Shaw and Barrera surge as superintendent race enters deciding stage

Shaw and – With millions of California mail-in and provisional ballots still to be counted, Chino Valley Unified president Sonja Shaw leads the state superintendent of public instruction primary with 24.9% of the vote. San Diego Unified school board president Richard Bar

The numbers looked decisive early, but the feeling in the state superintendent of public instruction race isn’t settled—yet. California still has millions of mail-in ballots uncounted. and the two candidates currently at the front. Chino Valley Unified president Sonja Shaw and San Diego Unified school board president Richard Barrera. won’t truly know what they’ve secured until the last provisional and mail ballots are processed.

At this stage of the primary, Shaw leads with 24.9% of the vote. Barrera follows with 18.9%—far ahead of the rest of the field, none of whom have more than 10% of the vote. Even though all polling places have reported, the race is scheduled to continue as ballots are counted. The top two candidates advancing to the Nov. 3 general election will not be decided until every mail-in ballot and provisional ballot is tallied. In a state with 23 million registered voters. the Secretary of State’s Office says the process could take up to 30 days.

Those late ballots are likely to lean Democrat. That’s how California mail-in voting has historically broken, and this year could be no different—especially because many Democrats, the story says, held on to their ballots until a clear Democratic leader emerged in the governor’s race.

That larger political backdrop matters because the superintendent contest isn’t just a vote-counting exercise—it’s a clash over what state education should do next. Both Shaw and Barrera are aligned on two issues: student test scores are too low. and the proposed restructuring of the California Department of Education is a bad idea. After that, the differences between them sharpen.

Shaw has drawn national attention for her confrontational approach in local governance. She has said she wants to end California policies that do not allow school staff to disclose a student’s sexual orientation or gender identity. She also wants to prohibit transgender students from participating in girls’ sports.

Barrera, for his part, takes the opposite view on those same issues. As a senior policy adviser at the state Department of Education. he disagreed with Shaw’s position during an April EdSource forum—saying the laws protect LGBTQ+ students. Barrera also wants more public funding for student supports and help for districts as they work to recruit and retain teachers.

For much of the campaign. there wasn’t much visible momentum in the superintendent race—until late April. when outside organizations began spending to back preferred candidates. A voter survey released in early April found that none of the 10 candidates for superintendent of public instruction had more than 10% support among likely voters. About a third of voters surveyed said they didn’t know who they would vote for.

Education unions, too, did not coalesce behind a single choice. The California Teachers Association’s independent expenditure committee spent $5 million on the Barrera campaign. The California Federation of Teachers committee spent $200,000. A political action committee for the California School Employees Association spent $175. 000 on the Al Muratsuchi campaign. while a political action committee for the Service Employees International Union spent $250. 000 on the Anthony Rendon campaign.

The contest for education leadership is unfolding alongside a gubernatorial race that may soon reshape how California schools are governed. Education hasn’t been the central issue in the governor’s campaign so far. but the next governor will face major decisions about school funding. The governor could also have to carry out a plan—if approved by the Legislature—to move oversight of the California Department of Education from the state superintendent of public instruction to a new education commission.

In the governor’s primary, Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra are leading, with 27.8% and 25.4% of the vote respectively. They’re followed by Democrat Tom Steyer at 19.6% and Republican Chad Bianco at 11.3%.

Those four top vote-getters emerged from a field of 61 candidates seeking to replace California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who will be termed out after eight years. Hilton has said he would change state policies that prohibit parental notification when students indicate they may be transgender and that allow transgender athletes to participate in girls’ sports. He also said he would hold teachers accountable for student performance by rewarding the best and firing the worst.

Becerra highlighted his efforts to expand early childhood education when he was U.S. Health and Human Services secretary. He has also said he would ensure all California communities have good schools and that college is more affordable. Steyer proposed investing more money in public schools and increasing teacher pay to help recruit and retain them. He would like free education from universal preschool at age 3 to community college. funded by raising taxes on corporations and wealthy individuals. Bianco wants to expand career technical education and high-performing charter schools. increase the focus on reading. writing. math and science. increase funding for teacher training and recruitment. promote mental health supports. and ensure all schools have an assigned law enforcement officer.

Back in the superintendent race. the countdown is now straightforward but tense: Shaw’s lead at 24.9% and Barrera’s 18.9% can still tighten or widen as the late ballots are counted. But the direction of the campaign is already visible in what voters will ultimately be choosing—two candidates who agree on the urgency of low test scores and reject the idea of restructuring the California Department of Education. yet disagree sharply on how schools should handle LGBTQ+ protections. sports participation. and what students need most in funding and staffing.

California superintendent race Sonja Shaw Richard Barrera Chino Valley Unified San Diego Unified mail-in ballots provisional ballots LGBTQ+ policies transgender sports student test scores California Department of Education restructuring education funding teacher recruitment