California is considering a major shift in education governance. Governor Newsom has proposed to place his office in the highest position of authority over education in the state. According to CalMatters, “Most of the power and responsibility for schools would lie with the governor.” [1] This fundamentally changes who is in charge of California’s education system.
Right now, California’s system is intentionally divided. The State Superintendent is elected by the people and runs the Department of Education, while the State Board of Education, appointed by the Governor, sets policy. This creates a balance of authority. No single office fully controls both policy and execution. That division has long served as a safeguard against concentrating too much power in one place.
The Governor’s proposal would largely remove that balance. Under the plan, the State Board of Education would take over the Department of Education, and a new education commissioner, appointed under the Governor’s authority, would run the system. In simple terms, the same office would oversee both the creation of policy and the implementation of it. As one summary explains, the proposal would have the Governor’s appointed board “take over the California Department of Education.”
However, this is not just a party issue. The current CA State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Thurmond, has publicly disagreed with Newsom’s proposal. Although he often supports Newsom, he is concerned that this change would cause “an unnecessary disruption.” [2]
Supporters argue this would bring clarity and efficiency. Governor Newsom said the changes would bring “greater accountability, clarity and coherence to how we serve our students and schools.” The Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) similarly noted that moving control to a commissioner under the Governor “could result in clearer direction and support for school districts.”
But that clarity comes through centralization. The same LAO analysis explains that the proposal would move control of the Department of Education “to a new education commissioner under the governor’s authority.” In other words, instead of shared authority, the system would be aligned under one central line of leadership—flowing from the Governor.
The elected Superintendent would still exist, but with far less authority. Instead of managing the Department of Education, the role would shift toward advocacy or evaluation. The LAO suggests the superintendent could become “an independent evaluator of public schools as well as the chief advocate for K-12 education,” rather than the person actually running the system.
For homeschool families, this may seem distant—but governance structures matter. California has long had what analysts call a “fragmented” system with “overlapping roles,” meaning no single entity dominates education policy. While imperfect, that structure has helped prevent sweeping, centralized control over education decisions.
This proposal would move the state in a different direction. By aligning both policy and administration under the Governor’s authority, it increases the ability of a single administration to shape the direction of education statewide. Even if homeschoolers are not directly affected today, the structure determines how easily future policies could expand state influence.
In the end, this is not just a technical reform—it is a shift in where authority resides. The proposal would move California away from a purposefully divided system and toward one where education power is more centralized under the Governor. For families who value educational freedom and parental responsibility, that change is worth understanding and watching closely.