SAN FRANCISCO — As Diana Lambert reports in EdSource, education may not be the central issue in California’s crowded gubernatorial race, but candidates hold sharply differing views on it. Among the issues dividing candidates are expanding school funding and free college, stricter teacher accountability and restrictions on transgender students participating in sports.
A previous governor made education a priority by increasing K-12 per-pupil funding by 61%, investing in community schools, expanding universal transitional kindergarten to all 4-year-olds, providing free school meals for all students, adding more after-school and summer programs, funding teacher recruitment efforts and approving legislation that changed how children are taught to read. The next governor would likely follow in that predecessor’s footsteps.
As stated in the latest California Democratic Party Voter Index, Republican Steve Hilton, a former adviser to former U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron and political commentator, is the frontrunner in the race. Closely following him are Republican Chad Bianco, Riverside County sheriff-coroner, and Democrats Tom Steyer, a billionaire investor; Xavier Becerra, former U.S. secretary of health and human services; and Katie Porter, a former congressional representative. Sixty-one candidates are competing in the June 2 primary.
Despite differing views on education policy, all major candidates agree on one point: student test scores are too low. Based on state data, “49% of California students met proficiency standards in English language arts, 37.3% in math, and 32.7% in science last year.”
Mahan, a former middle school English and history teacher, stated, “These results should be a five-alarm fire in our state. Too many California students are not meeting basic benchmarks in reading and math, which has long-term consequences for them socially and economically, and for our entire society.” Mahan said he would invest in tutoring if elected and that teachers should receive rewards if their students are performing well.
Hilton stated that he would reward teachers who perform well while firing those who do not. Bianco proposed “expanding career technical education and high-performing charter schools; increasing the focus on reading, writing, math, and science; increasing funding for teacher training and recruitment; promoting mental health supports; and ensuring all schools have an assigned law enforcement officer.” Thurmond stated that he would launch a five-year plan to ensure that students could read by third grade.
Though education funding is a priority for many Californians, the PPIC Survey shows that 37% of respondents said K-12 education should be the highest priority for state government spending, while 6% said higher education should be the highest priority. Democratic and Republican candidates remain divided over how to increase that funding.
Affordable college is also a priority for some candidates. With the University of California system costing nearly $47,000 and the California State University system costing between $26,000 and $37,000, many candidates, including Steyer and Villaraigosa, have proposed solutions such as taxes and financial aid.
Additionally, school policies regarding transgender people have become a discussion point for many candidates. For Bianco, “Changing state policies that prohibit parental notification when students indicate they may be transgender, and allowing transgender athletes to participate in girls’ sports are top priorities.” Meanwhile, Thurmond has said he will “identify new tax revenue by closing tax loopholes and taxing billionaires to provide more funding for education and health care.”
Despite these points of debate, many observers question whether candidates are discussing the right issues. Lupita Cortez Alcalá, executive director of the Stanford-based research center Policy Analysis for California Education, encouraged candidates to discuss issues such as chronic absenteeism and teachers leaving the profession.
Together, the candidates had received $168 million in campaign contributions by April 18. However, most of that total — $133.9 million — went to the Steyer campaign.
As these debates intensify, candidates continue to secure backing from unions and endorsements, further narrowing the competition.
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