Statewide · General election
California Superintendent of Public Instruction
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
On the ballot
2 certified candidates, listed alphabetically by last name.
Richard Barrera
Leads the San Diego school board, first elected to it back in 2008, and has long worked too as a labor and community organizer. He also advises the state on schools now.
Full profile →Sonja Shaw
Leads a school board in Chino Valley, since winning a seat there in 2022. She owns two small firms, in fitness training and photography. Her board passed a rule on notifying parents about transgender students.
Full profile →
Where they stand
Topic by topic, from each candidate’s own statements and public records.
Education & Schools
- Proposes expanding paid teacher apprenticeships so future teachers can earn income while training.
“expanding paid apprenticeships so future teachers can earn while they learn”
Source → - Proposes covering college tuition for students who commit to becoming teachers in California's public schools.
“covering tuition for those who commit to teaching in California's public schools”
Source → - Proposes expanding universal transitional kindergarten to include three-year-olds and expanding access to affordable, high-quality preschool.
“universal transitional kindergarten (TK) to include three-year-olds”
Source → - Proposes expanding access to school counselors and physical and mental health services, including peer-counseling programs at every high school.
“expand access to school counselors, physical, and mental health services”
Source → - Argues a four-year college degree should not be the only path to a stable career, and supports expanding vocational training, apprenticeships, and career/technical education. Source →
- Supports protecting the rights of LGBTQ+ students and says schools should be places of belonging for them.
“protecting the rights of LGBTQ+ students and ensuring schools are places of belonging”
Source →
- Opposes policies letting transgender girls use girls' locker rooms or compete on girls' sports teams, arguing they undermine fairness and safety.
“Policies allowing boys to undress in girls' locker rooms and play on their sports teams undermine fairness and safety.”
Source → - Points to statewide reading and writing shortfalls as a crisis and calls for a back-to-basics curriculum focused on reading, writing, and math.
“Half of our students can't read or write at grade level, a crisis that threatens their futures.”
Source → - Emphasizes parental rights and transparency in schools, criticizing pandemic-era mask and vaccine mandates that she says silenced parents' voices in their children's education. Source →
Candidates are those certified for the official ballot, listed alphabetically by last name. Photos appear only when we have an official, reusable photo of every candidate in the race. Positions are compiled from the candidates’ own statements and public records. We never tell you how to vote.