Sonja Shaw jumped to an early lead Tuesday night in the race for California’s top school official, followed by Richard Barrera and Wendy Castaneda Leal as the secretary of state posted initial, unofficial election counts.
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Others running for State Superintendent of Public Instruction include Nichelle Henderson, a faculty advisor in the California State University system; Frank Lara, executive vice president of United Educators of San Francisco; Ainye Long, a public school teacher from Oakland; Gus Mattammal, director of a test preparation and tutoring company in Silicon Valley; Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi; former state senator Josh Newman; and former Assembly speaker Anthony Rendon.
Castaneda Leal is a Kern County school superintendent, Barrera is a California Department of Education senior policy advisor and Shaw is president of the Chino Valley Unified School District.
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As California’s top schools chief, the superintendent of public instruction oversees the state’s public school system, which serves about 5.7 million students in preschool through high school, as well as students enrolled in adult education. The superintendent heads up the California Department of Education, carries out policies set by the state Board of Education and is an ex-officio member of the state’s higher education governing boards.
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The two candidates getting the most votes in the primary will appear on the General Election ballot in November. This race is officially nonpartisan. .
Superintendent Tony Thurmond is termed out and cannot seek reelection; he is instead running for governor.
Continue to check back here for updates throughout the night as more voters are counted and reported.
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