Newsom Signs AB 181, Shifting California Schools Power to Governor-Appointed Commissioner
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 10
Newsom Signs AB 181, Shifting California Schools Power to Governor-Appointed Commissioner
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 10
Summary
AB 181, signed Thursday as part of California’s 2026-27 budget, moves day-to-day authority from the elected superintendent to a new Education Commissioner who answers directly to Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Newsom cast the overhaul as a long-delayed governance reform, saying it would unify the State Board and Education Department and improve accountability, clarity and coherence in school policy.
Sonja Shaw — the November superintendent candidate who advanced from June’s top-two primary — said she will challenge the law in court, calling it a backdoor budget maneuver that bypassed voters.
Tony Thurmond, the current superintendent, said stronger gubernatorial involvement in education is not inherently wrong but argued the office was created by voters and should be changed only through that process.
The fight now widens a broader California education clash over parental rights, local control and whether Sacramento should centralize authority over K-12 policy.