Chino senator announces state schools chief run — in 2026
State Sen. Connie Leyva, D-Chino, plans to run for state superintendent of public instruction — in 2026, after she seeks another term in the state Senate and campaigns for the current superintendent to win another term.
Leyva, who has been on the Senate’s education committee since she was first elected in 2014 and has chaired the committee the past three years, said she had no idea before running for the Senate that she would develop such a passion for education.
But studying educationrelated issues and passing several education bills — requiring charter school governing boards to comply with the same accountability and transparency laws as other school boards, for example — soon made her realize that an education-focused position would be a good next step, she said.
“It’s always been something in the back of my mind that I wanted to do, because our children are our future leaders,” Leyva said.
She hadn’t expected to announce her campaign for several years, but she didn’t want to “get caught flatfooted” after Sen. Anthony Portantino, D-La Cañada Flintridge, announced his own campaign.
“Candidly, I didn’t plan to announce this early, because I still have a job to do,” she
said. “If I am lucky enough to be reelected in 2022, I will get to do this job another four years and focus on education, the environment, workers issues. I look forward to continuing to do
all of that, and then running for superintendent.”
Leyva first was elected in 2014 to a district that covers Chino, Colton, Fontana, Grand Terrace, Montclair, Ontario, Rialto and about a third of San Bernardino. Term limits will allow her to run for reelection in 2022, but not 2026.
If elected state superintendent, Leyva said, she plans to focus on a “students’ bill of rights” that would entitle every student to adequate medical care at school, books, devices and other essentials. Working cooperatively with the state’s 1,037 school districts also will be a focus,
she said.
In addition to the accountability requirements for charter schools, Leyva’s education-related bills have expanded career technical education, education for homeless students and the power of student representatives on school boards.