Newsom proposes education power grab for next governor. What it could mean for schools
This is read by an automated voice.Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.
Gov.Gavin Newsom on Thursday previewed a major education system overhaul that would give the next governor more authority over state school policies and redefine — and almost certainly diminish — the role of the elected state superintendent of public instruction.The governor’s office indicated Thursday that major portions of the proposal, to be included in the state budget plan Friday, are based on a December 2025 report from Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE), a nonpartisan center that brings together researchers from Stanford, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Davis and USC.The central aspect of the PACE plan calls for removing the state superintendent as the head of the California Department of Education.
Instead, that department would be run by an appointee of the state Board of Education.Members of the state board are appointed by the governor to fixed four-year terms.The PACE report envisions the “governor as the chief architect and steward responsible for aligning and advancing California’s education system.” According to the report, the “governor could develop long-term plans and use the budget as a strategic lever to advance them.”A release from the governor’s office asserted that the state’s education system operates as “a fragmented set of entities with overlapping roles that sometimes operate in conflict with one another, to the detriment of educational services offered to students.”This education initiative, if approved by the Legislature, could prove a defining element of Newsom’s education agenda for his last year in office.
He would not get to exercise these new powers, which would fall to his successor.State Supt.of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond immediately raised concerns, while also praising Newsom’s record on education.“Gov.
Newsom has done an incredible job on education, one of the best governors we’ve had on education .....