{"id":359452,"date":"2026-06-13T16:32:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T16:32:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/359452\/"},"modified":"2026-06-13T16:32:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T16:32:08","slug":"barrera-shaw-offer-starkly-different-visions-for-california-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/359452\/","title":{"rendered":"Barrera, Shaw offer starkly different visions for California schools"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article first appeared in EdSource<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A mother with two daughters, a father with two sons, both board presidents of high-performing school districts \u2014 at first glance, Sonja Shaw and Richard Barrera seem to have a lot in common. <\/p>\n

But the two candidates for state superintendent of public instruction have very different ideas about what is best for California\u2019s schools.<\/p>\n

Shaw,<\/a> the president of the Chino Valley Unified school board, has been a vocal opponent of California policies that allow transgender girls to participate in girls sports and prohibit school districts<\/a> from requiring teachers to tell parents if they believe a child identifies as LGBTQ+. She doesn\u2019t think California should spend more money on education, but wants more of it to make it to classrooms.<\/p>\n

Barrera<\/a>, the president of the San Diego Unified board, supports the state policies on transgender and LGBTQ+ students, and wants more funding for the state\u2019s schools.<\/p>\n

Democratic consultant Andrew Acosta said he expects the Nov. 3 general election for the nonpartisan seat to be \u201csuper partisan,\u201d with Democrats voting for Democrats and Republicans voting for Republicans.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t like the old days when it was charter schools versus teachers,\u201d Acosta said.<\/p>\n

School board members trounce state lawmakers<\/p>\n

With an estimated 1.4 million ballots<\/a> still to be tabulated as of noon Tuesday, Shaw had received more than 1.5 million votes and Barrera more than 1.3 million votes, advancing past eight other candidates in the primary election, including three veteran Democratic state legislators.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Not since the election of Bill Honig in 1982 have California voters selected a superintendent of public instruction who was not a state legislator.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think voters are not wanting top-down solutions,\u201d Barrera said. \u201cI think they\u2019re recognizing that the solutions have to be grounded in the realities of what educators are working with at the school level. So, yeah, I think that came across pretty clearly in the election results.\u201d<\/p>\n

If Shaw were to win the seat, she would be the first Republican to hold the seat since Max Rafferty, who served from 1963 to 1971.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Acosta said it\u2019s unlikely that Shaw could win in California, where 45%\u00a0of registered voters<\/a> are Democrats and 25% are Republicans.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to see a path in California for a sort of MAGA conservative school board superintendent of public instruction candidate,\u201d Acosta said.<\/p>\n

Shaw doesn\u2019t agree.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey can outspend us, but if I get across and outwork them like I have, they will not win this,\u201d she said. \u201cI just need people to pay attention and trust me. I\u2019m going to put in the work to make people pay attention.\u201d<\/p>\n

Candidates clash over culture<\/p>\n

If elected, Shaw said she will continue to advocate<\/a> for policies that bar transgender students from competing in sports and for parental notification policies related to a student\u2019s sexual orientation or gender identity.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will never back down from trying to make sure California\u2019s on the right side of history when it comes to that,\u201d Shaw said. \u201cAnd Richard has made it very clear that he\u2019s OK with our daughters having to change in their cars and feeling uncomfortable in their locker rooms, and having scholarships ripped away from them.\u201d<\/p>\n

SONJA SHAW<\/p>\n

Age:\u00a043<\/p>\n

Occupation:\u00a0Former small business owner<\/p>\n

Connection to education:\u00a0President of the Chino Valley Unified school board for the past four years. Mother of two daughters; activist against policies allowing transgender athletes in girls sports.<\/p>\n

Key quote: \u201cIt\u2019s all been political ideologies being shoved down everybody\u2019s throats, and I think everybody\u2019s tired of that. You need somebody who\u2019s going to get in there and fight that and be like, \u2018No, enough already.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

Barrera said that, if elected superintendent, he would work to protect the civil rights of LGBTQ+ students in all school districts, including Chino Valley Unified.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do believe that what we\u2019ve seen out of Sonya Shaw is an attempt to violate the basic civil rights of certain groups of students. And I will hold those districts accountable, absolutely,\u201d Barrera said.<\/p>\n

Despite the attention the issue has received, transgender athletes make up a tiny fraction of California\u2019s student population. Fewer than 10 transgender athletes participated in K-12 school sports last year among nearly 6 million students statewide, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom\u2019s office.<\/p>\n

The candidates also differ on ethnic studies. Barrera has been a strong proponent <\/a>of ethnic studies, leading efforts in San Diego Unified to mandate the subject be taught in high school and to hire more bilingual teachers.<\/p>\n

Shaw calls ethnic studies divisive.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou see a lot of ideologies being pushed through that class and it\u2019s not even funded,\u201d Shaw said. \u201cIt\u2019s not a required class for a reason, but again I want accurate, truthful history. I would love civics. That\u2019s definitely something we need to focus on instead of all these other classes that obviously are driving the failure here in California.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaw says the differences between the candidates allow voters to make a clear choice.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have two clear options and California can decide which way they want to direct our California education system,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

San Diego vs. Chino Valley<\/p>\n

Barrera was first elected to the San Diego Unified school board in 2008. He presides over a school district that has an enrollment of 103,000 students and that will operate on a $2.9 billion budget next school year.<\/p>\n

Shaw was elected to the Chino Valley Unified school board in 2022. She leads a district of 26,500 students with a budget of about $446 million next school year<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Both candidates point to their districts\u2019 academic gains as evidence that their approaches work. In recent years, students in both districts have improved their scores on standardized tests at a faster rate than state averages. Both candidates point to their districts\u2019 successes as proof that their methods are successful.<\/p>\n

In Chino Valley Unified<\/a>, the percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced\u00a0in English Language Arts rose from 58.91% in 2022 to 62.12% in 2025, the most recent year that data is available. The percentage of students with proficient or advanced scores in math increased from 44.58% to 49.79%<\/p>\n

In San Diego Unified<\/a>, the percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced in English language arts improved from 53.13% in 2022 to 56.17% in 2025, while math proficiency increased from 41.10% in 2022 to 45.3% in 2025.<\/p>\n

The districts also had higher than average graduation rates in 2025, with 90.3% at San Diego Unified<\/a> and 95.5% at Chino Valley Unified.<\/a> The state average <\/a>was 87.5% in 2025.<\/p>\n

Improving the education of California students<\/p>\n

Both candidates agree that California\u2019s schools need to make significant improvements.\u00a0 A recent study ranked the state 34th in the nation for education<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

RICHARD BARRERA<\/p>\n

Age:\u00a059<\/p>\n

Occupation:\u00a0Senior adviser for special projects at the California Department of Education.<\/p>\n

Connection to education:\u00a018-year school board member of San Diego Unified, including five years as board president. Father of two sons.<\/p>\n

Key quote:\u00a0\u201cThere is a complete disconnect between the conversations that are happening in Sacramento and the conversations that are happening at the local level.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCalifornia should have the best public school system in the world,\u201d Barrera said. \u201cWe have one of the strongest economies in the world. So, it\u2019s not that we lack the resources that our students and educators need. We just need to get those resources to the classroom.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unlike Barrera, Shaw doesn\u2019t believe California needs to spend more\u00a0on education. Instead, she said the state should do a better job directing more resources to the classroom.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe that the state should be providing tools to districts instead of us having to pull out of our general fund to do things that are best for kids,\u201d Shaw said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If elected, Shaw said she would focus on improving reading, writing and math achievement; preparing students for success after high school; increasing parental involvement in schools; and preventing transgender students from participating\u00a0in girls sports or using girls\u2019 locker rooms.<\/p>\n

Barrera said he would focus on bringing parents, educators, superintendents, school board members and community leaders together to establish shared goals for California schools and hold both schools and state leaders accountable for meeting them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to Barrera, schools that make the strongest academic gains tend to\u00a0have collaborative, supportive environments that focus on implementing strategies that improve student outcomes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the secret sauce,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Consensus building is key to running the CDE<\/p>\n

Jack O\u2019Connell, who served as California superintendent of public instruction from 2003 to 2011, says he knows what it takes to run the California Department of Education.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He said\u00a0both candidates have a strong\u00a0background in local education policy, but believes Barrera would be a better fit to lead the department.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWith his knowledge of the department, background with labor, his ability to be more collaborative and consensus building, that\u2019s how you get things done,\u201d O\u2019Connell said. \u201cInstead of\u00a0being a lightning rod and such a polarizing figure on Fox News.\u201d<\/p>\n

CTA members will campaign for Barrera<\/p>\n

The race for state superintendent of public instruction drew a surge of late spending, including $5 million<\/a> in contributions to Barrera from the California Teachers Association\u2019s independent expenditure committee. No candidate has won the office in the past 44 years without the CTA\u2019s backing.<\/p>\n

CTA President David Goldberg said the union is prepared to invest whatever resources are required to ensure Barrera\u00a0wins.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis vision around public education aligns with ours around so many things \u2014 community schools, investing deeply in educators and students and pushing back on this kind of austerity mindset that we\u2019ve all been living with for so long,\u201d Goldberg said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Goldberg said the union\u2019s greatest resource is its 300,000-plus members, who will be actively talking with voters in their communities about electing Barrera.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re in every community across the state talking about what our candidate Barrera really stands for,\u201d Goldberg said. \u201cWe feel very confident that it\u2019s going to resonate with people. We feel very good about it. We have a great candidate, and\u00a0we\u2019re going to really try to build some capacity to pull him over the finish line.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barrera also received an endorsement from the California Charter Schools Association, which has often backed candidates opposing\u00a0CTA-supported candidates. The charter school association spent $40,000 on TV and online advertising supporting his campaign.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Shaw, by comparison, raised $165,000 for her campaign since the beginning of the year, including $10,000 from the conservative Reform Local Government PAC, according to the California Secretary of State\u2019s office. Representatives of Reform Local Government did not respond to emails from EdSource requesting comment.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn comparison to the over $6 million spent by special interest groups and the unions, we didn\u2019t even get close to that money, and we have an overwhelming amount of people who voted in favor of the change on this side,\u201d Shaw said.<\/p>\n

Acosta said the general election will require Shaw to raise more funds.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt didn\u2019t take her much money to make sure that her team knew that she was part of their team,\u201d Acosta said. \u201cIt\u2019ll take a lot more money if she wants to get everyone else. Now we\u2019re in the OK, now it gets real phase, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0EdSource<\/a> is California\u2019s largest independent newsroom focused on education.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This article first appeared in EdSource. A mother with two daughters, a father with two sons, both board…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":359453,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,8,146291,15,77555,17942,83193,129650],"class_list":["post-359452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news","tag-california-state-superintendent","tag-education","tag-far-right","tag-gop","tag-richard-barrera","tag-sonja-shaw"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/359452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=359452"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/359452\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/359453"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=359452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=359452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=359452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}