Tony Thurmond

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond is responsible for the largest public school system in the nation, with more than 6.3 million students and over 10,000 schools. Since taking office in 2019, he has created and championed historic initiatives to close the achievement gap and to improve equity, access and opportunity for California’s public school students. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Superintendent Thurmond secured $6.6 billion in funding to safely re-open California schools for in-person instruction, distributed 920 million school meals for students and secured face coverings and personal protective equipment for all students and school staff across the state. In addition, he has worked to ensure schools have funding and access to implement the layered safety measures necessary to mitigate the transmission of COVID-19, including mandatory masking, vaccines for all eligible individuals, improved ventilation and regular, rapid COVID-19 testing. In the aftermath following the death of George Floyd, Superintendent Thurmond called on communities across the state to dismantle institutional racism and inequities in public schools. He has advocated for tearing down systemic barriers for all students and played a critical role in securing thousands of computing devices and expanding Internet access for marginalized communities. He created the first ever Office of Equity within the Department of Education to promote social and racial justice; launched the California Taskforce on Closing the Digital Divide to expand access to low-cost internet and devices to thousands of school children and families, and raised $1 million dollars to establish an Innovation Challenge. Superintendent Thurmond’s vision for California schools includes building robust and historic levels of mental health programs to support students and families. He is leading efforts to bolster social emotional and counseling resources, champion community schools, create blueprints for expanded outdoor learning and summer programs, and support programs to help students recover and accelerate their learning.