Education is vital and costs California billions, so why aren’t candidates for governor talking about it?

May 26, 2026 - 05:44

A new study from Stanford University's Educational Opportunity Project confirms what other data has long suggested: California's public schools are failing to prepare students for the state's future. The report shows that academic achievement gaps remain stubbornly wide, with low-income students and students of color falling far behind their peers. Despite California spending over $100 billion annually on K-12 education, test scores in reading and math have barely budged in recent years.

The findings come at a strange time. The state is in the middle of a heated governor's race, yet education has barely been mentioned by the leading candidates. This silence is puzzling. Education is not just a moral issue. It is an economic one. California's economy depends on a skilled workforce, and the state already faces a shortage of workers in fields like healthcare, technology, and construction. If schools keep producing graduates who lack basic skills, the state's long-term prosperity is at risk.

Some experts argue that candidates avoid the topic because it is complicated and expensive. Fixing California's education system would require tough choices, from overhauling funding formulas to addressing teacher shortages and union politics. Others say the issue is simply not seen as a vote-winner. But with a new study showing that the state's schools rank near the bottom nationally in fourth-grade reading and eighth-grade math, ignoring the problem is no longer an option. Voters deserve to know how the next governor plans to turn this around.