Humboldt County Office of Education: Michael Davies-Hughes, Humboldt County Superintendent of Schools

Our Mission

The mission of the Humboldt County Office of Education is to advocate on behalf of the needs of local districts and students, provide expanded learning opportunities for students, promote improved student achievement, and support fiscal responsibility in local school districts.

About County Superintendents

The office of county superintendent of schools has existed in California for more than 150 years; but the programs and responsibilities of the office have evolved to meet the changing needs of the state and its 1,024 locally controlled school districts.

Today, the 58 county superintendents in California serve as intermediaries between the state and local school districts within each county. County superintendents and their staffs help with implementation of regional programs, provide fiscal oversight, monitor teacher credentialing, supply curriculum support and training, and help in other areas of interest to local districts and the state. A primary role of the county superintendent is to promote quality educational services to all students by providing leadership, support, assistance and coordination to each county’s public school system.

County superintendents of schools are state constitutional officers. The position was first established in the 1849 California Constitution as a duty of the county assessor. In 1852 the office of county superintendent of schools was created by statute, and in 1856 it was made elective as a position of county government. The new California Constitution of 1879 established the position of county superintendent of schools as a constitutional office (Article IX, ß3).

Today, county superintendents in 53 of the state’s 58 counties are elected. In four counties, however, the county superintendent is appointed by the county board of education (San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, and Santa Clara). In Los Angeles, the county superintendent of schools is appointed by the county board of supervisors. All county superintendents, whether elected or appointed, are required to hold a California Administrative Services Credential.