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A statewide county superintendents association’s attempt to amend California education law and limit the state superintendent’s power to intervene in local school district finances fell short after the Legislature declined to advance the proposal Friday.
Read more Bid to limit Thurmond’s power falls short as rumors swirl about Sac City intervention
The development ended a dayslong push at the Capitol but opened a new front in the dispute over Sacramento City Unified School District, as the association issued a statement Saturday that it had heard “troubling rumors” that State Superintendent Tony Thurmond could take over the Sacramento County Office of Education’s fiscal oversight authority over the district as early as this week.
“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,” wrote Derek Lennox, an attorney who is senior director of governmental relations and legal affairs with the California County Superintendents association.
“If true, it is unclear whether the State Superintendent intends to prove the county has been truly ineffective — or whether the motivation is to assert authority for authority’s sake.”
The dispute escalated to the state level after the county-appointed fiscal adviser rescinded an agreement between the district and its teachers union that was projected to provide about $98 million in fiscal relief over three years but would have extended the union’s contract through June 2030 and protected teacher compensation from cuts.
The district viewed the agreement as a critical bridge to long-term solutions for its $222 million structural deficit, while the county office argued it would constrain future cost-cutting.
Sac City Unified appealed the rescission to Thurmond, who rejected the appeal but did not entirely close the door on the district’s request that he take over the county office’s fiscal oversight duties. Thurmond warned that he could intervene if he determined the county office’s actions were ineffective in addressing the district’s fiscal crisis.
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On Tuesday, the statewide county superintendents association, which represents the state’s 58 county offices of education, sent lawmakers a proposal to limit that authority, arguing that one state official should not be able to unilaterally take over a county office’s fiscal oversight responsibilities.
“It’s too early to say if a similar proposal will be reintroduced next year,” Lennox said.
“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.”
For now, Thurmond’s intentions regarding the Sacramento County Office of Education remain unclear. On Thursday, Thurmond urged lawmakers to reject the proposal, arguing that Sacramento City Unified’s situation did not warrant an emergency change to state law and that changes to California’s school fiscal oversight system deserved the “normal legislative process, with public hearings, analysis, and input from those affected.”
The Sacramento Bee asked the California Department of Education on Friday whether he was considering taking over the county office’s role or had ruled out that option. The department did not immediately respond to The Bee’s request for comment.
District officials distinguished the requested intervention from state receivership, saying the intervention would shift some of SCOE’s powers to Thurmond without triggering a state loan or stripping authority from the elected school board. In its request under Education Code Section 42127.6(k), the district asked Thurmond to appoint a fiscal and legal team that would not report to the county office.
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