Ventura County voters headed to the polls Tuesday to decide a superintendent of schools race that turned into the county's first contested campaign for the office in 28 years, a contest shadowed by a forensic audit that found the outgoing officeholder's department broke state law on employee pay and benefits dozens of times. Karen Sher and Maggie Marschner advanced to the general election after finishing first and second in the June primary, leaving incumbent César Morales to become the first Ventura County superintendent of schools to lose a reelection bid since 1890.
Sher took 42% of the vote in June and Marschner took 33%, according to Ventura County Star. Because no candidate cleared 50%, county election rules sent the top two finishers into the November runoff, and Morales, who finished third among three candidates, did not advance. The winner takes over an office that runs the Ventura County Office of Education, which the Star reports has a staff of around 700 people and an annual budget of around $285 million, overseeing some charter schools, providing budget oversight and teacher training to local districts, and directly educating about 500 students in special education and alternative and continuation school programs.
What the Audit Found
The race unfolded against the backdrop of a forensic audit commissioned by the Ventura County Board of Education, which concluded that the office under Morales broke state law regarding employee pay and benefits dozens of times. The audit, prepared by national accounting firm Weaver, was presented to the board on Oct. 15, according to a separate Ventura County Star report. The board responded by voting to ask the county district attorney to investigate possible legal violations described in the findings, and the district attorney's office has since submitted the report to its public integrity unit for review.
Among the findings: the office's election-results coverage described a $16,000 bonus that Morales gave himself without required board approval, though the same outlet's audit report placed the figure at $15,750, and California School News cited a $15,575 bonus for 2024. That bonus was later rescinded. The audit also said Morales gave his top deputies lifetime health benefits without required board approval: four top-level employees received new contracts starting in 2023, and a fifth received one in 2024. Those benefits were later canceled, though the audit estimated they could have cost the office $3 million to $5 million over the next 30 years had they not been rescinded.
Raises and a Culture of Silence
The audit additionally found that six Office of Education employees received multiple undisclosed raises exceeding $10,000 apiece between 2021 and 2025, adding up to $375,000 in total undisclosed raises. The report also described a workplace culture in which employees said they were discouraged from putting decisions in writing or email, with numerous staffers describing an atmosphere of “don't put things in writing, don't put it in an email,” per the same account from the Star.
Both Sher and Marschner addressed the fallout from the audit during a candidates forum hosted by the League of Women Voters at Camarillo City Hall on Oct. 5, where each called for greater scrutiny of the office's finances, according to the Camarillo Caller. Sher, a teacher and member of the Oxnard Union High School District's board of trustees, proposed more public reporting and clearer standards for evaluating executive pay. Marschner, an education consultant and former teacher and principal, said she would focus on listening to employees and addressing how the pay and benefits disclosures had affected morale inside the office.
When Results Are Expected
Polls closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday, and Ventura County election officials planned to release results by Wednesday morning that include votes cast at polling places and advance absentee ballots. The Ventura County elections division will continue releasing updated vote totals until counting is complete, since ballots submitted on or shortly before Election Day, or mailed close to it, will be counted in the days and weeks that follow.
Ventura County Star's coverage of the race and the audit received support from the Ventura County Community Foundation's Fund to Support Local Journalism. The foundation plays no role in story selection, and the Star has said it retains full editorial control over its reporting.
