Gov. Gavin Newsom delivers his final state budget plan at the Capitol Annex Swing Space in Sacramento on May 14, 2026. Newsom is leaving his successors stronger control over public education. 

In July, Gov. Gavin Newsom held a press conference to celebrate signing into law Assembly Bill 181, which will establish far greater control over public education for the governors who succeed him.

Moving school oversight under a new education commissioner role appointed by the governor is a crucial first step in repairing California’s fragmented system of education governance at the state level. Newsom deserves praise for identifying the problem of disjointed governance, but effective governance reform cannot stop at reassigning authority.

California’s persistent student achievement gaps are exacerbated by disconnected state initiatives, inconsistent implementation, unclear accountability for state actions and insufficient evaluation of whether state investments are producing results. At any given moment, some 13 state agencies and departments are working to oversee, assist and regulate school districts and county offices of education in California. This baker’s dozen of bureaucracy sometimes works in concert, but often results in a dizzying array of guidelines and directives that confound district and school site staff and distracts from a focus on student outcomes. AB181 is the first step in correcting this problem, not the endpoint.

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The Legislature is now considering four bills known collectively as the SOS for Student Achievement: Close the State Accountability........

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