California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Choose 1
★★★ IMPORTANT ★★★EXPAND this compressed “About This Race” window (by clicking "Read More") for valuable information. Don't miss it!After reading the expanded “About This Race” content:Beneath the large "Meet the candidates" text below, click inside the small “View Answers” or “Compare Answers” boxes of each candidate you want to view, then SCROLL ALL THE WAY DOWN to read candidate responses.…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………★ BASIC DUTIES OF THE OFFICE ★The Superintendent of Public Instruction is the state's chief of public schools:Provides education policy direction to local school districts, and works with the education community to improve academic performance.Heads the Department of Education and carries out policies set by the State Board of Education.Serves as an ex-officio member of governing boards of the state’s higher education system.Term: 4 years (renewable once, if voters re-elect). Base Salary: $213,617 as of Dec. 1, 2025. (Source)Incumbent: Tony Thurmond, Democratic Party. Now in his 2nd term and ineligible for re-election.…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………★ PAID STATEMENTS OF QUALIFICATIONS ★All candidates for Superintendent of Public Instruction who accepted a campaign spending limit of $7,844,000 were eligible to purchase space for a statement in the state Voter Information Guide, at the rate of $25 per word, not to exceed 250 words ($6,250).Superintendent of Public Instruction Candidate Statements by Richard Barrera and Sonja Shaw:English (HTML or Page 95 of this 176-page PDF)Available in these other languages in early September: • Español / Spanish • 中文 / Chinese • हिन्दी / Hindi • 日本語 / Japanese • ខ្មែរ / Khmer • 한국어 / Korean • Tagalog • ภาษาไทย/ Thai • Tiếng Việt / Vietnamese………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………★ CAMPAIGN FINANCE DATA ★ (Source, as of September 1, 2026).Direct fundraising totals:(1479719) Shaw for Superintendent of Public Instruction 2026 has raised $494,929.76 in 814 contributions(1478161) Richard Barrera for Superintendent of Public Instruction 2026 has raised $601,290.25 in 591 contributions.Total independent expenditures ("outside money"—by unions, etc.—spent to support or oppose a candidate):Shaw, Sonja: $10,000.00 in 1 independent expenditure to support; $0.00 in 0 independent expenditures to opposeBarrera, Richard: $5,111,634.24 in 19 independent expenditures to support; $0.00 in 0 independent expenditures to oppose.Additional resources:For the top ten contributors (above a certain threshold) to campaigns for State elected offices, visit fppc.ca.gov/search-filings/top-10-contributors-list/june-2026-primary-election. (No relevant data posted as of March 28, 2026.)For details of all contributors to candidates for State elected offices, visit powersearch.sos.ca.gov/advanced.php.For details of independent expenditures by groups in support of (or in opposition to) candidates for State elected offices, visit powersearch.sos.ca.gov.………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………TO VIEW INFORMATION SHARED BY THE CANDIDATES (more coming soon, so check back!):Beneath the large "Meet the candidates" text below, click inside the “View Answers” and “Compare Answers” boxes of each candidate you want to view. Then SCROLL ALL THE WAY DOWN to read the responses.…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Biographical Information
Ballot Designation
State Superintendent Advisor
Candidate's Political Party
Democratic Party
Campaign Email
barreraforedu@gmail.com
Campaign Website
http://barreraforedu.com
Campaign Phone
916-348-9100
Campaign Mailing Address
(Redacted/Censurado)
(Redacted/Censurado)
Sacramento, CA 95814
(Redacted/Censurado)
Sacramento, CA 95814
Campaign Instagram URL
http://instagram.com/richardbarrera2026
Campaign Facebook URL
http://www.facebook.com/people/Richard-Barrera/61577254612647/
Campaign YouTube URL
1. If elected, what are your top 3 priorities?
1) Fully funded, equitable public education: treat Proposition 98 as a floor, not a ceiling, secure sustainable progressive revenue, and direct resources to the students and schools with the greatest needs.
2) Strengthen and respect the education workforce: improve pay, benefits, and working conditions, expand pipelines to attract young people into the teaching profession, and support affordable housing for educators.
3) Schools as anchors of healthy, inclusive communities: scale community schools, expand student mental health and early learning, and enforce civil rights protections for immigrant and LGBTQ students.
2. What background, experience and/or education qualify you for this elected office? (You may use your candidate statement here if desired.)
I have spent my career in public education, labor, and public service, and I have experience both leading at the local level and working inside state government.I am proud to be endorsed by the over 300,000 classroom teachers, counselors, school nurses and educators of the California Teachers Association, the nearly 1,000 school principals and school leaders from the United Administrators of Southern California, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, and Cindy Marten, President Biden’s Deputy Secretary of Education.
I attended California public schools from kindergarten through college, graduating from UC San Diego, and I later earned a master’s in public policy from Harvard. I am the son of an immigrant father from Colombia and the grandson of Ellis Island immigrants, so I know what public institutions can mean for families trying to build stability and opportunity.
Earlier in my career, I worked as a labor organizer with domestic workers, nurses, and healthcare workers, and later served as Secretary-Treasurer of the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council. That experience shaped how I think about public education: schools are stronger when the people who work in them are supported, and policy matters only if families actually feel the results.
I have served on the San Diego Unified School District Board of Education since 2008, including multiple terms as Board President. In that role, I have worked on budgets, labor agreements, facilities, and districtwide priorities. We expanded community schools, transitional kindergarten, and bilingual education, strengthened mental health supports for students, created elected Student Board Member positions, improved educator compensation while preserving fully paid family health care, and secured voter-approved funding to modernize school facilities. Today, San Diego Unified ranks first among large urban districts in the country in both reading and math on the Nation’s Report Card.
I also currently serve as Senior Policy Advisor at the California Department of Education, where my work includes helping districts improve attendance and supporting efforts to develop affordable housing on school district property.
This job is about whether the state can actually help districts solve problems, support educators, and improve what students experience at school. My background has prepared me to do that.
Biographical Information
Ballot Designation
School District President
Candidate's Political Party
Republican
Campaign Email
info@shawforca.com
Campaign Website
http://shawforca.com
Campaign Phone
(949)495-1310
Campaign Mailing Address
6939 Schaefer Avenue
Suite D #119
Chino, CA 91710
Suite D #119
Chino, CA 91710
Campaign Twitter Handle
@realsonjashaw
Campaign Instagram URL
http://instagram.com/sonjashaw2026/
Campaign Facebook URL
http://facebook.com/ShawForCA/
1. If elected, what are your top 3 priorities?
1. Reading, writing, math. Fewer than half of California students can read or write at grade level. Math is even worse. We need clear standards, honest assessments and early intervention. I’ve done this in Chino Valley. It works. I’ll take it statewide and demand results, not excuses.
2. Protect girls’ sports and private spaces. Title IX exists for fairness and safety. Girls are losing opportunities and privacy, many even elect to change in their cars before practice as they find locker rooms unsafe. I will enforce the law as written and protect our daughters.
3. Treat parents as partners, not obstacles. Students do better when parents are involved. California has pushed them aside. I will restore their voice and rebuild that partnership.
2. What background, experience and/or education qualify you for this elected office? (You may use your candidate statement here if desired.)
California’s public schools are failing our children. Fewer than half can read or write at grade level. Girls’ sports are under attack, with female athletes losing medals and scholarships. Many even change in their cars before practice because they feel unsafe in locker rooms. This is unacceptable.
As a mother of two daughters, I was elected President of the Chino Valley Unified School Board because parents demanded change. We delivered.
When I took office in 2022, our district faced the same problems seen across California: poor grades, declining test scores, political distractions in classrooms, and girls losing fairness and privacy.
We chose a different path. We refocused on reading, writing, and math. Protected girls’ sports and private spaces. Cut bureaucracy. Directed resources back into classrooms, where they belong.
The results were undeniable. Student outcomes improved, and independent research recognized our district as a model for post-COVID academic recovery.
That success didn’t come from Sacramento mandates. It came from parents who linked arms and stood up for common sense.
As State Superintendent, I will bring that same leadership statewide. I will be an independent advocate for students and families, not political insiders.
My plan is simple: restore high academic standards in reading, writing, and math; protect Title IX, ensuring fairness and safety for girls; give parents a real seat at the table; support excellent teachers; and cut wasteful bureaucracy.
The blueprint exists at the local level. We’ve proven it works. Let’s join together and deliver results for every California student.