Sacramento, CA – California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) has long positioned himself as a champion of public education, pouring billions into the state’s school system while decrying alternatives like school vouchers. Yet, revelations about his family’s educational choices paint a stark picture of hypocrisy: Newsom’s four children attend an elite private school in Marin County costing upwards of $60,000 per year per student, even as he blocks voucher programs that could offer similar opportunities to low-income families. This move, which saw the Newsom family relocate from Sacramento to a ritzy neighborhood in 2024, underscores a growing critique that the governor’s policies favor the affluent while leaving everyday Californians behind.
The Branson School, where Newsom’s kids are enrolled, boasts small class sizes, advanced curricula, and extracurriculars far beyond what most public schools can provide. Tuition alone rivals the median household income in many California communities, yet Newsom has consistently opposed initiatives to expand school choice. In recent years, he vetoed bills aimed at creating “flex accounts” or tax credits for private education, arguing that such measures divert funds from public schools. Critics, including parents’ rights advocates, point to a potential 2026 ballot initiative for universal school choice, which Newsom has signaled he would fight, emphasizing instead record investments in public education—over $24,000 per pupil including all funding sources. “Why should wealthy politicians like Newsom get to opt out of the system they force on everyone else?” asked one advocate in a recent poll showing declining approval for his handling of schools.
This disparity echoes controversies from the COVID-19 pandemic, when Newsom mandated prolonged closures of public schools across the state, citing health risks. From March 2020 onward, millions of California students endured remote learning, with many districts remaining shuttered well into 2021. Meanwhile, Newsom’s own children transitioned back to in-person classes at their private Sacramento-area school by October 2020, under a “phased-in approach” that private institutions could more easily implement. A 2021 Ninth Circuit ruling later deemed blanket closures of private schools unconstitutional, highlighting how such policies disproportionately affected families without means to pivot. Newsom, who faced recall efforts partly over education mishandling, refused to intervene aggressively in union-backed district decisions, even as his kids benefited from flexible private setups.
Advocates argue this reflects a broader elitism in Democratic leadership. While Newsom boasts of equity-focused funding, chronic absenteeism and learning loss from pandemic closures persist in public schools, particularly in underserved areas. Vouchers, they say, could empower poor families to access better options, much like the governor’s. A 2019 open letter from civil rights groups urged him to support choice, warning that opposition harms minority students. Yet, as California grapples with budget shortfalls and educational disparities, Newsom’s personal choices fuel accusations of “rules for thee, but not for me.”
In Washington and beyond, this saga highlights national debates on school choice. With Trump’s proposed tax credits for K-12 gaining traction, California’s model under Newsom may face scrutiny. For now, as the 2026 initiative looms, parents wonder: If private education is good enough for the governor’s family, why not for theirs?
References:
- https://nypost.com/2024/06/26/real-estate/gavin-newsom-moves-family-from-sacramento-to-ritzy-marin-county-for-60k-per-year-private-school/
- https://www.politico.com/states/california/story/2020/10/30/newsom-sends-his-children-back-to-private-school-classrooms-in-california-1332811
- https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article302321919.html
- https://calmatters.org/education/2021/07/newsom-recall-candidates-education/
- https://libertycenter.org/ninth-circuit-rules-newsoms-covid-closure-of-private-schools-unconstitutional/
