As California's schools struggle, governor hopefuls clash over who's to blame - and who should fix it

"Reading and math scores among California's 5.8 million K-12 students trail national averages, and more than half of students are reading below grade level. Meanwhile, declining enrollment, chronic absenteeism and the end of pandemic recovery dollars have forced school leaders to close campuses or issue widespread layoffs to plug multimillion-dollar budget holes. Those pressures have turned public education into one of the sharpest dividing lines in the race for governor."

"Democrats and Republicans largely agree California's schools are struggling - but they offer starkly different explanations for why, and competing visions for how much power, money and control the state should exert over classrooms, teachers and parents. The debate unfolds as California faces an escalating clash with President Donald Trump over education policy, with federal funding increasingly at risk amid disputes over transgender athletes' participation in sports and immigration enforcement on school campuses."

"As governor, Newsom has provided universal free school meals, added transitional kindergarten for all preschool-aged children, pushed to restrict cellphone use on campuses, and launched initiatives aimed at protecting LGBTQ+ students' mental health and well-being. At the same time, he has faced criticism for extensive school closures during the pandemic, budget maneuvers that educators say have threatened funding, legislation preventing schools from being required to notify parents if a student changes their gender identity, and new laws and guidance aimed at addressing antisemitism in schools."

Education consumes more than a third of California's state budget through K-12 schools. Reading and math scores among 5.8 million K-12 students trail national averages, and over half of students read below grade level. Declining enrollment, chronic absenteeism and the end of pandemic recovery dollars have forced campus closures and widespread layoffs to fill multimillion-dollar budget gaps. Democrats and Republicans agree schools are struggling but offer different explanations and competing visions for state control and funding. Federal-state clashes over transgender athletes and immigration threaten education funding. Newsom's policies include free meals, expanded transitional kindergarten and student-protection initiatives alongside criticism for closures, budget moves and policy choices.

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