Sponsored by the Contemporary Policy Institute (CPI) and co-hosted by AAUW California. For more details, please see the press release here.

The State of California spends more than a third of its estimated $248.3 billion General Fund Budget on K-12 education. The state Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) is an important, high-profile elected position responsible for leading the California Department of Education (CDE) and overseeing public education for more than 6 million K-12 students.

In the upcoming June Primary Election, Californians will be voting for a new superintendent. The top two vote-getters will advance to the General Election in November. To help voters with this critical decision,  CPI and AAUW California are hosting a free, open-to-the-public online candidate forum. All of the declared candidates have been invited to share their views on Saturday, April 25, 2026, from 9 - 10:30 AM.

Seven of 10 candidates have confirmed their participation: Richard Barrera, Nichelle M. Henderson, Frank Lara, Wendy Casteneda Leal, Gus Mattammal, Al Maratsuchi, and Anthony Rendon.