Thurmond Wins Superintendent of Public Instruction Race: Charter School Supporters Brace for Fight

06Dec
by Leticia Chavez-Garcia

Believe it or not, votes are still being counted across the state, and the count has been updated daily since election day. The race is still considered a “Close Contest” and today the count shows Tony Thurmond ahead by 174,181 votes.  Thurmond pulled ahead a little over a week ago and has been projected to win. Marshall Tuck has graciously conceded, and Thurmond has graciously accepted his concession. Congratulations to Tony Thurmond on his win.

Marshall Tuck offered the following remarks in his concession:

“I just spoke with Assemblymember Thurmond and congratulated him on his victory. I offered to help him be successful and wished him the best in his new role. Given it has become clear that we are not going to win this campaign, I felt it was in the best interest of California’s children for me to concede now so that Assemblymember Thurmond has as much time as possible to plan to take over as State Superintendent (all votes will still be counted but conceding allows candidates to move forward).”  

“I recognize that change is very hard and politics, particularly when you lose, can be disheartening. I remind myself that winning the election isn’t the end goal. The end goal is that all children in this state and country, regardless of background, get access to quality public schools. Reaching that goal is going to take a lot of work and absolutely requires us to get over this loss quickly. We must continue to be extremely determined to do our part to help our children.”

Moving forward, we want to be supportive of the new Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI), but it certainly does not bode well in our view that in first official act as SPI he has called for a moratorium of charter schools. I mean we get the California Teachers Association handpicked Thurmond and financed him to attack and destroy school choice, but the dust hasn’t even settled and already we see the war on kids emanating from his mouth. Ojo. We see you, and we will be vocal. Half the state does not agree with Thurmond’s position. Looks like we are in for a fight.

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Leticia Chavez-Garcia

Leticia Chavez-Garcia is a Mother, Grandmother, former Middle School Teacher, former Member of a School Board of Education and an Education Advocate for hundreds of parents and students in the Inland Empire. Having become a mother at 15, Leticia knows what it’s like to be a single mother trying to navigate the education system. Leticia received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science and Public Administration from California Baptist University and a Masters’ Degree in Education Technology from Cal State Fullerton in her 30’s. Leticia has used her knowledge and experience to help hundreds of families as an Education Advocate in the Inland Empire and currently works as an Education Specialist.

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