Richard Barrera is the prohibitive favorite to be elected California superintendent of public instruction in November.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the good news for the San Diego Unified School District board president, a Democrat who advanced out of the primary in June. The other news is that the job he\u2019s running for essentially will no longer exist.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s not happy about it, and neither is his opponent, Republican Sonja Shaw of the Chino Valley Unified school board.<\/p>\n
The state superintendent of public instruction will be stripped of its key duty of managing the California Department of Education under a recent agreement between Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislators, which makes other sweeping changes to the state\u2019s education bureaucracy.<\/p>\n
The current system has long come under criticism because disparate entities have roles in education policy and implementation, resulting in inefficiency, confusion and a lack of accountability. The governor, the State Board of Education \u2014 which is appointed by the governor \u2014 the elected superintendent and the Legislature all have a hand in governing education at the state level.<\/p>\n
Governors, the board and lawmakers create programs but do not have the authority to implement and monitor them. That\u2019s the job of the independent state superintendent, whose ideas about how to shape the policies may conflict with the others.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s unclear exactly what the superintendent\u2019s duties will be under the shift. The job in part will be shaped by a new education commissioner, appointed by and answerable to the governor, who will take over the education department.<\/p>\n
The bill enacting the changes envisions the superintendent\u2019s role morphing<\/a> into an independent evaluator of education programs for the Legislature and an unofficial ombudsman on the public\u2019s behalf, according<\/a> to EdSource.<\/p>\n Barrera concurs that reforms are needed to improve coordination and accountability.<\/p>\n \u201cNot only is that correct, it\u2019s necessary,\u201d he said. \u201cI agree with all of that.\u201d<\/p>\n But not with the overhaul of the superintendent\u2019s job, which has considerable but not universal support among education groups.<\/p>\n \u201cThat actually creates more division and more confusion,\u201d Barrera said of the job change.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, Barrera will have the full support of the Democratic establishment in a very blue state, along with many education interest groups. That includes the politically powerful California Teachers Association, which backs Barrera and also opposed the bill.<\/p>\n If elected, Barrera said he would insert himself into the discussions of how to carry out the reforms, define his job and maintain a high profile.<\/p>\n He believes he can still be effective in pursuing the mandate of the voters, which he described as based on \u201cthe idea that all of our students can achieve so much more.\u201d<\/p>\n He specifically talked about improving college and career readiness, where he said San Diego Unified has outpaced the state as a whole. He added that he would continue the superintendent\u2019s role as a more direct connection with local school districts than other state education governing entities.<\/p>\n \u201cThe real power of the state superintendent has always come from the bully pulpit,\u201d Barrera said. \u201cThe superintendent has always had a role beyond the bureaucracy.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all about the way you work.\u201d<\/p>\n The legislation came together as part of late budget negotiations, a move Barrera called a \u201cbackdoor attempt to take away responsibility from the superintendent.\u201d<\/p>\n Shaw may be a long-shot in November, but that didn\u2019t stop her from issuing a fiery condemnation of the agreement.<\/p>\n \u201cVoters elect their State Superintendent to serve as an independent voice for California education, not as a figurehead,\u201d she said<\/a> in a statement. \u201cThis bill strips that office of its core duties and hands them to a political appointee. It removes critical checks and balances, and tells parents their votes no longer matter.\u201d<\/p>\n If elected, she said she would attempt to focus \u201cresources on proven reading and math instruction, increasing transparency, fostering increased parental involvement, protecting fairness and safety for girls in sports,\u201d according<\/a> to The Los Angeles Times.<\/p>\n The appointment of the new commissioner won\u2019t happen until sometime next year, after a new governor has replaced the termed-out Newsom.<\/p>\n The changes combine a plan by Newsom, who talked about such reforms in his state of the state address in January, and legislation carried by San Diego County Democratic Assemblymembers David Alverez and Darshana Patel. Commenting on the changes as they worked their way through the Legislature, the two lawmakers lauded the reforms and suggested they were long overdue.<\/p>\n \u201cGovernance of the state\u2019s public schools has been debated by policymakers since our state was formed,\u201d said Patel, chair of the Assembly Education Committee, adding legislation will lead to changes \u201cso that our students and schools can have the leadership and accountability they deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n The reform agreement may have seemed sudden, but it was more than a century in the making. In 1920, the state\u2019s first systematic study of education governance was published, according<\/a> to the state Legislative Analyst\u2019s Office. That report criticized the \u201ctwo-headed\u201d governing structure between the State Board of Education and superintendent.<\/p>\n Six major studies over the last 30 years essentially agreed changes are needed to address core problems: unclear lines of accountability, blurred responsibilities and mixed signals to schools. The analyst\u2019s office said key recommendations were consistent among the research \u2014 making the governor the head of administrative functions and reducing or eliminating the superintendent\u2019s independent administrative role.<\/p>\n California is only one of nine states that has an elected schools chief, according<\/a> to CalMatters. In most states, either the governor or the state board of education appoints the top education official.<\/p>\n