Guest:

Gus Mattammal, Candidate for CA Superintendent of Public Instruction

Guest Bio

Gus Mattammal is a lifelong educator and the director of a leading private tutoring group in Silicon Valley. With over 20 years of experience, he has worked with more than 1,000 students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Mattammal is the author of A is for Average, a book exploring the systemic failures and potential solutions for the California public school system. In addition to his work in education, he is an elected member of the Midcoast Community Council and serves on several countywide boards focused on transportation and tax oversight. He holds an MBA from the Yale School of Management and a bachelor's degree from Pomona College.

Show Summary

California currently ranks 38th in reading and 44th in math—results that Gus Mattammal argues are a direct consequence of a system that prioritizes being a "jobs program" vs. an educational provider for our kids. In this episode of State of Gold, Jon Slavet sits down with Mattammal to discuss the bold, grassroots insurgency needed to reclaim the future for California's nearly 6 million students.

Mattammal critiques the current leadership and the powerful influence of the California Teachers Association (CTA), proposing a radical shift in how the state handles its record $150 billion education budget. He details his plan to redo the state’s funding formula to repurpose future budget growth—beyond the rate of inflation—into hiring more teachers and lowering class sizes in struggling districts, all without raising taxes.

The conversation dives into the "science of reading" and why states like Mississippi are now outperforming California with half the per-pupil spending. From the "social justice" mission creep in math standards to the administrative bloat caused by Sacramento's mandates, Mattammal offers a provocative blueprint for an education system that values merit, competition, and parental choice.

Chapters
00:00 – Education System or Jobs Program?
00:49 – The Reality of Rankings: 38th in Reading, 44th in Math
02:27 – Breaking the Cycle: Breaking the CTA and Bureaucratic Bloat
03:02 – Restructuring the Funding Formula: A Plan for Growth Without New Taxes
06:15 – The Three Dimensions of a Superintendent: Facilitator, Advocate, and Manager
08:53 – Why Mississippi is Crushing California: The Science of Reading
11:42 – Public Shaming and Competition: Incentivizing Excellence
12:23 – Math Standards and "Social Justice": Why Singapore Still Leads
15:23 – The Collective Surrender: Why Ideology Replaces Results
18:35 – Declining Enrollment and the Financial Crisis in Urban Districts
19:27 – Compliance Costs: How Mandates Drive Administrative Bloat
23:25 – Rapid Fire: King for a Day and the "Gus Bus"

Connect with Gus Mattammal

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheOneTrueGus/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gus-mattammal/
Twitter: https://x.com/TheOneTrueGus
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theonetruegus/
Website: https://www.votegus.org/

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