Tony Thurmond is the California State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Superintendent Thurmond is an educator, social worker, and public school parent, who has focused on improving the services provided to foster youth and at-risk youth. Over the course of Thurmond's tenure as State Superintendent, he has championed and created many historic initiatives on behalf of California's students, including establishing the first-ever Office of Equity within the California Department of Education (CDE), promoting social justice, and the implementation of programs supporting the academic achievement of California's lowest-income students. He also authored legislation that successfully expanded the free lunch program, bilingual education, and college scholarship programs for foster youth. Additionally, Superintendent Thurmond introduced legislation to expand STEM education, improve school conditions for LGBTQIA+ youth, and fund early education and afterschool programs.
