COUNTY: Superintendent of Schools (Nonpartisan)

Note: this post will be periodically updated! (10/20/2026)

TOP * Karen Sher * Maggie Marschner

VOTER GUIDE – QUICK LINKS:

TOP * Karen Sher * Maggie Marschner

County Superintendent of Schools (Non-partisan) – Vote for (1)

Candidate Forum/Debate

Watch video here: https://youtu.be/fd2nabHSUi0

ENDORSED KAREN SHER – Governing Board Member Oxnard Union High School District – YES

  • Age: 56
  • Residence: Camarillo
  • Education:
    • BS in English and Secondary Education from Buffalo State University
    • California Teaching Credential
    • MS in Instructional Leadership from National University
    • MS in Developmental Reading from University of Albany
    • EdD in Organizational Change and Leadership from USC
  • Employment & Experience:
    • CDE Director of Teacher Recruitment
    • Over 30 years of classroom experience
    • 12 years of experience as a school board trustee
  • Priorities:
    • Strong Public Schools with Real Accountability: Protect local control while assisting with transparency and results and being a supportive leader for local school districts. 
    • Thriving Educator Workforce: Recruit, retain, and support educators through competitive pay, collective bargaining, mentoring, and pipeline program.
    • Whole-child, Whole-family Support: Community schools, wraparound services, mental health and wellness, and strong nutrition/farm-to-school programs.
    • Equity & Access for Every Learner: Timely, inclusive special education (IEP/504) and strong transition services that deliver long-term outcomes.
    • Student Success & Readiness: Improved attendance and engagement, early literacy/academic acceleration, and robust CTE, dual enrollment, and career-connected pathways in safe, inclusive campuses and modern facilities.
  • Contributions: $88,321 (includes monetary donations made after 9/19/2026)
    • Notable Top Contributors:
    • David Gross $5,900
    • International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers PAC Education Fund $5,000
    • Phil Kneeland $2630
    • Charter Public Schools PAC $2500
    • California Federation of Teachers COPE $2,500
    • American Federation of Teachers 1273 $2,000
    • Kathy Long $1750
    • Democratic Club of Camarillo $1,500
    • Tiffany Morse $1,052
    • James Forsythe $1,052
    • GOOD Club $1,000
    • Simi Valley Democratic Club $1000
    • John Huycke $1,000
    • Western States Regional Council of Carpenters $1,000
    • Central Coast Labor Council $1,000
    • Stonewall Democrats $500
  • Links:

Samples of Endorsements here.

GOOD club
DEMOCRATIC OF CONEJOSIMI VALLEY DEM
Cause action fund
NOW
California		GUN SENSE CANDIDATE
SALUD CARBAJAL
Fiona Ma
Eleni Kounalakis
Central Coast Labor Council

Sample endorsements

ENDORSEMENT OF NOTE
Jack O’Connell: CA State Superintendent (2003-2011), CA State Senator, 18th District (1994-2002), CA State Assembly, 35th District (1982-1994)
COMMUNITY
– Deborah Meyer-Morris, Attorney / Disability Advocate
– Amber Thompson, Community Leader
– Jane Kim, candidate
COMMUNITY LEADERS
CAMARILLO
– Dr. Martita Martinez-Bravo, Vice Mayor, City Council
– Susan Santangelo, Camarillo City Council & former Mayor of Camarillo
– Bev Dransfeldt, Pleasant Valley Rec & Park Board of Directors
– Jordan Roberts, Pleasant Valley Rec & Park Board of Directors (ret.)
– Doug McDowell, Pleasant Valley School District Trustee
FILLMORE
– Christina Reyes Villaseñor, Fillmore City Council & former Mayor of Fillmore
– Albert Mendez, Mayor of Fillmore
OJAI
– Rachel Lang, Mayor Pro Tem of Ojai
– Betsy Stix, Mayor (ret.)
– Kathi Smith, Ojai Unified School District Trustee (ret.) 
– Shelly Griffen, Ojai Unified School District Trustee (ret.)
– Rebecca Chandler, Ojai Unified School District Trustee (ret.)
OXNARD
– Luis McArthur, Mayor
– Gabe Teran, Oxnard Mayor Pro Tem
– Michaela Perez, City Council
– Gabriela Rodriguez, City Council
– Gabriela Basua, City Council
– Genevieve Flores-Haro, Assoc. Director, MICOP VP, Oxnard Union High School District School Board of Trustees
– Linda Baker Torres, Oxnard Union High School District Trustee
– Mary Anne Rooney, Port of Hueneme
– Dr. Gary Davis, Oxnard Union High School District School Board of Trustees & Former OUHSD Superintendent (ret.)
– Dr. Joe Mendoza, VCOE Director, Migrant Education (ret.)
– Dr. Debra Salgado, Oxnard Union High School District, Asst. Sup., HR (ret.)
– Jason Hodge, President, Oxnard Harbor Commission
– Denis O’Leary, Oxnard Elementary School District Trustee (ret.)
PORT HUENEME
– Martha McQueen, Mayor
– Laura Hernandez, Mayor Pro Tem
– Jess Lopez, City Council
– Bobby Martinez, Mayor (ret.)
RIO SCHOOL DISTRICT
– Alesia Martin, Rio School District Board of Trustees
– Kristine Anderson, Rio School District Board of Trustees
SANTA PAULA
– Pedro Chavez, Councilmember & former Mayor
– Nathan Ramos Rodriguez, Santa Paula Unified School District Trustee
SIMI VALLEY
– Ruth Luevanos, City Council (ret.)
– Sofya Bagdasaryan,  Simi Valley Unified School District Trustee (ret.)
– Joe Ayala, VP of Communications Workers of America, Local 53
– Kristina Pine, Simi Valley Unified School District Trustee (ret.)
VENTURA
– Liz Campos, City Council
– Ryyn Schumacher, City Council
– Carl Morehouse, Mayor (ret.)
– Jackie Moran, Ventura Unified School District Trustee (ret.)
– Bill McReynolds, City Council
VENTURA COUNTY
– Josh Chancer, Ventura County Community College District Board of Trustees
– Kathy Long, Ventura County Supervisor (ret.)
– Ryan Valencia, Ventura County Democratic Party Chair (ret)
– Celia Daniels, President, Ventura County Stonewall Democratic Club
– RL Miller, Democratic National Committee (ret.)
VENTURA SCHOOL DISTRICT
– James Forsythe, President, Ventura Unified School District
– Shannon Fredericks, VP, Ventura Unified School District Trustee
– Matt Almarez, Ventura Unified School District Trustee (ret.)
– Sabrena Rodriguez, Ventura Unified School District Trustee 
– Dr. Roger Rice, Ventura Unified School District Superintendent (ret.)
– Dr. Joe Mendoza, Ventura County Office of Education, Director of Migrant Education (ret.)

MAGGIE MARSCHNER – Educator and something else again!

This letter is in support of Karen Sher for V.C. Superintendent of Schools. The “extreme” in the newspaper’s title is in reference to Maggie Marschner.

TOP * Karen Sher * Maggie Marschner

RECOMMENDATION: NOOOOO! – Holy smokes! Transfixed by the drama over at the VCOE, many may have missed that Maggie is being endorsed by a grab bag of right-wing extremists, including Moms-For-Liberty-endorsed Sonja Shaw, a terrifying candidate running for the State Superintendent of Schools job. And Ms. Marschner got 4 STARS from the Election Forum, which is not a good sign for us! AND the MOVE-THE-NEEDLE folks!

Conservative groups encourage candidates to run in “non-partisan” races to build their name recognition. This is especially evident in boards concentrating on education, where they can push hot-topic cultural issues like banning books and torturing LGBTQ+ kids.

A lot of illuminating information can be found in the financial forms candidates have to file with the state.

(This is publicly accessible information shared by the Sher campaign.)

  • Party: Republican
  • Age: ~50 (est.)
  • Residence: Port Hueneme
  • Education:
    • BLS English Regis University 
    • M.Ed Secondary Education Regis University
    • M.Ed Education Administration Touro University
  • Employment and Experience:
    • Assistant Principal St. Augustine Academy
    • 9 years classroom teaching experience
    • English Language Learners (ELL) Facilitator and Reading Specialist
    • University lecturer
  • Priorities from Website:
    • Literacy and Math First: Prioritize county-wide focus on literacy and math outcomes, holding districts accountable to the data and ensuring intervention resources reach students who need them.
    • Accountability through Oversight: Make sure parents and communities have the power and information to “call the shots” in their schools.
    • Fiscal Responsibility: Ensure every dollar is accounted for, help districts eliminate redundant programs that don’t demonstrate student benefit, and keep funding where it belongs – classrooms not administrative overhead.
    • People over Programs: Invest in people not programs, and measure success by what students can actually do.
    • Local control with Real Transparency: Require transparency on what is being taught and how public dollars are spent. Every Student, Every Need: Build county-wide systems that include every student from the start, not as an afterthought.
  • Contributions: $41,400 (Includes monetary donations made after 9/19/2026)
    • Notable Top Contributors:
    • Tim Paulson $5,900
    • Jim Negley $5,000
    • Move the Needle PAC $2,400
    • Henry Workman $2,000
    • John Floryan $1,000
    • Vonna Brook $1,000
    • Mike Walsh $1,000
    • Chris Dunn $1,000
    • Brandee Sisting $750
  • Links:

Samples of Endorsements here.

Educators and School Leaders
– Kathy Wilson, Special Education Teacher, Ventura County Public Schools
– Suzy Bhakta-Sides, Middle School Math and Science Teacher, Ventura County
– Matt Conrad, Founder and CEO, Regent Legacy Academy
– Dr. Matthew Love, Education Researcher and Assistant Professor of Special Education
– Rafael B. Cahue, Counselor, Academic Leader & Candidate
– Maria Luna Saldaña, Retired Academic & Counselor
– Pamela Cwiklo, Administrator, Oxnard School District (ret.)
– Nicole Whitaker, Assistant Principal & Former Coordinator IV, Clark County School District (CCSD) Assessment, Accountability, Research, and School Improvement (AARSI)
– Brad Evans, English Learner and Assessment Coordinator, CCSD
– Dr. Ramon Flores; Retired VCoE Board Member
– Dr. Mark Lisagor; Former VCoE Board Member
Community Voices and Candidates
– Julie Monro, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Ventura County
– Richard Perini, Candidate for Simi Valley City Council, District Two
– J. Brett Marymee, Candidate, California State Board of Equalization, District 2
– Audra Strickland. Former VCOE Board Member and Former State Assemblymember
– Lupe Reyes, Retired 44-Year School Classified Employee, Fillmore Unified School District (FUSD)
– Dr. Ryan Arnold, Medical Professional & Community Supporter
– Dr. Terri Lisago
– Dr. Ryan Arnold

Oh, dear!

4 stars! Oh, boy. She is rated “Very good” by some far-right people. See the attached questionnaire.

We’re guessing she earned her 4-star rating by answering this version of their questionnaires. RED HIGHLIGHTS are ours!

TOP * Karen Sher * Maggie Marschner

ELECTION FORUM QUESETIONNAIRE WE BELIEVE THAT MAGGIE MARSHNER COMPLETED

Election Forum Candidate Endorsement Questionnaire for School Board

Dear Candidate,

Congratulations on your decision to run for office.

For over 20 years, the ElectionForum.org has conducted California election forums where we make specific candidate recommendations.

Last election cycle we had about 1 million voters following our endorsements, many in your district.

Besides conducting a dozen live Election Forums and several webinars giving endorsements, we will be posting our endorsements of candidates on our four websites, emailing and publicizing our recommendations to several hundred thousand California voters.

In addition, our recommendations are also broadcast on radio stations.

In your office we will either say:

  • Endorsed…Giving you a 1 to 5 star rating
  • Not endorsed
  • Refused to disclose position

I look forward to hearing from you and hopefully giving you our endorsement.

    1. What is your name and what office are you running for?
    2. What are the three (3) most pressing issues facing the school district? Please prioritize them. What if anything do you plan to do about them if you are elected to the position of governing board member? What specific promises will you make to the voters in order to be elected?
      (1)
      (2)
      (3)
    3. Do you support or oppose the Transgender Bathroom Bill (AB1266) signed into law by Governor Brown? Why or Why not?
    4. There a drop out problem in our schools. What can we do about it?
    5. Do you favor or oppose the expansion of charter schools within the school district? Why or why not? Do you favor or oppose the use of voucher system within the public school system? Why or Why not?
    6. Do you believe there is a place for celebrations of religious holidays and singing religious music in holiday programs? What would you support and allow and what should be excluded from the school?
    7. When teaching science, should alternatives to evolution (such as Intelligent Design) be taught in public schools? Should individual instructors be given leeway to teach both points of view? Or should only the accepted theories of evolution be taught without mentioning the scientific objections to the theory?
    8. Do you favor or oppose new taxes, fees, or bonds?
    9. Will you support or oppose those choosing homeschooling?
    10. What national politician do you admire the most and why?
    11. What does Critical Race Theory mean to you and what are your thoughts about the teaching of Critical Race Theory in public school?
    12. What are your thoughts about transgender boys playing in girls’ sports and dressing in girls’ locker rooms?
    13. Should teachers be teaching values to students and should they be telling students what to believe and what to think or should they merely be teaching the subject matter?
    14. Who should have final control over the content of a child’s education, including the books they read?
    15. Do you believe in absolute truth? Why or why not?  If you believe in absolute truth, what is the source of absolute truth?  If you do not believe in absolute truth, how do you determine what is true?

TOP * Karen Sher * Maggie Marschner