republication.S6S11
  • His campaign endorsements page says the California Democratic Party has endorsed him and lists elected officials including U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, U.S. Representative Juan Vargas, current state Superintendent Tony Thurmond, former state Superintendent Jack O'Connell, former state Treasurer Kathleen Brown, state Senators Eloise Gomez Reyes, Robert Archuleta, Steve Padilla, John Laird and Art Torres, Assembly Education Chair Darshana Patel, Assemblymembers Chris Ward, Jessica Caloza and Dawn Addis, Assembly Speaker Emeritus Anthony Rendon, San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chair Terra Lawson-Remer, Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsay Horvath, and numerous mayors, council members, county officials and school board members.S20
  • His campaign endorsements page lists organizations including the California Democratic Party, Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, the Human Rights Campaign PAC, Equality California, Sierra Club California, the California Charter Schools Association, the Association of California School Administrators, California State Retirees, the Association of California State Supervisors, ACCE Action, California Environmental Voters, the California Association of Bilingual Educators PAC, and many local Democratic clubs, and lists designations from the Alliance to End Gun Violence, Moms Demand Action and Everytown for Gun Safety, and the Human Rights Campaign.S20
  • His campaign endorsements page lists newspaper editorial boards including the San Francisco Chronicle, Bay Area News Group (San Jose Mercury News and East Bay Times), the San Francisco Bay Guardian, Black Voice News, The Sacramento Bee, The Fresno Bee, The Modesto Bee, The Merced Sun-Star, The Tribune of San Luis Obispo, and the Bay Area Reporter. His Ballotpedia survey response lists the same editorial boards among his endorsements, together with the California Federation of Labor Unions AFL-CIO, SEIU California, AFSCME, Teamsters California and United Teachers Los Angeles.S20S23
  • Endorsements the two candidates do not share: his published lists do not include the Orange County Register or the Southern California News Group, which endorsed Sonja Shaw for this contest, and they do not include the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association PAC or Moms for Liberty, which endorse her.S20S23S25

Funding

Total raised: $550,085 S4S6S7S9S12S14

Cash on hand: $198,874

As of: September 19, 2026

Top funders

  • California Teachers Association $39,200 Contributor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, which is built from California Secretary of State filings and covers contributions of $100 or more; that table covers a longer period than the Cal-Access calendar year total reported here and the table does not print a data-as-of date
  • United Domestic Workers of America $39,200 Contributor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, which covers contributions of $100 or more and is built from California Secretary of State filings
  • Richard Barrera $20,277 Contributor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, where his name carries the table's asterisk flagging a contributor who made a loan as part or all of the total; the table lists the contributor as RICHARD BARRERA
  • Association of California School Administrators $19,600 Contributor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, which covers contributions of $100 or more
  • Building a Stronger Future for California PAC $19,600 Contributor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, which covers contributions of $100 or more
  • California Federation of Teachers $19,600 Contributor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, which covers contributions of $100 or more
  • California School Employees Association $19,600 Contributor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, which covers contributions of $100 or more
  • County and Municipal Employees American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees $19,600 Contributor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, which covers contributions of $100 or more; the table lists the contributor as COUNTY & MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES AMERICAN FEDERATION OF STATE
  • Laborers International Union of North America Local 89 PAC Fund $19,600 Contributor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, which covers contributions of $100 or more
  • Lawrence E Hess $19,600 Contributor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, which covers contributions of $100 or more

BARRERA FOR SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION 2026 (Cal-Access filer ID 1478161) reports contributions of $550,085.37 and total expenditures of $414,294.39 for January 1 through September 19, 2026, ending with $198,874.42 in cash, with the last report filed September 24, 2026, and $348,351.77 of the contributions came in the July 1 through September 19, 2026 period. CalMatters reports about $778,000 in contributions of $100 or more for the 2025 to 2026 cycle and notes that its contributor tables exclude small donors under $100 and transfers from a candidate's previous committee for a different race, which is why its cycle figure is higher than the Cal-Access period total. CalMatters lists $5,111,634.31 in independent expenditures supporting Barrera and none opposing him: the California Teachers Association Independent Expenditure Committee at $5,057,539.31, Families and Teachers United sponsored by California Charter Schools Association Advocates at $39,655.91, Educate the Future Supporting Barrera for Superintendent of Public Schools 2026 at $10,500, and the United Domestic Workers of America Independent Expenditure PAC at $3,939.09. The Los Angeles Times reports the teachers union spent more than $5 million in the primary on mailers, text message campaigns and television, radio, newspaper and digital advertising, and EdSource reports that no candidate has won this office in the past 44 years without the union's backing and quotes the union president saying it is prepared to invest whatever resources are required.

Statement summary

His voter guide statement says he led the reform effort that transformed San Diego Unified from a district in crisis to one that is first in reading and math among the nation's largest urban districts, that he fought to protect students from the federal administration by keeping immigration enforcement out of schools, standing up for LGBTQ students and working on student vaccination, and that he will protect California from what he calls attacks on public education. It says that as an 18-year veteran and current president of the San Diego Unified board he brought parents, educators and the community together to cut waste and bureaucracy and invest in the classroom, that reading and math levels rose to national highs on the Nation's Report Card, that San Diego Unified topped California's urban districts in graduation rates and college and career readiness, and that he led four successful campaigns to repair 60-year-old schools, upgrade technology and improve school safety. It lists endorsements from 700,000-plus classroom teachers, nurses, counselors, principals and staff represented by the California Teachers Association, the California Federation of Teachers, United Administrators of Southern California and the California School Employees Association, and from Planned Parenthood, California Professional Firefighters, school police officers and the California Democratic Party.S2

What this could mean for your household

  • Taxpayers and high earners: he says he supports Proposition 3 on the November 2026 ballot, which keeps the tax on the highest incomes and directs the money to schools, and says he would organize to close corporate tax loopholes.S23
  • Families with young children: his campaign says he supports free universal high-quality early childhood education for every three-year-old, which the campaign presents as a way to reduce what families pay for preschool and child care.S21
  • Educators who rent or own a home: his campaign says he would help districts build workforce housing for teachers and school staff on district land and expand statewide programs that help educators with housing costs, which he presents as a way to keep teachers living in the communities they serve.S21
  • W-2 earners working in schools: as a San Diego board member he says the district raised base pay for educators by more than 40 percent while keeping fully paid family health care, and he proposes a state-backed paid teacher apprenticeship.S23
  • Homeowners, renters and small business owners on other costs: no stated position from him on property taxes, sales taxes, utility rates, insurance costs or business fees appears in his voter guide statement, his campaign priorities page, his campaign endorsement page or his Ballotpedia survey response, so none is recorded here.S2S20S21S23

Campaign website

Sonja Shaw

School District President

Bio

  • The Secretary of State's certified list of candidates for the November 3, 2026 general election names Sonja Shaw with the ballot designation School District President and lists the office as Non-Partisan, so no party preference is printed next to her name on the ballot and the certified list carries no incumbent designation for her.S1
  • The Los Angeles Times reports Shaw is 44 and is president of the Chino Valley Unified Board of Education, a district of about 26,000 students in San Bernardino County, that she is a longtime religious conservative and a small business owner, that she became politically active over pandemic school closures and vaccine and mask mandates, and that her children are still in school. EdSource reports she is a former personal trainer and mother of two daughters, and that she was elected to the Chino Valley Unified board in 2022 and leads a district of about 26,500 students with a budget of about $446 million.S12S14
  • Her campaign website says she is a Chino native, that she was content as a soccer mom before California sidelined parents during debates over closures and mandates, that she began by attending local school board meetings to advocate for her daughters, and that she was elected Chino Valley Unified School Board President in 2022 and championed parental rights.S22
  • CalMatters and the LAist voter guide report she has been an outspoken opponent of protections for transgender students, that she made headlines in 2023 when she presided over a school board meeting where state Superintendent Tony Thurmond was escorted out during a debate over transgender student rights, and that she supports shifting away from what she calls radical ideologies in the classroom and returning to academic basics.S6S11S24
  • Her campaign website says she is married to Chris, that they chose to raise their two daughters in public schools, and that she ran after those schools stopped putting students first. It also says that her district was recognized by Stanford-led research as a model for post-COVID academic recovery and ranked 21st in California by Money Inc, which are her campaign's characterizations of outside research and rankings.S22

Record in office

  • In the 2023 to 2024 school year the Chino Valley board adopted a policy requiring school employees to notify parents when students ask to use a name or pronoun different from school records or to join a sex-segregated program that does not correspond to those records. The Los Angeles Times reports the board passed the notification policy in July 2023, that a state judge put it on hold and subsequently ruled it illegal, and EdSource reports that in September 2026 San Bernardino County Superior Court Judge Michael Sachs denied the district's request to dissolve his injunction, saying there is no mandatory duty for the district to release information about a student and distinguishing the case from a U.S. Supreme Court emergency ruling in Mirabelli v. Bonta.S13S17
  • Shaw publicly criticized the September 2026 ruling. The Los Angeles Times reports that after the hearing she said the proceedings were kangaroo courts run by dishonorable judges and that she believes notification should be mandatory, and EdSource reports the same characterization of her comments.S13S17
  • The Chino Valley board adopted a library book restriction policy in October 2023 that allows any community member to ask for a book's removal, requires removal within three days and a hearing and board vote within 45 days. The Los Angeles Times reports that in August 2026 the public-interest law firm Public Counsel and local parents filed a complaint with the California Department of Education asking it to investigate whether education codes were violated, to invalidate the policy and to have books returned to shelves, alleging that books with sexual content or LGBTQ+ themes were pulled and that the district acted without following its own hearing and voting rules. Shaw told the newspaper the policy is about keeping sexually explicit material out of children's hands and that parents overwhelmingly expect the board to exercise that responsibility.S13
  • District outcomes while she was board president: EdSource reports the share of Chino Valley Unified students scoring proficient or advanced in English language arts rose from 58.91 percent in 2022 to 62.12 percent in 2025 and in math from 44.58 percent to 49.79 percent, and that the district's 2025 graduation rate was 95.5 percent against a state average of 87.5 percent, with the district improving faster than the state average.S14
  • The Los Angeles Times reports she demonstrated at a track meet to oppose the participation of a transgender athlete, which it says won her support from people who felt she was standing up for girl athletes and criticism from those who felt she was publicly targeting a child, and that she supports flag bans at schools and book restrictions targeting content deemed sexually obscene.S12
  • Her campaign website says that as board president she won what it calls landmark battles against Sacramento policies, including a lawsuit from Attorney General Rob Bonta, and that Chino Valley cut bureaucracy and directed resources back into classrooms. The lawsuit over the notification policy was brought by the state against the district, and the September 2026 ruling in that litigation went against the district, so this entry reports the campaign's characterization as the campaign's claim.S22
  • Gaps in the record for this contest: she has not held the office she is seeking, so there are no decisions made as superintendent of public instruction to report for her, and the material reviewed for this entry contains no vote or official action by her on state school funding, on the state board of education or on the UC Board of Regents.S6S12S23

Positions

Education
  • Says California's schools are failing, that fewer than half of students read and write at grade level, and that as state superintendent she would focus on reading, writing and math, on pathways to success after high school, on taking politics out of the classroom and on making sure parents have a seat at the table. She says her district's results show a back-to-basics approach works and that she would recruit and retain teachers with a curriculum centered on practical skills.S22S16S2
  • Says policies that allow transgender students to play on girls sports teams and use girls locker rooms undermine fairness and safety, that girls are losing roster spots, medals and scholarships, and that she would protect what she calls fairness and privacy for girls. EdSource reports that if elected she said she would continue to advocate for policies barring transgender students from competing on girls teams and for parental notification policies about a student's sexual orientation or gender identity.S22S14
  • Says she supports parents being notified when students express gender identity issues at school, and in the Los Angeles Times candidate survey she chose the statement that there should be a legal obligation to notify parents, with district officials citing documented instances of abuse or mistreatment from courts or law enforcement as the rare exception for withholding the information.S12S22
  • Says school library policies that let parents and community members challenge books keep sexually explicit material away from children, and told the Los Angeles Times the larger issue is whether parents remain the primary decision makers for their children or Sacramento keeps chipping away at that role.S13
  • Says she wants accurate and truthful history taught, is critical of how ethnic studies is being taught in California and says that class is not funded, and that she would prefer students to learn civics. EdSource reports she said much of what is pushed through that class is ideology. Richard Barrera, her opponent, took the opposite position on requiring ethnic studies.S14
  • In the October 2026 EdSource debate she said the University of California needs something to measure whether students are ready, pointing to professors who signed letters saying California students cannot do algebra, and she tied that to concerns about student mental health. The same report says the UC Board of Regents, which the next superintendent will join as a voting member, is expected to decide next year whether to return to standardized testing in admissions.S16
  • Says pandemic school closures, mask mandates and vaccine mandates placed politics over families, set students back and silenced parents, and that she would deliver change at the state level so families' needs come before political agendas.S22
Taxes
  • Says California's lagging student achievement is not a funding problem but a leadership problem, that the state should provide tools to districts instead of making them pull from their general fund for things that are best for students, and that she would cut wasteful bureaucracy and demand fiscal transparency so money reaches classrooms. She does not state a position on state tax rates in the voter guide statement or campaign materials reviewed for this entry, and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association PAC is among the organizations her campaign lists as endorsing her.S12S22S23
Economy and jobs
  • Her campaign website and Ballotpedia survey response say she focuses on career and technical education and on making sure students have a pathway after high school, whether to a junior college, a four-year university or a career and vocational pathway.S22S23
Immigration
  • The Los Angeles Times reports she sidesteps discussion of federal immigration enforcement, quoting her saying districts should follow the law, communicate clearly with families and keep their attention on the classroom, and that this is where their energy belongs. The same article reports her opponent calls the raids harmful.S12
Local services
  • Her voter guide statement says she would be an advocate for students and families, standing up to politicians and special interests to protect the office's independence as voters intended, and that she would demand fiscal transparency to ensure money reaches classrooms.S2

Endorsements

  • CalMatters lists the California Republican Party, Moms for Liberty and the California Rifle and Pistol Association as her key endorsements, and the same list appears in the LAist voter guide.S6S11
  • Her campaign website lists organizations including the American Independent Party of California, California College Republicans, the California Congress of Republicans, the California Hispanic Republican Club, the California Republican Assembly, the California Republican Party, the California Rifle and Pistol Association PAC, the California Women's Leadership Association PAC, California Young Republicans, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association PAC, the Interfaith Statewide Coalition, the Lincoln Club of Orange County, the Lincoln Club of Riverside County, the Los Angeles County Lincoln Clubs, Moms for Liberty California, Reform California, the San Bernardino Police Officers Association and the Sheriff Employees Benefit Association.S22
  • Her campaign website lists elected officials including Orange County Superintendent of Schools Stefan Bean, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, former California Republican Party Chairman Jim Brulte, Assembly Republican Leader Heath Flora, Senate Republican Leader Brian Jones and numerous other state legislators, county supervisors, sheriffs and city officials, and lists more than 80 school board members including Orange County Board of Education members Mari Barke, Lisa Sparks and Tim Shaw, and Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified board member Leandra Blades. Her Ballotpedia survey response lists the California Republican Party, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association PAC, the California Women's Leadership Association PAC, Moms For Liberty California, Reform California, the American Independent Party of California, Riley Gaines, Steve Hilton, Sheriff Chad Bianco, 75 or more local school board members and dozens of legislators and local elected officials.S22S23
  • Her campaign website lists 11 newspaper endorsements, among them the Orange County Register, the Los Angeles Daily News, the Long Beach Press-Telegram, the Pasadena Star News, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, the Redlands Daily Facts, the San Bernardino Sun, the Riverside Press-Enterprise, the Daily Breeze and the Whittier Daily News, which are the papers of the Southern California News Group. The Orange County Register's April 30, 2026 endorsement is headlined as an endorsement of Sonja Shaw for California superintendent of public instruction, and its list of Southern California News Group endorsements for the November 3, 2026 general election lists Superintendent of Public Instruction: Sonja Shaw.S22S25
  • Endorsements the two candidates do not share: her published lists do not include the California Teachers Association, the California Democratic Party, Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California or the Sierra Club California, which endorse her opponent, and they do not include the Bay Area News Group or the San Francisco Chronicle, which he also lists.S20S22S23

Funding

Total raised: $353,941 S5S8S10S12S14

Cash on hand: $190,010

As of: September 19, 2026

Top funders

  • Yuba County Republican Party $21,840 Contributor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, which is built from California Secretary of State filings and covers contributions of $100 or more; that table covers a longer period than the Cal-Access calendar year total reported here and the table does not print a data-as-of date
  • David Cates $19,600 Contributor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, which covers contributions of $100 or more
  • Jon Harmon $19,600 Contributor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, which covers contributions of $100 or more
  • Robert Wiley $19,600 Contributor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, which covers contributions of $100 or more
  • Sherry Reynoso $19,600 Contributor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, which covers contributions of $100 or more
  • Aaron Reynoso $16,000 Contributor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, which covers contributions of $100 or more
  • Carl DeMaio for State Assembly $10,515 Contributor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, which covers contributions of $100 or more
  • Carlos Reynoso $9,800 Contributor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, which covers contributions of $100 or more
  • Charlie Reynoso $9,800 Contributor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, which covers contributions of $100 or more
  • Don Oliphant $9,800 Contributor total for the 2025 to 2026 cycle in the CalMatters campaign finance table for this race, which covers contributions of $100 or more

SHAW FOR SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION 2026 (Cal-Access filer ID 1479719) reports contributions of $353,941.19 and total expenditures of $332,305.33 for January 1 through September 19, 2026, ending with $190,009.98 in cash, with the last report filed September 24, 2026, and $114,622.15 of the contributions came in the July 1 through September 19, 2026 period. CalMatters reports about $591,000 in contributions of $100 or more for the 2025 to 2026 cycle, and its contributor tables exclude small donors under $100 and transfers from a candidate's previous committee for a different race. The Los Angeles Times reports her campaign raised $399,000 in the primary and at least $187,000 since the primary, and EdSource reports the late spending in the race went heavily to her opponent's side. CalMatters lists one outside group spending in support of her, Reform Local Government PAC at $20,000, and lists no independent expenditures opposing her, while CalMatters lists more than $5.1 million supporting her opponent and none opposing him.

Statement summary

Her voter guide statement says California's public schools are failing children, that fewer than half can read or write at grade level, that fairness for girls is under attack with female athletes losing medals and scholarships and some changing in their cars before practice because they feel unsafe in locker rooms, and that she was elected president of the Chino Valley Unified School Board because parents demanded change. It says her district refocused on reading, writing and math, protected girls sports and private spaces, cut bureaucracy and directed resources back into classrooms, that student outcomes improved and that independent research recognized the district as a model for post-COVID academic recovery. As state superintendent she says she would restore high academic standards in reading, writing and math, protect Title IX for fairness and safety for girls, cut wasteful bureaucracy, demand fiscal transparency so money reaches classrooms and support teachers, and she says she would stand up to politicians and special interests to protect the office's independence as voters intended.S2

What this could mean for your household

  • Taxpayers: her campaign lists the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association PAC among her endorsing organizations. She says achievement gaps are a leadership problem rather than a funding problem and that the state should not spend more on education but should direct more of the existing money to classrooms, and she calls for fiscal transparency and for cutting wasteful bureaucracy. She states no position on tax rates, fees or assessment formulas in the voter guide statement or campaign materials reviewed for this entry.S12S22S23
  • Parents of public school students: her stated priorities include parental notification about a student's gender identity at school, parental involvement in school decisions, and library policies that allow community members to seek removal of books they consider sexually explicit, which the state Department of Education complaint filed in August 2026 asks it to invalidate.S13S22
  • Families with daughters in school sports: she says she would protect girls sports and private spaces and that female athletes are losing medals and scholarships, and she says she would keep advocating for policies barring transgender students from girls teams.S2S14S22
  • W-2 earners working in schools: her statement says she would support teachers, cut bureaucracy and direct resources to classrooms, and she says teacher shortages strain classrooms and that the state should recruit and retain top educators. Her materials do not state a position on educator pay levels, health care costs or pension contributions.S2S22
  • Homeowners, renters and small business owners on other costs: no stated position from her on property taxes, sales taxes, state income taxes, utility rates, insurance costs or business fees appears in her voter guide statement or campaign materials reviewed for this entry, so none is recorded here.S2S22S23

Campaign website

Sources

  1. Certified List of Candidates, November 3, 2026, General Election California Secretary of State Accessed 2026-10-17
  2. Superintendent of Public Instruction Candidate Statements, Official Voter Information Guide, November 3, 2026 California Secretary of State Accessed 2026-10-17
  3. Statement of Vote, June 2, 2026 Primary Election (complete statewide canvass, including Superintendent of Public Instruction by county) California Secretary of State Accessed 2026-10-17
  4. Campaign Finance: BARRERA FOR SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION 2026 (ID 1478161), committee summary California Secretary of State, Cal-Access Accessed 2026-10-17
  5. Campaign Finance: SHAW FOR SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION 2026 (ID 1479719), committee summary California Secretary of State, Cal-Access Accessed 2026-10-17
  6. California Voter Guide 2026: Superintendent of Public Instruction CalMatters Accessed 2026-10-17
  7. Campaign finance, Richard Barrera, contributors of $100 or more, 2026 Voter Guide CalMatters Accessed 2026-10-17
  8. Campaign finance, Sonja Shaw, contributors of $100 or more, 2026 Voter Guide CalMatters Accessed 2026-10-17
  9. Campaign finance, Richard Barrera, outside spending, 2026 Voter Guide CalMatters Accessed 2026-10-17
  10. Campaign finance, Sonja Shaw, outside spending, 2026 Voter Guide CalMatters Accessed 2026-10-17
  11. California superintendent of public instruction: Who is running and why it matters LAist Accessed 2026-10-17
  12. Your guide to the California state schools superintendent race: Barrera vs. Shaw Los Angeles Times Accessed 2026-10-17
  13. Chino Valley, led by Sonja Shaw, facing scrutiny over book bans, outing policy Los Angeles Times Accessed 2026-10-17
  14. Shaw and Barrera offer starkly different visions for California schools EdSource Accessed 2026-10-17
  15. See where California state superintendent candidates stand on major education issues EdSource Accessed 2026-10-17
  16. Shaw and Barrera clash over parental rights, Trump and SAT in California state superintendent debate EdSource Accessed 2026-10-17
  17. Judge says Chino Valley Unified can disclose a student's gender identity to parents when they ask EdSource Accessed 2026-10-17
  18. Governor Newsom signs legislation enacting long-recommended changes to improve TK-12 school governance in California Office of Governor Gavin Newsom Accessed 2026-10-17
  19. SPI's Role to Shift Under Governance Overhaul Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) Accessed 2026-10-17
  20. Endorsements, Richard Barrera for Superintendent of Public Instruction 2026 Richard Barrera for Superintendent of Public Instruction 2026 Accessed 2026-10-17
  21. Priorities, Richard Barrera for Superintendent of Public Instruction 2026 Richard Barrera for Superintendent of Public Instruction 2026 Accessed 2026-10-17
  22. Sonja Shaw for California State Superintendent 2026, home page (issues and endorsements) Shaw for Superintendent of Public Instruction 2026 Accessed 2026-10-17
  23. California Superintendent of Public Instruction election, 2026 Ballotpedia Accessed 2026-10-17
  24. California voters are about to elect a new state superintendent. It is barely on the radar CalMatters Accessed 2026-10-17
  25. Southern California News Group endorsements for the Nov. 3, 2026 general election The Orange County Register Accessed 2026-10-17