Newsom’s proposal – Gov. Gavin Newsom is pushing to move control of the California Department of Education away from the elected state superintendent and toward a new education commissioner answerable to future governors and the State Board of Education—while a political fight ov
By next week, California’s education governance debate will stop being abstract.
For Gov. Gavin Newsom, the question is whether his plan to replace the state superintendent’s day-to-day control with a commissioner-style authority can survive the pushback from the California Teachers Association and win its way into the 2026-27 budget process.
For opponents, it’s a fight over legitimacy—over who should hold the levers of school policy in a state that elects its superintendent on a constitutional office, and where that office’s power has been repeatedly tested at the ballot box.
Newsom’s proposal would shift control of the California Department of Education from the state superintendent of public instruction to a new education commissioner who would answer to future governors and the State Board of Education. Within the next week. supporters and opponents expect the outcome to sharpen as legislative leaders. the governor’s budget process. and public pressure collide.
California education Gavin Newsom state superintendent education commissioner State Board of Education California Teachers Association AB 2117 education governance 2026-27 budget