Republican candidate stands out at gubernatorial forum on schools with support for school vouchers

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco distinguished himself as the sole Republican advocating for school vouchers during a gubernatorial candidates forum focused on education on Wednesday. Speaking at the California School Boards Association annual conference in Sacramento, Bianco drew both cheers and boos from the audience.

Choosing a school for your child is like selecting a restaurantyou go where the quality is best, Bianco said. I will be the only candidate offering voucher programs for all students. His comments were in response to a question about improving educational access for students in rural areas.

School vouchers, which allocate public funds for parents to use toward private school tuition, remain a contentious issue. Proponents argue that vouchers expand opportunities for students and drive improvements in all schools through competition. Critics contend that they divert essential funding from public schools.

Other topics discussed at the forum included public school funding, teacher shortages, and addressing achievement gaps. Candidates in attendance were Bianco, former State Controller Betty Yee, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former Assembly Majority Leader Ian Calderon, and California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond.

Polling data suggests many voters in California remain undecided for the 2026 gubernatorial election, though Bianco narrowly led in a November poll from the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies. The highest-ranking Democrat in the same poll was former Orange County Representative Katie Porter, with former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and conservative commentator Steve Hilton tied for third.

The school boards association invited only select candidates it deemed viable, based on factors such as prior office held and public recognition. Despite differences in approach, all participants agreed on one key point: Californias education system is failing its roughly 5.8 million K-12 students.

Something is broken, Villaraigosa said. Too many students cannot read or write, and they are disproportionately poor or of color, which is unacceptable in such a wealthy state.

Each candidate offered different solutions. Calderon emphasized parental involvement and better coordination between schools and families, linking educational success to stable housing. Thurmond proposed new funding sources, including higher taxes on billionaires, and suggested using surplus school land to build two million housing units for teachers. Bianco countered that the states financial issues are due to spending, not revenue shortages.

Yee focused on improving teacher healthcare and creating safer, healthier classrooms, emphasizing the importance of local educators informing state policy rather than making districts into landlords by building housing on school property.

All candidates expressed concerns about Californias plan to phase out gas-powered school buses by 2035, with most advocating for extensions or exemptions. Bianco called for ending the mandate entirely, arguing that vehicle choices should not be dictated by the government.

The forum took place at Sacramentos SAFE Credit Union Convention Center and brought together over 3,500 education leaders from across the state.

Author: Lucas Grant