San Joaquin County primary election candidates for superintendent of schools

Angelaydet Rocha, The Record
·2 min read
Voters fill out their ballots at the polling place at Burgundy Hall on the Lodi Grape Festival grounds Lodi.
Voters fill out their ballots at the polling place at Burgundy Hall on the Lodi Grape Festival grounds Lodi.

STOCKTON — The San Joaquin County primary election is just around the corner — June 7 to be exact — and the candidates running for Superintendent of Schools are familiar faces to county residents.

The candidates are Troy A. Brown and Brian Biedermann.

Troy A. Brown is seeking re-election. Brown is currently serving as the 27th San Joaquin County Superintendent of Schools. He was appointed in July 2021 when James A. Mousalimas retired after a career of 36 years.

Dr. Troy A. Brown was sworn in as the 27th San Joaquin County superintendent of schools July 1.
Dr. Troy A. Brown was sworn in as the 27th San Joaquin County superintendent of schools July 1.

Brian Biedermann is a former interim superintendent and director of educational services for Stockton Unified School District. He is currently serving as an AVID staff developer and teaches administrative course work at the San Joaquin County Office of Education.

Both Brown and Biedermann have extensive experience in education. Brown has been a coach, teacher, principal, school district administrator and associate superintendent of student programs and services.

Biedermann has been a teacher, principal, administrator, teacher mentor amongst his other Stockton Unified School District former positions.

Interim Superintendent Brian Biedermann speaks at an opening ceremony for Flora Arca Mata Elementary School named after the first Filipina teacher in California and Stockton Unified.
Interim Superintendent Brian Biedermann speaks at an opening ceremony for Flora Arca Mata Elementary School named after the first Filipina teacher in California and Stockton Unified.

During Biedermann’s leadership at Edison High School, the STEM building and program received a mention from President Barack Obama in his 2014 State of the Union Address.

Last year in January Biedermann resigned from his position in a letter posted on the district's website and social media due to health complications.

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So far both candidates have raised more than $60,000 each in contributions to their campaigns.

In a public campaign finance disclosure document electronically filed on May 25, it was reported that Brown has raised $69,599.67 in total this year. Biedermann’s report filed electronically on May 23 says he has raised $62,421.00 this year.

Both candidates have extensive endorsements from teachers, educational leaders, and elected officials.

Some of the most notable names endorsing Brown are:

  • James A. Mousalimas, retired San Joaquin County Superintendent of Schools

  • Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincoln

  • Tony Thurmond, current California State Superintendent of Public Instruction

Some of the most notable names endorsing Biedermann are:

  • Sheriff Pat Withrow, San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office

  • Paul Canepa, District 3, Councilmember, Stockton City Council

  • California School Employees Association, AFL–CIO and California Teachers Association

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Record reporter Angelaydet Rocha covers community news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at arocha@recordnet.com or on Twitter @AngelaydetRocha. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow. 

This article originally appeared on The Record: Primary elections: San Joaquin County superintendent of schools candidates