Superintendent of Public Instruction

Public school enrollment is declining across the country and California is no exception. We have to recognize that parents are upset and we need to take action, so they have reason to continue investing in our schools. That’s why I launched a task force this year to study enrollment decline and offer recommendations and assistance to districts to offset the challenges it poses. I’ve sponsored legislation to provide innovative policy solutions to help address declining enrollment, including Assembly Bill 1614, to increase funding schools receive through the Local Control Funding Formula, and SB 952, to provide funding for more dual-language immersion schools.

I do not support mask mandates in schools. The decision should be left up to parents. Should parents feel like their child needs to wear a mask, or if the student feels so inclined, then that is their choice and they should be afforded the opportunity to do so.

Our statewide masking rules early in the pandemic were guided by state health officials and were critical in ensuring the safety of our teachers and students. Our COVID situation has since changed and I believe school districts should adopt masking rules based on the latest health guidance from their local health officers.

I believe in the right of a parent to choose any forum to educate their kids, public, public charter, private or homeschool. As a father of five kids, all of whom have spent every year of their academic career in public schools — district and charter — we value choice in education. Private schools and private home schools are legitimate options for parents who desire different things for their children.

As superintendent, I have worked closely with traditional and charter public schools to ensure that all of our students receive a top-quality education and the resources they need to succeed. I’m committed to continuing that work to support our students and their families.

I have worked to provide accountability in ensuring that LCFF funds are being used for the students they’re intended to serve, especially foster youth and other disadvantaged students. I have made rulings to cite districts that have used LCFF funds that fall outside the intended use of LCFF.

To increase transparency on education spending, I would put every district’s budget and annual audited financial report on the Department of Education’s website. Attached to their pages would be standard metrics such as administrative costs, district salaries and benefits; bond revenue/payments; capital improvements; pension and retiree healthcare payments; unfunded liabilities; discretionary spending, etc. We need to track how much federal funding is coming into our systems and what it is paid for. I would also publish the expenses of the Department of Education in a searchable format as a model for other state agencies and departments.

Transparency in local school district spending is critical. I am proud to be working to establish a portal that districts will use to provide complete transparency on how LCFF funds are being expended.

There is no question that the pandemic unveiled tremendous mental trauma and widened the achievement gap. Closing the achievement gap has been a top priority for me. I’ve brought huge investments into recruiting and hiring more teachers of color to better reflect the students they serve. We also need solutions to address the achievement gap from an early age and outside the classroom. I’m proud to be leading the implementation of free universal preschool programs for every four-year-old in the state, universal meals for students, and record investments in wraparound services to meet students’ physical, mental health, and social services needs.

No. It’s a sham and that’s why 1,200 academics, math professors, and Nobel laureates pushed so hard against the framework causing the superintendent to pull it back for “review” until after the November general election.

There is much work to be done to improve the math framework and we must recognize the concerns that have been raised around the draft proposal. As superintendent, I am committed to helping the State Board of Education create a math framework that promotes rigor, while eliminating racial biases in math education that have contributed to learning gaps for students.

Decades of budget cuts and divestment in our public schools and the affordability crisis have led to massive teacher shortages. I am leading an effort to provide $500 million in scholarships to aspiring teachers and efforts to recruit and retain 15,000 new teachers in our classrooms. This year, I’ve established a task force to identify strategies for improving compensation, training, and recruitment strategies that will create more pathways for educators and retain more teachers and classified staff. I have also led programs to fund affordable housing so educators can continue to live in the communities where they work.

Yes! Pay good teachers what they are worth. If we’re spending approximately $23,000 per kid with an average of 25 students per classroom, that’s around $575,000 in that classroom. We can eliminate other unnecessary mandates and costs that don’t improve our classrooms and pay good teachers a six-figure salary. We can also accommodate teachers who deal with difficult situations or challenging cohorts of students. Conversely, those teachers who are poor educators should be let go. If teachers feel like they are being fairly compensated, their classrooms will reflect excellence and encourage more students to participate in our public schools.

We are facing critical teacher shortages across the state, and if we want to close that gap, we need to utilize every tool we have to recruit and retain new teachers. And that includes increasing teacher pay, building teacher housing so teachers can live where they work and providing scholarships and pathways to becoming an educator. Funding, including pandemic aid, should be used where it’s appropriate and where it directly helps us address the teacher shortage.