The Abridged version:
- The Sacramento City Teachers Association contributed more than $360,000 combined to two candidates vying for seats on the Sacramento County Office of Education board in the June 2 election.
- The six-figure donations represent an above average interest in a typically lower profile election. Union leadership said they are backing overdue change at the county board.
- Trustees for the county education office oversee school districts, authorize charter schools and appoint the next superintendent. The current superintendent, Dave Gordon, is leaving in 2027.
The Sacramento City Teachers Association is putting big bucks behind candidates vying for a spot at the top of the county’s education office, signaling high stakes in a typically lower profile election.
The union that represents about 2,500 teachers in the Sacramento City Unified School District has contributed more than $360,000 combined to candidates Annie Fischer and Davon Thomas, each running for a seat on the Sacramento County Office of Education board.
Some of Thomas and Fischer’s opponents also received hefty chunks of change in early May, though still well below the figures flowing from the teachers’ union, known for throwing their weight in money and endorsements behind school board candidates.
Their high investment in this year’s county elections reflect the union’s interest in influencing the board’s impending superintendent appointment, as well as what union leadership called repeated failures in oversight.
The county office of education supervises 13 school districts, plus the Los Rios Community College District. It also directly operates a handful of schools, responsible for the education of roughly 30,000 students.
Three seats on the county board are up for election in 2026. In the race for Area 2, covering North Sacramento to Antelope, incumbent Mariana Corona Sabeniano has no challengers.
And there is no runoff elections for these seats — whoever gets the most votes on June 2 wins.
Superintendent opening imminent
The board is responsible for appointing a superintendent, a task that has not come up in over two decades.
Superintendent Dave Gordon announced his retirement last year. After 21 years leading the county office, Gordon will step down June 2027.
Gordon has been a regular target for criticism by the teachers’ union. The search for his successor is already underway, though whoever is elected this summer will be among the final decision makers.
Asked if that was a factor in the heavy campaign donations, Sacramento City Teachers Association President Nikki Milevsky said they are taking into account all of the board’s responsibility.
Union versus charters
The union’s six-figure contributions — $169,327 to Fischer and $191,540 to Thomas — represent substantially more money than typically pumped into Sacramento County Office of Education elections.
Fischer is running against incumbent Paul Keefer, in a race to represent the Rio Linda, Arden Arcade and Carmichael area.
Keefer received $45,388 in donations this month from the Charter Public Schools Political Action Committee. The charter school advocates regularly contribute tens of thousands of dollars to county education office candidates, who, if elected, would have final say in questions of charter school authorizations.
In Area 1, which covers a major portion of Sacramento City Unified, Thomas faces Dominique Donette, Ralph Merletti and Anna Molander Hermann.
Donette also received $42,422 recently from the charter school committee, along with a $10,000 contribution from state Sen. Angelique Ashby.
“The fact that charter school interests are spending heavily to protect the status quo should tell voters everything they need to know to make an informed choice,” Thomas said in a statement. “Educators and classified staff support my campaign because they know I’ll fight for stronger accountability and public education.”
Abridged sought comment from Fischer, Donette and Keefer but received none by publication.
‘Long-overdue change’
Milevsky, in a statement, said the county board is in need of an overhaul.
“Whether it’s failing to provide oversight to charter schools that have misused at least $180 million in tax-payer dollars, or allowing school districts to avoid spending $128 million directly on classrooms as required by state law, or the abysmal graduation rates for its own students, the SCOE board has failed our community,” Milevsky said.
Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools in Sacramento came under fire last summer when a state audit found a laundry list of violations, including $180 million of funds it was ineligible to receive.
The charter system is overseen by the Twin Rivers Unified School District school board, which in January voted to revoke Highlands’ charter. Highlands’ new superintendent and board are appealing that decision to the county office.
Also in Twin Rivers, educators went on a record-long strike in March. Among their grievances was that the district consistently fell below the state required minimum for teacher compensation. The gap over six years, union leaders estimated, added up to more than $120 million.
“Educators across Sacramento County are united in supporting Davon Thomas and Annie Fischer to lead this long-overdue change,” Milevsky said.
Savannah Kuchar is a reporter covering education. She came to Sacramento to be a part of the Abridged team and contribute to a crucial local news source.