California November 2018 Ballot - Superintendent of Public Instruction

The race for Superintendent of Public Instruction in California is a contest between those who support the privatization of public school education and those who oppose it.

Marshall Tuck is the man chosen to be the standard bearer for those who would like nothing more than to see every public school turned into a charter school. There are some fine charter schools out there. There are also some that are not so fine. He was involved with the Green Dot charter school organization until he left to become the head of the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools. During that time, teachers at 8 of the 10 schools he oversaw gave him resounding votes of “No Confidence.” The L.A. Times reported that after three years of Tuck's leadership, performance at the Partnership's schools had improved, but not as much as performance had risen at LAUSD schools with comparable populations. He is supported by charter school/privatization advocates like Betsy DeVos, Bill Evers and billionaire Arthur Rock.

Tony Thurmond is currently serving in the State Assembly and he was a member of the West Contra Costa Unified School District's Board of Education. TV commercials in support of his opponent point out a number of problems that took place during his tenure on that board. Those are legitimate concerns, but in viewing those issues it is important to also consider he was one of five board members. Members of this type of board cannot issue mandates on an individual basis. The board collectively should be held responsible for its failures and credited for its successes. But unless there is evidence that any one member of that board was specifically responsible for its failure to act as a whole, holding one person liable for those failures is unfair.

If we set aside these offsetting controversies, the choice becomes simple. If you favor privatization of public schools, your man is Marshall Tuck. If you oppose such privatization then your man is Tony Thurmond.

I'm voting for Tony Thurmond.