By John Fensterwald, EdSource
The California County Superintendents organization failed to persuade legislative leaders to intervene in its dispute with State Superintendent Tony Thurmond.
The county superintendents had sought to introduce emergency legislation to thwart Thurmond from carrying out a threat to take over oversight of financially stressed Sacramento City Unified from the Sacramento County Office of Education. The county superintendents argue that using this previously unused statutory authority would undermine their responsibility to work with districts needing financial stability.
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Hollister, and Senate President pro Tem Monique Limón, D- Santa Barbara, declined to give permission to introduce a special bill on Friday, the last day for introducing emergency legislation. Monday is the final day of the legislative session.
The county superintendents hoped to amend a 35-year-old state law on dealing with districts’ fiscal crises (section k of Education Code 42127.6). They sought to require that the president of the State Board of Education give consent before the state superintendent supersedes a county superintendent’s authority in overseeing a district facing possible insolvency.
The majority of legislators representing Sacramento City Unified backed the proposal, Derick Lennox, senior director of governmental relations and legal affairs for the county superintendents, said.
It’s unclear what happens next. Lennox said the superintendents group hasn’t decided whether to pursue the bill next year. Under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s K-12 structural realignment, approved by the Legislature in June, an education commissioner appointed in January by the next governor — not the next state superintendent — would manage the California Department of Education, including working with county superintendents.
“Much depends on whether the State Superintendent of Public Instruction does exactly what legislators and parents have feared — strip authorities from impartial county officials in an act of political power, rather than sound fiscal judgment,” Lennox said in a statement Saturday.
“Like many yesterday, we heard the troubling rumors that the State Superintendent is preparing to assume fiscal oversight of Sac City Unified as early as next week,” he said.
Thurmond did not respond to EdSource’s request for comment on Saturday.
