Shaw, president of the Chino Valley Unified school board, made headlines in 2023 when she took on the current superintendent, Tony Thurmond, over the privacy rights of transgender students, and has made anti-LGBTQ policies the focus of her campaign. In the April poll, she was tied with Barrera, a San Diego Unified school board member little known outside San Diego until this year.

“We’re the wealthiest state in the country, we’re the fourth largest economy in the world and we shouldn’t have public schools where our students are getting shortchanged,” said Barrera in an interview with CalMatters. “We can do better.”

He said Shaw has spent her time, energy and platform to divide people and bully vulnerable students.

“Californians see right through that,” he said. “What California voters want is a clear vision for how we can actually make our schools better.”

Shaw and Barrera were among 10 candidates — including several legislative veterans — who vied for the opportunity to oversee the state’s 10,000 public K-12 schools during a tumultuous time. Schools are grappling with AI in the classroom, budget uncertainty, declining enrollment, lackluster test scores and other challenges.
https://calmatters.org/education/2026/06/primary-election-california-superintendent/