“This concern, first raised by the Legislature in 1920 and echoed in succeeding legislative policy documents and research reports, was reinforced in a December 2025 report from Policy Analysis for California Education that concluded, ‘California can no longer postpone reforms that have been overdue for a century,’” according to a press release from the Governor’s office.
The Governor also referenced the State Legislature’s 2002 report, California’s Master Plan for Education, which recommended moving oversight of the CDE and ultimate responsibility for state oversight and support of local educational agencies under the State Board. Under the reorganization, the state superintendent of public instruction (SSPI), who currently oversees the CDE, would “foster alignment of state education policies from early childhood through college,” according to the press release.
Upon further examination of the language released in the budget trailer bill on Feb. 3, CSBA is in support of the plan, as it largely reflects the association’s call for increased state-level accountability and a more cohesive education system aligning the Governor, Legislature and state agencies around a single goal: driving overall student performance and closing the achievement gap.
The Governor’s proposal validates this approach and shows the administration shares a similar diagnosis of the problem, although its solution is not as comprehensive as CSBA’s prescription. Beyond transforming the role of the SSPI, California needs a state operations and support plan marked by clear goals, benchmarks and timelines for how state agencies will better assist LEAs in accelerating the performance of struggling student groups.
“CSBA views this proposal as an important first step away from a patchwork of disconnected programs and toward a unified strategy of support that helps LEAs accelerate overall student performance and close persistent achievement gaps,” CSBA CEO & Executive Director Vernon M. Billy said. “The proposal’s creation of an education commissioner appointed by the Governor to manage the CDE is welcomed and provides the administration with an opportunity to ensure operational continuity and efficiency, provided the commissioner possesses extensive experience managing large organizations and working in school districts and county offices of education.
“The status quo has produced decades of slow progress and persistent achievement gaps,” Billy continued. “CSBA urges the Legislature to advance this reform and to ensure implementation is guided by a clear goal: building a state system that is coherent, accountable and relentlessly focused on results for students.”