Top Takeaways The transfer of authority would take place on Jan, 1, 2027, after Gov. Gavin Newsom and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond have left office. The role of future state superintendents would largely be undefined, although the proposal would add serving as voting members of the State Board of Education and the California Community Colleges Board of Governors to their portfolio. Future state superintendents’ staff would be small; they’d need to seek more funding from the Legislature to add responsibilities. Related ReadingWhat does the state superintendent actually do and how might that drastically change?January 30, 2026 Two months ago, the idea of stripping the State Superintendent of Public Instruction’s job of managing the California Department of Education and handing it to the governor was a recommendation in a university-based research center’s report.This week, it became a highlight of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s budget trailer bill on TK-12 education. Rarely has a proposal to transform a bureaucracy moved so quickly from academia to legislation. Starting on page 102 of the 165-page trailer bill, the governor fleshed out how he would reshape the oversight of the state’s education. It begins a monthslong process of hearings and potential changes leading to a vote on the bill and the 2026-27 budget in June. A ‘two-headed system’ of oversight Currently, the governor, the State Board of Education and the Legislature set TK-12 policies and create programs that the independently elected state superintendent is charged with implementing and overseeing through the Department of Education. …
