Davon Thomas
Davon Thomas is running for election to the Sacramento County Board of Education to represent Area 1 in California. Thomas is on the ballot in the general election on June 2, 2026.[source]
Thomas completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Davon Thomas graduated from Sacramento Charter High School. Thomas earned a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz, in 2020 and a graduate degree from the University of Washington in 2023.[1]
Elections
2026
See also: Municipal elections in Sacramento County, California (2026)
General election
The general election will occur on June 2, 2026.
General election for Sacramento County Board of Education Area 1
Dominique Donette (Nonpartisan), Ralph Merletti (Nonpartisan), Anna Molander Hermann (Nonpartisan), and Davon Thomas (Nonpartisan) are running in the general election for Sacramento County Board of Education Area 1 on June 2, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Dominique Donette (Nonpartisan) | ||
 | Ralph Merletti (Nonpartisan) | |
| Anna Molander Hermann (Nonpartisan) | ||
 | Davon Thomas (Nonpartisan)  | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
Thomas received the following endorsements. To send us additional endorsements, click here.
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Davon Thomas completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Thomas' responses.
| Collapse all
My name is Davon Thomas, and I’m running to be your next Trustee for Area 1 on the Sacramento County Board of Education. I’m stepping up because, for far too long, access to resources in our schools has been determined by zip code, and that must change.
My family has called Sacramento home for 75 years, and we’ve lived in the same house in Oak Park for 65 years. Like my grandmother and generations before me, I attended Sacramento High School. These roots have shaped my deep belief in a public education system that uplifts and invests in all students, not just a select few.
Growing up, my father was incarcerated, and we weren’t able to build a meaningful relationship until later in life. It was my mother and grandmother who worked tirelessly to make sure I had every opportunity to succeed and pursue higher education.
Service has always been central to who I am. From serving as Chair of the Sacramento Youth Commission in high school, to working with the Oak Park Neighborhood Association to launch Oak Park Cares, a bill assistance program supporting neighbors in need, to my current role with the Sacramento Children’s Fund, where we’ve helped invest millions in youth priorities like mental health and foster care, I’ve remained committed to giving back to this community.
We need to bring back urgency, fiscal responsibility, and student-centered leadership to the county office of education. When our schools thrive, so does our community.- Accountability & Transparency - Sacramento-area schools are under growing financial strain due to rising living costs and declining federal support. The county office of education has a responsibility to support districts across the region in maintaining responsible budgets. That means addressing unsustainable practices like relying on one-time funds for ongoing expenses, bloated administrative offices, and overreliance on outsourced special education services. Every dollar should be used wisely to support students, protect essential programs, and ensure long-term stability.
- Support Foster & Incarcerated Youth - The Sacramento County Office of Education oversees Court and Community Schools that serve students often on their last chance within the education system, young people whose educational journeys have rarely been stable or consistent. Many have also experienced homelessness or time in the foster care system. At some SCOE schools, only 6% of students are reading at grade level, and just 2% are proficient or advanced in math. These outcomes highlight the urgent need for more targeted support, including smaller class sizes, intervention specialists, and instructional aides. Students deserve the resources and support to truly succeed before leaving our schools.
- Recruiting and Retaining High Quality Teachers - With California facing a teacher shortage, I will work with the Sacramento County Office of Education to recruit and retain high-quality teachers by prioritizing manageable class sizes, competitive and sustainable compensation, and supportive working conditions that keep educators in the profession. I support expanding pathways that help paraeducators and instructional aides become credentialed teachers, strengthening a pipeline of diverse, community-rooted educators. By investing in teacher support, professional growth, and long-term stability, we can ensure every student in Sacramento County has access to a committed, credentialed teacher.
I’m also passionate about supporting teachers through better pay, more support, and clearer pathways into the profession so we can build a strong workforce. On top of that, I believe we need to expand mental health services for students and make sure every kid is ready for whatever comes next, whether that’s college, a career, or life in general.
Sacramento City Teachers Association
Sacramento Central Labor Council
California School Employee Association, 480
Fmr. State Senator Richard Pan
City Councilmember Caity Maple
City Councilmember Karina Talamantes
Fmr. Councilmember Steve Hansen
SCOE Trustee Harold Fong
SCUSD Trustee Michael Benjamin
SCUSD Trustee April Ybarra
NUSD Noel Mora
EGUSD Trustee Michael Vargas
California Young Democrats
Sacramento County Young Democrats
Sacramento Stonewall Democrats
Sacramento Latino Democratic Club
Sacramento County High School Democrats
Sacramento Environmental Democrats
Women Democrats of Sacramento County
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign website
Thomas' campaign website stated the following:
What Davon stands for.
Core priorities rooted in lived experience — because changing what's happening in our schools requires someone who understands what's at stake.
Support Foster & Incarcerated Youth
The Sacramento County Office of Education oversees Court and Community Schools that serve students often on their last chance within the education system, young people whose educational journeys have rarely been stable or consistent. Many have also experienced homelessness or time in the foster care system. Currently, only about 6% of these students are reading at grade level, and just 2% are proficient or advanced in math. These outcomes highlight the urgent need for more targeted support, including smaller class sizes, intervention specialists, and instructional aides. Students deserve the resources and support to truly succeed before leaving our schools.
Accountability & Transparency
Sacramento-area schools are under growing financial strain due to rising living costs and declining federal support. The county office of education has a responsibility to support districts across the region in maintaining responsible budgets. That means addressing unsustainable practices like relying on one-time funds for ongoing expenses, bloated administrative offices, and overreliance on outsourced special education services. Every dollar should be used wisely to support students, protect essential programs, and ensure long-term stability.
Whole-Child Community Investment
SCOE must take a stronger role in ensuring every learner graduates ready for both college and career success. We can do this by expanding access to high-quality career technical education, understanding that many SCOE students have not had traditional educational pathways and cannot carry the cost of higher education. Furthermore, we can strengthen partnerships with higher education institutions and create meaningful, real-world learning experiences. Our students deserve both access to college and opportunities to gain valuable workforce experience.
Expand Mental Health Resources
Our students are still struggling to recover from the impacts of COVID-19, making school-based mental health support more critical than ever. We must ensure every student has access to counselors, wellness programs, and early intervention services that help them manage stress, build resilience, and thrive both academically and personally. As a SCOE trustee, I will work to expand on-campus mental health resources, strengthen partnerships with community providers, and invest in systems that support student well-being.
Addressing Teacher Shortage
With California facing a teacher shortage, the Sacramento County Office of Education must lead in recruiting and retaining qualified educators. I will support manageable class sizes, sustainable compensation, and pathways for paraeducators and aides to become credentialed teachers, building a diverse, committed workforce for our communities.
— Davon Thomas' campaign website (April 10, 2026)
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on April 9, 2026
