“If you believe in student-first leadership and strong public schools, please join me in this campaign.”
“If you believe in student-first leadership and strong public schools, please join me in this campaign.”
Priorities
As Superintendent of Schools, my focus will always be ensuring Ventura County has strong public schools. With your vote, we can deliver real results for our students, teachers, staff, and families.
Strong Public Schools with Real Accountability
Protecting local control while assisting with transparency and results, and being a supportive leader for local school districts – like a County Superintendent should.
A Thriving Educator Workforce
Recruiting, retaining, and supporting educators through competitive pay, collective bargaining, mentoring, and pipeline program.
Whole-child, Whole-family Supports
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.
About Karen
I’m an award-winning educator with 30 years in the classroom
and 12 years as a school board trustee.
I’m also a mom, a union advocate,
and a lifelong public servant
who believes deeply in strong public schools.
Misuse of Public Funds at County Office of Education
Statement on Misuse of Funds at Ventura County Office of Education
When questions arise about how taxpayer dollars are being spent, transparency is not optional. It is essential.
When the Superintendent misuses taxpayer dollars, it betrays our students. Those dollars belong in the classroom, not in administrators’ back pockets. It is time to end self-dealing at the Ventura County Office of Education.
In response to these findings, I am calling for immediate action on four fronts:
1. End political delays surrounding investigations into the alleged misappropriation of funds at VCOE.
2. Conduct a forensic audit of the Ventura County Office of Education.
3. Suspend individuals involved in the misappropriation of funds, as well as those who may have provided misleading information to the County Board of Education.
4. Review the significant delays in fulfilling public records requests. A process currently overseen by the Deputy Superintendent for Fiscal Services, who is also the fiancée of Superintendent Dr. Morales.
Ventura County is my home.
I attended Redwood Middle School and graduated from Westlake High School before spending three decades teaching middle school English in Oxnard. I’ve worked with educators and families across the county—from Fillmore to Simi Valley and Ojai to Port Hueneme—to deliver real results for students.
For the past three years, I’ve served as Director of Teacher Recruitment for the California Department of Education.
Our county needs steady, transparent leadership focused on outcomes for kids.
As Superintendent, my priorities include fully funded schools, supporting educators, whole-child supports, equity for every learner, and strong career pathways.
I’m ready to lead on Day One—and to put students first, always.
Tony Thurmond
California State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Fiona Ma
State Treasurer
Kathy Long
Ventura County Supervisor (ret.)
Christy Smith
State Assemblymember (ret.)
Josh Fryday
Chief Service Officer of California
Frank Lima
General Secretary-Treasurer
International Association of Fire Fighters
Josh Chancer
Ventura County Community College Trustee
Tie Gutierrez
Thousand Oaks City Council
Christina Reyes Villaseñor
Fillmore City Council & Former Mayor of Fillmore
Bobby Martinez
City Council & Mayor of Port Hueneme (ret.)
Rachel Lang
Mayor Pro Tem of Ojai
Laura Hernandez
Mayor Pro Tem of Port Hueneme, former Mayor
Luis McArthur
Mayor of Oxnard & former School Resource Officer
Dr. Martha McQueen-Legohn
Mayor of Port Hueneme
Albert Mendez
Mayor of Fillmore
Carl Morehouse
Mayor of Ventura (ret.)
Dr. Martita Martinez-Bravo
Vice Mayor of Camarillo
Susan Santangelo
Camarillo City Council & Former Mayor of Camarillo
Ryyn Schumacher
Ventura City Council
Ruth Luevanos
Simi Valley City Councilwoman (ret.)
Gabe Teran
Oxnard Mayor Pro Tem
Alesia Martin
Rio School District Trustee
Sofya Bagdasaryan
Simi Valley Unified School District Trustee (ret.)
Jess Lopez
Port Hueneme City Council & former Mayor Pro Tem
Dr. Joe Mendoza
Ventura County Office of Education, Director of Migrant Education (ret)
Dr. Roger Rice
Ventura Unified School District Superintendent (ret)
“Trustworthy, supportive, a true public servant, Karen Sher will work for our schools to ensure they succeed at their highest level. Karen’s passion for education is infectious as you hear whenever you meet her. She believes in the promise of a good education to enrich lives and change futures for the good. She fights for transparency in government at all levels, integrity as a core principle for leadership, and experience that is learned and earned. It’s time for a real change, a change for the future of our children. I am proud to support Karen Sher for Ventura County Superintendent of Schools.”
I’m proud to announce my support for Karen Sher’s candidacy for Ventura County Superintendent of Schools. Having served as both a District Superintendent and as Deputy Superintendent at the County Office of Education, I know the importance of providing the highest level of support to local schools and districts. During my research, I spoke to numerous current Superintendents and that is what they mentioned needing the most in these challenging times. I believe Karen will dedicate herself to making such support her top priority. That is why I am supporting Karen Sher for Ventura County Superintendent of Schools.
Her decades of experience as an educator and school board leader, combined with her commitment to equity and ensuring all students have access to quality education, make her the leader our communities need. Karen listens and leads thoughtfully, bringing the impact and direction Ventura County schools deserve, especially in critical times like these."
“Karen Sher is a dedicated veteran teacher and education leader. She is passionate about the students she serves, and works tirelessly to meet their needs. As a servant leader she is willing to do the hard work that our county needs and our students deserve. I am happy to endorse Karen Sher for Ventura County Superintendent of Schools.”
“Karen will bring a unique combination of a classroom educator, a local school board member, and a statewide policy maker to the role of County Superintendent. I have worked closely with Karen on issues including developing affordable housing for families and educators, to protecting our immigrant students, to recruiting and retaining high quality teachers. Karen is an innovator, a problem solver, and most importantly a champion for public education. Students throughout Ventura County will thrive with Karen as Superintendent.”
Statewide
Eleni Kounalakis, Lieutenant Governor of California
Tony Thurmond, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Al Maratsuchi, Assembly Member AD66, Chair, State Assembly Education Committee
Josh Fryday, California Chief Service Officer & GO-Serve Director
Fiona Ma, California State Treasurer
Latino Police Officers Association
Alameda County
Malia Vella, Alameda Vice Mayor (ret.)
Contra Costa County
Abel Pineda, San Pablo City Council
Cupertino
Ava Chiao, Cupertino Union School District Board of Trustees
Glendale
Telly Tse, Glendale Union School District Board of Trustees
Ingrid Gunnell, Glendale Union School District Board of Trustees
Los Angeles County
Christy Smith, Assembly Member AD38 (ret.)
Malinda Hurley - Alta Loma School District Board of Trustees
Orange County
Tina Gustin-Gurney, Vice President, Westminster School District Board of Trustees
Pasadena
Patrice Marshall McKenzie, Pasadena Unified School District Board of Trustees
Riverside County
Nancy Young, Murieta School District Board of Trustees
Salinas
Nathalia Carrillo- President, Salinas Unified High School District Board of Trustees
Monica Lujan- Vice President, Salinas Unified High School District Board of Trustees
Angela De Ramos, Salinas City Elementary School District School Board of Trustees (ret.)
Vanessa Robinson, Salinas City Elementary School District School Board of Trustees
San Diego
Richard Barrera, President, San Diego Unified School District Board of Trustees & Senior Policy Advisor to SSPI Thurmond.
Miriam Aguilar Escobar, CTA State Council (ret.)
Santa Barbara
Dr. Charlotte Gullap -Moore, DNP, Santa Barbara Community College District Board of Trustees
Sonoma County
Ever Flores, Santa Rosa City Schools BOE (ret.)
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.)
Camarillo
Dr. Martita Martinez-Bravo, Vice Mayor, City Council
Susan Santangelo, City Council
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
Albert Mendez, Fillmore Mayor
Christina Reyes Villaseñor , Fillmore City Council
Brian Sipes, Fillmore City Council (ret.)
Ojai
Betsy Stix, Mayor (ret.)
Rachel Lang, City Council
Shelly Griffin, 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, Associate Director, Mixteco/Indígena Community Organizing Project; Vice President, Oxnard Union High School District School Board of Trustees
Linda Baker Torres, Oxnard Union High School District Trustee
Dr. Gary Davis, Oxnard Union High School District School Board of Trustees & Former OUHSD Superintendent (ret.)
Denis O’Leary, Oxnard Elementary School District Board of Trustees (ret.)
Mary Anne Rooney, Port of Hueneme
Dr. Joe Mendoza, VCOE Director, Migrant Education (ret.)
Dr. Debra Salgado, Oxnard Union High School District, Asst. Sup., HR (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
Thousand Oaks
Ashley Orozco, Conejo Rec & Park District Board of Directors
Tie Gutierrez, City Council
Brendan Callahan, Traffic & Transportation Commission
Ventura
Liz Campos, City Council
Ryyn Schumacher, City Council
Carl Morehouse, Mayor (ret.)
James Forsythe, President, Ventura Unified School District
Shannon Fredericks, VP, Ventura Unified School District Trustee
Matt Almarez, Ventura Unified School District Trustee (ret.)
Amber Thompson, Community Leader
KC Rodriguez, Arts Commissioner
Deborah Meyer-Morris, Attorney / Disability Advocate
Organizations
Oxnard Federation of Teachers & School Employees
California Federation of Teachers
IBEW Local 952
Ironworkers Locals 416 & 433
Sheet Metal Workers Local 104
Central Coast Labor Council
Latino Police Officers Association
CAUSE Action Fund
Indivisible: Conejo
Democratic Party & Clubs
Ventura County Democratic Party
Women’s Democratic Club of Ventura County
Greater Organization of Oxnard Democrats (GOOD Club)
Camarillo Democratic Club
Ventura Democratic Club
Simi Valley Democratic Club
Moorpark Democratic Club
Ventura County Stonewall Democratic Club
United Democrats for Progress
Ventura County Young Democrats
Ojai Democratic Club
Note: all titles are used for identification purposes only and may not reflect the views of their organizations.