Ahead of the June primary election, the Bay Area News Group compiled a list of questions to pose to the candidates for California’s superintendent of public instruction. You can find the full questionnaire below. Questionnaires may have been edited for spelling, grammar, length and clarity.
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Name: Anthony Rendon
Date of birth: April 4, 1968
Current job title: Democracy Advocate
Other political positions held: State Assembly from 2012-24.
City where you reside: Lakewood
If you’ve held elective office before, how has your work directly and measurably improved your constituents’ lives?
I was fortunate to be Speaker during my term in the State Assembly and was instrumental in enacting so many important programs that have a positive effect on peoples lives. With regards to education, I was able increase investments in our class room and help make higher education especially in community colleges more affordable.
What are the top three problems you’re seeking to solve if elected?
Build a cradle-to-career education system. Break down bureaucratic silos between early education, K–12, and higher education so California can build a true cradle-to-career approach that keeps students from falling through the cracks at critical transitions in their educational journey.
Tackle the youth mental health crisis. There is an alarming decline in youth happiness and the rise in anxiety and depression, especially among young women, is tied to the central role technology plays in the lives of our youth. Smartphones and social media have disrupted learning and harmed student well-being, while AI tools now threaten the development of critical thinking skills. Need to work with educators to establish clear policies on how smartphones and generative AI are used in schools, and ensure teachers have the training and support they need to help students thrive.
Standing up to the attacks on public education from Washington. Donald Trump and his allies have proposed eliminating Head Start and abolishing the U.S. Department of Education, actions that would be catastrophic for California’s children. There needs to be a firewall protecting California’s schools from federal interference and ensuring California continues to invest in and protect its students, educators, and future.
What makes you qualified to solve these problems?
I have wide breadth of experience.
Assemblymember:
2012-24 (including Assembly Speaker from 2016-2023): Led the Negotiated state budgets that increased funding for K-12 and higher education. Executive Director, Plaza de la Raza Child Development Services Inc.
2009-2012: Administered early childhood education programs for thousands of kids in LA County. Chief Operating Officer, Mexican American Opportunity Foundation
2001 – 2005: Administered early childhood education programs for thousands of kids across California
What differentiates you from your most serious competitors for this seat?
My breadth of experience. I’ve negotiated state budgets and have actually run educational institutions.
What objective metrics would you use to measure teacher performance?
Teacher performance cannot be measured only on objective metrics alone. While I think student performance based on test scores is important it doesn’t always tell the whole story. That is why think their need to be some subjective analysis along with objective statistics.
Should lower-performing teachers be easier to remove than current state law allows? Explain.
I think we should have better ways analyzing the effectiveness of a teacher before we make it easier to remove teachers from the classroom. But at the same time, we need to ensure that underperforming teachers either get help to improve or are put in situations where they can succeed.
When and how would you use the superintendent’s limited but concrete levers of power?
The same way I legislated. I cultivated important relationships to get things done. In the SPI office I will bring that same level of trust I brought to legislative negotations.
What did Tony Thurmond do right as California’s state superintendent for public instruction?
He has been a strong advocate for increasing funding for public education, helping to develop a universal school meal program, and expanding critical mental health programs in our schools.
In what ways did Tony Thurmond fail as California’s state superintendent for public instruction?
Not so much fail, but the challenges our schools are facing are different from the COVID related ones, such as technology in our schools. Those are issues that really need to be addressed with the next SPI.
Explain your position on Gov. Newsom’s plan to transfer control of the Department of Education from the state superintendent to the governor? If it goes through, how would you lead the superintendent’s office? How might you push back?
I’m against the proposal. It is important that we have a strong SPI that has a critical voice in implementation of education policy. If the proposal does go through, the position will be become somewhat sort of an education ombudsmen. I feel my skills as an advocate will still be able to fill that roll.
California State Sen. Dave Cortese (District 15) introduced Senate Constitutional Amendment 5 (SCA 5 — the Education Equalization Act), which seeks to close the growing funding divide between basic and non-basic aid school districts “to ensure every student has access to a quality education regardless of their zip code.” Do you support Sen. Cortese’s legislation? Explain.
I do not support at this point. The proposal is relatively new, and would be open to discussions if the proposal moves forward.
With California facing a projected budget deficit and a steady decline in student enrollment, some districts are facing bankruptcy or school closures. What fiscal reforms would you implement to help districts manage right-sizing without compromising student services?
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Our schools need more funding. The decline in student enrollment is a definitely major problem with the lack of school funding that needs to be addressed. I would propose that fiscal reforms that allow districts have enrollment declines to have access to funds to make sure critical services are not cut.
The Bay Area faces a critical teacher shortage. (A 2026 Education Week survey found that nearly 50% of California teachers plan to quit or retire within the next decade, a figure significantly higher than the national average, about 35%.) Beyond increasing pay, how would you make teaching a more attractive and sustainable profession?
Working conditions is always an important aspect to teaching. I of course support increasing pay, but also we need to make sure that teachers have the additional personnel support that help them, especially when it comes to special education.
There has been a wave of teacher strikes in the state recently. How would you handle balancing their demands with a shrinking state budget and declining student enrollment?
This is where more funding is clearly needed.
With AI entering classrooms, should the state deploy AI tutors or restrict them?
The use of AI need to be restricted. I have strong feelings against overuse of technology and screens in the classroom and in education as whole.
Critics often argue the superintendent’s role is more administrative than influential. If elected, what is the first major initiative you would personally lead to prove that this office can be a primary driver of change rather than just an administrator of the status quo?
The first major initiative would be work with districts to limit screen time in the classrooms. It would be the first subject that I would want to address.
What are California schools doing well? In what ways do you think California schools are unfairly criticized?
I think public education often gets unfairly criticized. California public education every year produces great achieving students that are building the world of tomorrow. That doesn’t mean our schools don’t have their challenges especially when it comes to students overuse of technology, but some of those issues aren’t always in a schools control.
Explain your policy on smartphone use during the school day.
I don’t think there is any reason for student to have a smart phone at school at any time.
How can California schools improve math instruction?
This is another issue where rapid technology innovation has probably hurt math instruction. Students access to technology has unfortunately disincentivized a student from learning the math fundamentals needed for life. Its another reason why we need to limit some technology in schools. I think the Senator Weber Pierson bill (SB 1067) is a good start on an innovative proposal to improve math instruction.
Explain your approach to teaching reading, particularly your thoughts on phonics instruction.
I believe in phonics instruction. I think the compromise legislation signed last year was a positive step in the right direction. Reading skills including comprehension are one of the most critical skills we teach students. Reading is a huge part of my life, and I want to make sure all students acquire a love of reading.
Do you think the state Legislature should ban social media use for children? If so, explain.
I would be strongly supportive of strict limits or even a ban on social media for children. There is very little positive that comes out of social media for developing minds.
Given the current national political climate, what is your strategy for ensuring California schools remain “safe havens” — particularly regarding the protection of student data from federal immigration authorities and protections for transgender students?
Out of all the candidates, I have strongest record of taking on the Trump administration. As Speaker, I successfully battled with the first administration and I will do it again.
What do you think is the cause of the stark student achievement gap in California public schools? How would you fix it given the current powers of this office?
There has always been an achievement gap between affluent schools and schools in poorer communities. What is becoming stark is how that gap has increased. A lot of that is the access to resources that affluent communities have for after school enrichment or in school tools that poorer schools do not have. That means we need to get more resources to those students who don’t have the access to the tools and help that more affluent students have.
Please tell us anything else we should know about why you’re the best candidate for California superintendent of public instruction.
There is no candidate running that both run early childhood education programs and negotiated state budgets & key education legislation. I have a record of experience that is unmatched.
Lastly, what’s your favorite movie about going to school or being an educator in California?
I actually don’t watch a lot of movies. But the book that I think is great about education and coming of age is A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce.
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