CALIFORNIA, Sept. 28 (Our California Times) — Sonja Shaw and Richard Barrera will face each other in California’s November 2026 election for superintendent of public instruction after finishing first and second in the June primary.
California’s top-two primary system sends the two leading candidates to the general election, regardless of party. The superintendent’s race is officially nonpartisan, so party labels will not appear next to the candidates’ names on the ballot. Both campaigns, however, have drawn support from groups aligned with the Republican or Democratic parties.
Late primary returns reported Shaw with about 24.5% of the vote and Barrera with about 19% to 20%. Those figures came from returns counted at different points in the vote-counting process and should not be treated as final certified totals.
The election is scheduled for Nov. 3, 2026.
Who are the candidates?
Shaw is president of the Chino Valley Unified school board in Southern California. She announced her campaign for state superintendent in March 2025 and later ended her bid for reelection to the local school board. In a statement quoted by the Daily Bulletin, Shaw said she was focusing on the state race and on changing what she called California’s “broken education system.”
Barrera is president of the San Diego Unified school board. He has served as an elected board member since 2008 and is a senior adviser to current Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond. Thurmond has endorsed Barrera.
Their local records are a major part of the campaign. Chino Valley has been a center of conservative challenges to state education policies, while San Diego Unified is one of California’s largest school districts and has a history of labor and community organizing in education.
What do Shaw and Barrera say they would do?
Shaw has emphasized reading and mathematics, greater parental involvement and accountability in schools. She opposes allowing transgender girls to participate in girls’ sports and has criticized state policies involving LGBTQ+ students, including rules concerning student privacy.
Barrera has also said schools should focus on reading, writing and mathematics. His campaign emphasizes investments in educators, coalitions among school communities and protecting California’s public education system from what he describes as attacks by the Trump administration. He supports state policies protecting transgender and LGBTQ+ students.
Both candidates oppose recent changes to the superintendent’s role, according to their statements described in voter-guide coverage.
Why has the office changed?
The superintendent is elected statewide and traditionally has overseen major administrative functions of the California Department of Education. Legislation approved by the Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom changes that structure beginning in January 2027.
Under the new arrangement, executive and administrative duties formerly handled by the superintendent will move to a governor-appointed director or education commissioner. The elected superintendent will retain a role focused mainly on oversight, evaluation and public advocacy for California’s public K–12 education system.
That change means the election will determine who serves as the state’s elected education voice, but the winner will not have the same administrative control as previous superintendents. The division of authority between the elected superintendent and the appointed official will be shaped by the new law and its implementation.
What will voters be deciding?
Voters will choose between two school-board leaders with sharply different views on culture-war issues, student protections and the role of state government in education. The candidates agree on the importance of core academic subjects but differ over LGBTQ+ policies, transgender students’ participation in sports and how California should respond to federal education policies.
The contest also reflects the growing role of education groups and political organizations in a formally nonpartisan election. Barrera has received support from education labor organizations, while Shaw has attracted backing from conservative and Republican-aligned groups.
The primary results established the November matchup, but they did not determine the winner. The outcome will be decided by voters statewide in the general election, with final results subject to the official vote-counting and certification process.
