Sonja Shaw vows academic focus in California superintendent race

Sonja Shaw feels “energized and focused” heading into Tuesday’s election and is ready to take office as California’s superintendent of public instruction, despite the job having far less power than before.

The Chino Valley Unified school board president is running for superintendent against San Diego Unified school board president Richard Barrera.

“Parents and families across California have made it clear they want schools that deliver real results in reading, writing and math, and that protect fairness and safety for girls,” Shaw told the California Post. “I’m grateful for the support and ready to get to work.”

Shaw topped a 10-candidate field in June’s primary, beating Barrera by more than 250,000 votes.

The Post sent both candidates the same questions, but Barrera did not respond by publication.

Although the office is nonpartisan, Shaw is a Republican running in a heavily Democratic state. Asked whether she had won over undecided and Democratic voters, she said yes.

“The core problems aren’t partisan,” Shaw said. “Less than half of California students can’t read and write at grade level. Families want transparency on what’s being taught and how money is spent. Girls deserve fair competition and dignity in their private spaces.”

“Those are results issues, not party issues,” she added.

Under her leadership, Shaw said, schools would prioritize “proven instruction” in reading, writing and math, with early screening and intervention for struggling students, along with “clear, honest reporting” on progress.

Shaw said girls’ sports and facilities “would follow Title IX,” and resources would go to classrooms and effective teachers “instead of bureaucracy.”

Trans athletes, parents’ rights, standardized testing and Donald Trump have all taken center stage in the race, though Trump isn’t on the ballot.

Barrera has spent the campaign tying Shaw to Trump. Shaw says she’s “never even met with the dude.” She has suggested Barrera suffers from “Trump Derangement Syndrome” and says he uses Trump to dodge the issues.

Whoever wins Tuesday will take over a diminished office. A governor-appointed education commissioner takes over the California Department of Education starting Jan. 15, 2027 while the elected superintendent keeps the title but loses the department.

The change came through Assembly Bill 181, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed July 10. The superintendent will be left managing a handful of deputies and serving on the State Board of Education, the UC Board of Regents and the community college board. 

Shaw said she believes the law is unconstitutional and would fight it.

“It is my belief that the change is not consistent with our state’s constitution, which established this as an independent role accountable to the people,” she said. “To that effect, I will challenge the implementation of this law through the courts if elected.”

Even without control of the department, Shaw said, the office “still matters as an independent statewide voice,” and she would use it to “publish results, call out waste, demand fiscal transparency and push for a back-to-basics focus in our schools.”

Shaw rose to prominence during Chino Valley’s fights over parental notification and transgender athletes. Barrera, a senior policy adviser at the state Department of Education, has said the state’s laws protect LGBTQ+ students. He wants more funding for schools, supports Prop. 3 and has said California needs more counselors, nurses and smaller class sizes.

The California Teachers Association’s independent expenditure committee put $5 million behind Barrera during the primary. 

In a final pitch to voters, Shaw framed the race as a referendum on academics.

“California’s kids are falling behind in the basics, and families are right to demand better,” she said. “This is about getting our schools back on track.”

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