tony-thurmond education-establishment charter-schools cta teachers-union superintendent-record class-analysis
related: _Tony Thurmond Master Profile · CTA - California Teachers Association · Charter Schools and the Billionaire Reform Movement · _Antonio Villaraigosa Master Profile
donors: CTA - California Teachers Association
The Charter School War: The Real Stakes in 2026
The 2026 California gubernatorial race features two education candidates with fundamentally opposed interests:
- Tony Thurmond: Superintendent of Public Instruction, likely to represent California Teachers Association interests
- Antonio Villaraigosa: Backed by charter school billionaires (Reed Hastings $7M, Eli Broad $1.5M, Bloomberg $2M in 2018)
This is the only gubernatorial race where the charter school-versus-teachers union conflict is explicitly the central contest. Understanding Thurmond’s position requires understanding what CTA wants and whether Thurmond represents CTA’s interests.
The Pandemic School Closure Record
Thurmond’s tenure as superintendent is defined by his role managing the COVID-19 school closure crisis (2020–2022).
What Happened:
California schools closed in March 2020 and remained closed longer than most states. Public schools stayed remote through 2020 and 2021. Some districts didn’t resume in-person instruction until Fall 2021 or later.
Thurmond’s Role:
As superintendent, Thurmond:
- Recommended distance learning in March 2020 (early closure signal)
- Secured $6.6B in funding for school reopening and pandemic response
- Distributed face masks, PPE, and COVID tests to schools
- Advocated for teacher vaccination before returning to classrooms
The Criticism:
Critics (including some parents and Republicans) argued:
- Schools closed for too long
- Remote learning harmed student achievement (math and reading proficiency dropped significantly)
- Thurmond failed to push districts harder to reopen faster
- Thurmond deferred to local control rather than using superintendent authority to mandate reopening
Thurmond’s Response:
When asked in 2024 whether California closed schools for too long, Thurmond responded: “It’s hard to say. Even with the time that California schools may have taken longer than other states to reopen, all across the nation, students experienced learning loss.”
This response is characteristic: It acknowledges California’s longer closures without taking responsibility. It frames learning loss as national, not California-specific. It avoids a clear position on whether the closure period was excessive.
The Structural Reality: Superintendent vs. Districts
The superintendent’s actual legal power is limited. California’s superintendent does not directly control districts — California has nearly 1,000 school districts with elected or appointed boards that govern their own operations. The superintendent’s role is advisory and representative.
During COVID-19:
- Local districts made closure decisions
- County health officers made closure recommendations
- Gov. Newsom set guidance and deadlines
- The superintendent advocated but did not control outcomes
This is important for understanding Thurmond’s pandemic record: he did not unilaterally keep schools closed. He advised caution, deferred to district judgments, and advocated for teachers’ safety concerns (vaccination requirements before returning to classrooms).
From a CTA perspective: Thurmond sided with teachers’ safety concerns during the pandemic. CTA opposed rushing back to in-person instruction without safety protections. Thurmond aligned with CTA’s caution.
From a parents/school-opening perspective: Thurmond was an obstacle to faster reopening, or at minimum failed to advocate forcefully for reopening.
The Superintendent Record on Education Policy
Beyond pandemic response, Thurmond’s superintendent tenure is defined by education equity initiatives:
What Thurmond Has Advocated:
- Increased funding for lowest-performing districts (equity funding formula)
- Career technical education programs (connecting school to workforce)
- Mental health services in schools (post-pandemic)
- Addressing chronic absenteeism
- English learner support
What Thurmond Has Not Done:
- Taken explicit position against charter school expansion
- Launched aggressive attacks on charter schools’ fiscal impact on districts
- Mobilized teachers union against charter policy
- Advocated for charter school caps or restrictions
This is revealing: a superintendent who could leverage his position to mobilize against charter school expansion has not done so. Either Thurmond believes charter schools are acceptable (and therefore is not a pure CTA candidate), or Thurmond has calculated that the superintendent role requires neutrality on this politically divisive issue.
The Charter School Billionaire Money: 2018 and 2026 Comparison
2018 Villaraigosa Campaign:
Charter school billionaires assembled $22.5M for an independent committee supporting Villaraigosa (not directly to his campaign):
- Reed Hastings (Netflix): $7M
- Eli Broad: $1.5M
- Michael Bloomberg: $2M
- William Oberndorf: $2M
Hastings’ $7M was the largest single contribution to any 2018 candidate or initiative. The charter school money was massive and concentrated.
2026 Outlook:
If Villaraigosa remains viable in the 2026 race, charter school billionaires will likely deploy similar money against Thurmond. A CTA-backed Thurmond would become the explicit target of billionaire education reform money — creating a direct donor-war dynamic: billionaires vs. teachers union.
The Class Analysis:
This is the clearest donor-class contest in the 2026 race:
- On one side: CTA (325,000+ members) with democratic endorsement power but limited fundraising
- On the other side: Charter school billionaires with $20M+ war chests but no democratic accountability
The 2026 race outcome will signal whether union democratic power can compete with billionaire money.
CTA’s Strategic Interests and the March 2026 Non-Endorsement
As of March 2026, CTA has not endorsed in the gubernatorial race. This is notable because CTA has endorsed in California governor races for decades. The decision to remain neutral (at least through March 2026) suggests CTA’s internal strategic dilemma:
Reason 1: Thurmond’s Viability Question
Thurmond raised only $256K. CTA endorsement would mean devoting significant resources (staff, money, ground game) to a candidate with minimal fundraising and polling. If Thurmond finishes fourth or fifth, CTA’s endorsement becomes a liability: “we endorsed the losing education candidate.”
Reason 2: Strategic Ambiguity
CTA may prefer to stay neutral and maintain leverage over all viable candidates. A neutral CTA can pressure the top-two finalists (likely some combination of Swalwell, Steyer, Villaraigosa, Porter) on education issues without having invested heavily in one candidate. This is a power consolidation strategy: better to pressure winners than to have backed losers.
Reason 3: Thurmond’s Unclear Position on Charter Schools
If Thurmond refuses to take a clear stance against charter expansion, CTA may see endorsing him as ineffective. An endorsement means CTA is backing a candidate for education leadership, but if Thurmond refuses to fight charter school expansion, the endorsement buys CTA nothing.
Reason 4: Internal CTA Division
CTA is not monolithic. Some CTA members may have different views on the 2026 race. A decision to endorse Thurmond requires internal consensus. Remaining neutral until consensus emerges is strategically safer.
The Underlying Contradiction
The charter school war is not ultimately about Thurmond vs. Villaraigosa. It is about two fundamentally different education systems:
Charter School Billionaire Model:
- Charter schools as “innovation” and competition to public schools
- Market-based education (choice, competition)
- Limits on teacher union power (charter schools are non-union or union-light)
- Diversion of public funding to private management
Teachers Union Model:
- Public education as democratic institution, not market commodity
- Teacher job security, union contracts, pension protection
- Collective bargaining power
- Public funding concentrated in equitable public system
These are incompatible philosophies. A governor who sides with one inevitably opposes the other.
The 2026 Referendum Question:
If Thurmond reaches the general election backed by CTA, the race becomes: Does California expand charter schools or defend public education unions?
If Villaraigosa reaches the general election backed by charter billionaires, the race becomes: Does California choose “education reform” (charter schools, limited union power) or “union protection” (strong public education with union job security)?
The CTA non-endorsement through March 2026 may reflect CTA’s uncertainty about whether Thurmond can actually reach the general election to fight this fight.
Sources
- EdSource: Schools chief uses influence to shape policy during pandemic, but lacks power to make big decisions (Tier 2)
- CalMatters: Billionaires vs teachers union — charter school fight amps up race for California governor (Tier 2)
- EdSource: Tony Thurmond cruises to reelection as California state superintendent (Tier 2)
- San Diego Union-Tribune: Netflix CEO Reed Hastings donates $7 million to pro-Villaraigosa group (Tier 2)
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