Richard Barrera is an increasingly rare California progressive who brings all parties to the table, a skill that the new state superintendent of public instruction will need as the role of the office changes.

When Californians choose the state’s next schools chief in November, it will be for a role radically different from the one they voted for in the June primary election. A sweeping proposal from Gov. Gavin Newsom recently overhauled California’s education bureaucracy — by consolidating power in his office. 

Starting in January, almost all state superintendent of public instruction duties will be transferred to the newly created position of education commissioner — who will be appointed by the governor. 

Both state superintendent candidates — Richard Barrera, president of the San Diego Unified School District Board of Education and an adviser to termed-out Superintendent Tony Thurmond, and Sonja Shaw, president of the Chino Valley Unified School District Board of Education in San Bernardino County — have effectively called the move a power grab by Newsom.

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The reality, however, is more complicated. Understanding the details is crucial to selecting the right superintendent candidate. 

For more than a century, education advocacy and good-government groups have recommended streamlining California’s complex education governance structure, which makes it nearly impossible to determine accountability for the state’s poor outcomes.

Last school year, just 33% of California students met or exceeded state science standards, 37% math standards and 49% English language arts standards. Thousands of University of California professors are sounding the alarm that students are matriculating without even basic math skills.   

The status quo isn’t working. And it hasn’t been for some time.

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Under the old structure, the governor and Legislature established education policy and funding, while the........

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