As California intensifies its fight with the Trump Administration, the race for the state’s top schools job is becoming ever more crowded. Today, former Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon formally entered the race to succeed Tony Thurmond as State Superintendent of Public Instruction. He joins a host of other state lawmakers and local school board members vying to replace Thurmond, who terms out in 2026 after eight years on the job. The next state superintendent faces daunting challenges. The most urgent priority may be responding to President Donald Trump’s funding cuts and policy shifts, including the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education and increased immigration enforcement. Those policies will have a deep impact on thousands of California’s 5.8 million K-12 students, at least 20% of whom have at least one parent who lacks legal status, according to the Children’s Partnership, a policy and advocacy nonprofit. In 2023, a bill by former Assemblymember Kevin McCarty would have banned state superintendent elections altogether, turning the position into a governor-appointed role, like it is in 41 other states. Still, despite very limited authority, state superintendent can be an important job, said Julie Marsh, a professor at USC and executive faculty director for Policy Analysis for California Education, a research center. Despite the obstacles, the state superintendent oversees the largest, most complex school system in the U.S. and has a wide platform to “do something good.” “They can’t create policy, but they can help set the agenda. They can use their bully pulpit to defend the policies and values that Californians overwhelmingly support,” Marsh said.