The two candidates vying to lead Ventura County's schools disagree on whether public dollars should follow students to private schools.

Karen Sher, president of the Oxnard Union High School District board, said flatly that taxpayer money belongs in public classrooms. Maggie Marschner, the former principal of La Reina High School and Middle School in Thousand Oaks, said the question should be left to the community. The winner will oversee the Ventura County Office of Education, which provides budget oversight, teacher training and other services to local districts including the Conejo Valley Unified School District.

The exchange came at a candidate forum at Camarillo City Hall on Monday, Oct. 5, as VC Reporter reported. The League of Women Voters of Ventura County and the American Association of University Women Camarillo branch sponsored the event. David Maron of the League of Women Voters moderated, posing questions submitted by audience members.

Sher and Marschner are competing in the Tuesday, Nov. 3 runoff for Ventura County superintendent of schools after incumbent César Morales finished third in the June primary with 25% of the vote. According to the Ventura County Star, it is the first election without an incumbent on the ballot since 1934. Sher led the primary with 42%; Marschner followed with 33%.

Vouchers

When Maron asked the candidates about vouchers for private schools, Sher drew a clear line.

"I think that public dollars should stay in public schools. That's where public taxpayer dollars should stay, in my opinion," Sher said. She added that she has worked to improve per-student funding through the local control funding formula.

Marschner did not take a firm position for or against vouchers. She said the superintendent's role is to listen to the community and provide transparent fiscal information so residents can make informed decisions about their schools.

ICE in schools

An audience member asked what the candidates would do to protect students worried about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity.

Sher pointed to her work with State Superintendent Tony Thurmond on two California laws that took effect in September. Assembly Bill 49 (AB 49), the California Safe Haven Schools Act, prohibits school staff from allowing immigration officers on campus or sharing student information without a warrant or court order. Senate Bill 98 (SB 98) requires districts to notify staff and parents when ICE is on a campus.

Marschner drew on her experience in Nevada. She said the last high school where she worked enrolled 800 newcomer students out of 3,200 total. She said she rolled out district-wide programs to support migrant students, focused on giving teachers professional development so students could feel safe and keep learning.

The candidates

Sher, 56, grew up in Thousand Oaks and has taught middle school in the Oxnard School District since 1999. She has served on the Oxnard Union High School District board for 12 years and spent the past three years as director of teacher recruitment for the California Department of Education. She is a Democrat endorsed by Thurmond and the California Federation of Teachers.

Marschner, 45, was born in Ventura and raised in Camarillo. She started her career in the Clark County School District in Nevada, the fifth-largest in the country, before returning to Ventura County in 2019 to lead La Reina, an all-girls Catholic school that closed in 2024. She is registered No Party Preference and has been endorsed by the Ventura County Republican Party and four of five members of the Ventura County Board of Education.

The race is nonpartisan. The Ventura County Office of Education has about 700 employees and a $135 million general operating fund.