January 8, 2026— CalMatters’ Carolyn Jones reports on Governor Newsom’s surprise proposal to shift oversight of the California Department of Education from the elected State Superintendent to the governor-appointed State Board of Education, speaking with managing attorney John Affeldt about concerns that the plan prioritizes political restructuring over meaningful improvements for students.

Newsom’s State of the State proposal would leave the superintendent as an elected position but with “diminished and less defined duties,” concentrating K-12 oversight with a board the governor appoints. State Superintendent Tony Thurmond, who was blindsided by the announcement, called it “an unnecessary disruption” and questioned “how this would benefit students and families.” While education advocacy groups have backed the plan as a way to simplify California’s notoriously convoluted governance structure—which currently divides power between the governor, Legislature, State Board, superintendent, and local districts—the restructuring raises questions about democratic accountability.

Affeldt told CalMatters the change “would take power away from the voters and give it to the governor, which might be great if the governor supports public education but may backfire if a governor doesn’t.” He questioned whether streamlining governance is worth reducing voter control: “It might improve the governance structure a bit, but I’m not sure it’s worth the tradeoff. It might be a lot of political theater for not much real change.”

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