What does the State Superintendent of Public Instruction do in California, anyway?

I get the question — what does a Superintendent of Public Instruction actually do — in almost every conversation I have about my campaign. My response: a lot.

Not only are they the only non-partisan statewide elected officer in the state, but they are the top education administrator in the state. Their election is outlined in Article 9, Section 2 of the California Constitution as approved by the voters in Proposition 140 in 1990:

“A Superintendent of Public Instruction shall be elected by the qualified electors of the State at each gubernatorial election. The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall enter upon the duties of the office on the first Monday after the first day of January next succeeding each gubernatorial election. No Superintendent of Public Instruction may serve more than 2 terms.”

In the Education Code, starting in Section 33100, the Superintendent of Public Instruction:

1. Executes all policies adopted by the State Board of Education and directs the work of all appointees and employees of the board. (33111)
2. Receives the affidavits or statements of every person, firm, association, partnership, or corporation offering or conducting private school instruction on the elementary or high school level every year. That includes private school affidavit homeschoolers. (33190)
3. Regulates contracts and agreements with the federal government for funds, services, commodities, or equipment. Also works with Controller, Department of Finance to develop annual budgets for school districts. (33113 & 33127)
4. Acts as ex officio Director of Education for the Department of Education and executive director of the State Board of Education which is the governing and policy determining body of the Department. In other words, the buck stops at the Superintendent’s office on all major education policies affecting EVERY SINGLE SCHOOL AGED CHILD IN THE STATE. (33300–33303)
5. Prepares an annual estimate of the amount of state school money that will be apportioned to each county during the current school year. (33118)
6. May conduct experimental work in education through various media, including radio and television. (33120)
7. Develops audial and visual curriculum materials, evolves means and methods, and prescribe standards, for the use of such materials in the public elementary and secondary schools. (33121)
8. Sits on the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing as a voting member, sets state standards for educator preparation for the public schools, licenses and credentials professional educators in the State, enforces professional practices of educators, and disciplines credential holders. (44210)
9. Develops a regular school accountability report card to evaluate all the schools in the state. (33126)
10. Works with the State Allocation Baord to develop and maintain an automated school facilities inventory and projection for school facility needs five years in advance. (33126.5)

And so much more!

The above is just a small snapshot of the various duties and responsibilities of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The list could go on — indeed, does go on — for hundreds of pages in the Education Code.

In reality, the Superintendent has great control over the policy and budgetary direction of education in the state, depending on their willingness to lead. However, the Superintendent is not omnipresent and omniscient and should act with a fair amount of humility, deferring to school boards and district superintendents to control their local jurisdiction, making sure that public charter schools act within their respective charters and respecting private schools (including PSA homeschoolers) autonomy to teach curriculum standards as they see fit.

Any extracurricular activity not authorized in the state constitution, state statutes or the state budget has no business in the Superintendent of Public Instruction’s office and will be disbanded the moment I am sworn in, January 2023.

For more information watch my latest Youtube video on the role of the Superintendent of Public Instruction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiO4U_BD9ss

To learn more about my campaign and to get involved visit my website: https://lancechristensen.com/