Riverside County Superintendent of Schools Archives - The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle https://hsjchronicle.com/tag/riverside-county-superintendent-of-schools/ The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle Tue, 26 May 2026 00:08:58 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://hsjchronicle.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/HSJC_favicon_49px.jpg Riverside County Superintendent of Schools Archives - The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle https://hsjchronicle.com/tag/riverside-county-superintendent-of-schools/ 32 32 254957898 They used to battle in CA elections. Now, they back the same candidate https://hsjchronicle.com/they-used-to-battle-in-ca-elections-now-they-back-the-same-candidate-2/ https://hsjchronicle.com/they-used-to-battle-in-ca-elections-now-they-back-the-same-candidate-2/#respond Tue, 26 May 2026 00:08:54 +0000 https://hsjchronicle.com/?p=71957 A person wearing glasses and a dark suit speaks at a podium on a stage, gesturing with one hand as they address an audience. A microphone is positioned in front of them, and a blue sign on the podium reads “CADEM California Democratic Party.” An American flag stands blurred in the background, and a teleprompter screen is visible off to the side.
A person wearing glasses and a dark suit speaks at a podium on a stage, gesturing with one hand as they address an audience. A microphone is positioned in front of them, and a blue sign on the podium reads “CADEM California Democratic Party.” An American flag stands blurred in the background, and a teleprompter screen is visible off to the side.
Richard Barrera speaks at the 2026 California Democratic Party State Convention in San Francisco on Feb. 21, 2026. Photo by Jeff Chiu, AP Photo

Which of these is least likely?

Kendrick Lamar and Drake squashing their feud?

Giants fans and Dodgers fans sharing high-fives? 

Or California charter schools endorsing the same candidate for superintendent as the state’s largest teachers’ union?

If you remember the 2018 election, you’d probably vote for the pigs-flying scenario of the California Charter Schools Association and the California Teachers Association being on the same page in an election year. Back then, advocates for both sides shelled out tens of millions of dollars in the contest between union-supported Tony Thurmond and charter school-backed Marshall Tuck. Thurmond came out ahead. 

But this year, both associations are rallying behind candidate Richard Barrera: Four months after the teachers’ union announced its endorsement of the president of the San Diego Unified school board, the charter schools association this week said it’s backing Barrera too — a move Barrera told me “came as a bit of a surprise.”

He pointed to two attributes of San Diego schools that might explain how the usually competing groups came to support his candidacy. First, unlike in other regions, the politics surrounding San Diego school board races or other education issues did not typically pit “charters versus union.” In fact, the percentage of students attending charters grew while he was on the board. 

And second, the school board included charters when it distributed money to improve school facilities. That experience working on local facilities bonds established “a unique relationship between the charter and public schools that CCSA has told me that doesn’t exist in most places,” Barrera said.

In a statement, Gregory McGinity, the executive director of the charter association’s lobbying arm, said Barrera, “has shown that supporting educators and supporting high-quality charter public schools are not mutually exclusive.” 

But don’t expect both groups’ backing of Barrera to mean they will agree with each other in the future. CTA President David Goldberg told me that while the union didn’t endorse Barrera to build a coalition with charters, he didn’t find the charter association’s support of Barrera “shocking” either.

  • Goldberg: “Sometimes even people who don’t see things the same way … we still want someone who is very capable running this department. That benefits all students.”

We’re bringing our voter guide to life through VotingMatters events across California this month, in collaboration with on-the-ground partners: Local news organizations, colleges and nonprofits. Our next event is Friday evening in Davis. Plus, we have a DIY kit to host your own event.

Other Stories You Should Know

Undercounting Native American students

A person wearing a dark gray dress sits in a white plastic chair on a shaded porch or patio, facing the camera with hands folded in their lap. Ceramic pots, pinecones, and small decorative objects rest on a ledge beside them, while a dark blue curtain hangs behind a nearby window.
Celestina Castillo sits on the porch of her home in Los Angeles on May 7, 2026. Photo by Jules Hotz for CalMatters

How many California students identify as Native American? Probably many more than state records show.

A loophole in how California tallies school demographics leads to widespread undercounting of Native Americans, a practice that one lawmaker aims to change with a new bill, writes CalMatters’ Carolyn Jones.

The measure would enable students who are Native American, but also identify as another race, to be counted as Native American in the state’s data collection system. Currently, students who identify as, say, Hispanic and Native American, are counted as solely Hispanic.

  • Celestina Castillo, a director of a college learning center and Los Angeles resident: “If someone is Black, or Asian, or white, they’re counted that way. Why does it not count if someone is Native American? That’s not OK. It feels like erasure.”

Allowing that distinction would have likely boosted the number of Native American students counted in California last year from 24,822 to as much as 156,000, according to a bill analysis. If those students were identified, being Native American might not be seen as rare, bill proponents say. Native American students could also be entitled to cultural services and other programs that could help them in school.

Read more.

Hard feelings over Dem endorsement

A side-by-side split image showing a person on the left in a light blue shirt speaking with people while gesturing, standing in front of a white-and-blue banner. The person on the right is sitting at a table in a gymnasium wearing a dark colored jacket and a red dress. Behind them is a podium with a microphone and a red curtain.
Left to right, Randy Villegas and Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains, Democratic candidates for California’s 22nd Congressional District. Photos by Larry Valenzuela for CalMatters

Calling it a “slap in the face,” some local Democratic Party leaders are slamming the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for endorsing a candidate in a key House race after initially saying it wouldn’t, reports CalMatters’ Maya C. Miller

Democrats hope to pick up California’s 22nd Congressional District during the 2026 midterm elections. The district, near Bakersfield, has a mostly Hispanic populace that voted for President Donald Trump in 2024.

Two Democrats are vying for the seat: Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains of Bakersfield who is one of the more moderate members of her party in the Legislature, and progressive newcomer Randy Villegas who is endorsed by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

The California Democratic Party did not endorse either candidate in the race at its convention earlier this year. Christian Romo, chair of the Kern County Democratic Central Committee, said staff at the DCCC had told him multiple times that it would not weigh in unless there was a chance that two Republican candidates would advance under the state’s top-two primary system.

Romo and his counterparts in Tulare, Fresno and Kings counties all endorsed Villegas. He said that the DCCC’s late endorsement is an example of the national party trying to overpower state and local Democrats. 

  • Romo: “They lied to all of us.”

Read more.

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Daughter of security guard at San Diego mosque remembers her dad as her hero // The San Diego Union-Tribune

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]]> California’s often-divided education politics produced an unusual alliance this week, as charter school advocates and the state’s largest teachers union lined up behind the same candidate for state superintendent of public instruction.

The California Charter Schools Association announced its support for Richard Barrera, president of the San Diego Unified School District board, four months after Barrera won the endorsement of the California Teachers Association. The shared backing is notable in a state where charter school organizations and teachers unions have frequently spent heavily against one another in education races.

The contrast is especially sharp compared with the 2018 race for state superintendent, when the teachers union supported Tony Thurmond and charter advocates backed Marshall Tuck. That campaign drew tens of millions of dollars in outside spending and became one of California’s most closely watched education battles. Thurmond ultimately won.

This year, both camps are supporting Barrera, a development he said “came as a bit of a surprise.”

Barrera said San Diego’s education politics may help explain the crossover support. Unlike in some parts of California, he said, local school board races and education debates in San Diego have not typically been framed as a direct fight between charter schools and unions. During his time on the board, the share of students attending charter schools in the district increased.

He also pointed to San Diego Unified’s handling of school facilities funding. Barrera said the district included charter schools when distributing money for campus improvements through local bond measures, creating what he described as an uncommon working relationship between charter and traditional public school leaders.

Gregory McGinity, executive director of the charter association’s lobbying arm, said in a statement that Barrera has demonstrated that “supporting educators and supporting high-quality charter public schools are not mutually exclusive.”

The endorsement does not mean the two organizations are now aligned on broader education policy. The California Teachers Association and charter school advocates remain at odds on many issues involving school oversight, funding and labor rules.

CTA President David Goldberg said the union did not endorse Barrera as part of an effort to form a coalition with charter organizations. Still, he said he did not find the charter association’s decision shocking.

“Sometimes even people who don’t see things the same way … we still want someone who is very capable running this department,” Goldberg said. “That benefits all students.”

The state superintendent oversees California’s Department of Education and plays a major role in shaping policy for public schools, including those in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. The race is expected to draw attention from educators, parents and advocacy groups across the state as candidates debate how to address student achievement, school funding and the future of public education in California.

Original source: CalMatters

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]]> https://hsjchronicle.com/they-used-to-battle-in-ca-elections-now-they-back-the-same-candidate-2/feed/ 0 71957 RivCo Animatronics Teacher Hailed County ‘Teacher Of The Year’ https://hsjchronicle.com/rivco-animatronics-teacher/ https://hsjchronicle.com/rivco-animatronics-teacher/#respond Tue, 28 May 2024 14:00:00 +0000 https://hsjchronicle.com/?p=62742 MENIFEE, CA — Harvest Hill STEAM Academy teacher Misty McBee was named the 2025 Riverside County Teacher of the Year, Menifee Union School District announced Friday.

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]]> Harvest Hill STEAM Academy teacher Misty McBee was named the 2025 Riverside County Teacher of the Year

MENIFEE, CA — Harvest Hill STEAM Academy teacher Misty McBee was named the 2025 Riverside County Teacher of the Year, Menifee Union School District announced Friday.

According to the district, the animatronics teacher is the first from that district to receive the honor and the first animatronics teacher to be awarded that distinction.

“This prestigious recognition marks a historic milestone,” Dr. Edwin Gomez, Riverside County Superintendent of Schools, said. He visited McBee’s classroom to personally deliver the news, and praised her for her innovative approach to education and her significant contributions to student learning and school culture.

Harvest Hill STEAM Academy teacher Misty McBee was named the 2025 Riverside County Teacher of the Year, (Menifee Union School District Photo)

“Misty is known by all for her striving to ensure all students receive the best learning opportunities possible through engaging curriculum and instructional strategies. She has created an animatronics course for students that prepares them for high school Career Technical Education courses and diverse career opportunities. Her classroom is one where students are motivated and engaged as they learn critical thinking and problem-solving skills in project-based learning modules.

Board Trustee Jackie Johansen highlighted that the enthusiasm in McBee’s classroom serves as a prime example and model for student engagement.

“The Riverside County Teacher of the Year award is a highly competitive honor, selected from nearly 20,000 educators,” the district said. “Candidates undergo a rigorous application process that includes nominations by peers and administrators, application reviews, interviews, and site visits by a selection committee. The final four candidates are chosen before the county superintendent announces the winners.

“This is the third year in a row that the Menifee Union School District has produced a county-level educator of the year. “

“Mrs. Tara Surguine was selected as the Riverside County Confidential Employee of the Year
in 2022. Then, in 2023, Principal Daphne Donoho from Táawila Elementary School was selected as the Riverside County Principal of the Year.

“The Menifee Union School District congratulates Misty McBee on this exceptional achievement and is honored to have such a dedicated and innovative educator represent the district.”

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