Steve Hilton’s campaign for governor revives divisive education issues among Democrats

Story Title: Steve Hilton’s campaign for governor revives divisive education issues among Democrats Steve Hilton’s education reforms are a trip back to the future. The Republican candidate for California governor has called for abolishing teacher tenure, reviving an issue that has been taboo for a decade in the state after bruising battles in court and the Legislature. California has long been an outlier on teacher tenure, which is shorthand for the point at which teachers switch from at-will employment to permanent employees with job protections governing layoffs, dismissals and other due-process rights. It is one of four states, along with Mississippi, South Carolina and Vermont, to grant tenure in two years.

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Scoop News DeskPublished Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at 7:10 AM UTCUpdated Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at 7:47 AM UTC

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Twenty-eight states grant tenure in three years, and 19 require four or more years, according to a 2020 National Center on Teacher Quality survey . The lawsuit died when the California Supreme Court, in a 4-3 decision with impassioned dissents, declined to take up the case. Schools whose test scores failed to make Annual Yearly Progress could replace the principal and key staff, convert to a charter school, take over the school, or make major fundamental changes in school staffing and governance — the least disruptive alternative.