Despite the impressive title of his office, the California Secretary of Education has no real power to do much in the field of education.

The governor has far more power, as does the State Board of Education. And then there are the local school boards, which by law are responsible for the state's nearly 1,000 school districts.

That's why it was notable that at least 500 people gathered at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Sacramento last week to honor Delaine Eastin, who served as superintendent of public education more than two decades ago, the first and only woman to hold the post.

The position of state inspector is largely what you make of it – and Eastin, who died last November at age 76, made the most of it.

Part of her success was due to her extraordinary personality. She regularly armed her colleagues for numerous political battles with Shakespeare's battle cry: “Once more into the breach, dear friends, once more.”

Part of her impact was based on her unwavering belief in public education, a product of which she was herself. A native of California, she attended public schools and earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of California.

“Children are the living ambassadors we send into a time we will never see,” she said. To those who argued that public education costs the state too much, she replied: “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.”

And to those who wondered why they should use their taxes to support children in districts other than their own, she replied: “This country runs on other people’s children.”

Part of her success was due to her oratorical skills, which she had honed in high school drama classes. As a state assemblyman before becoming secretary of state, she was considered one of the best speakers in the legislature, regularly receiving standing ovations during her many speeches throughout the state. Former House Speaker Willie Brown, himself a legendary speaker who attended the memorial, often had her speak in his place.

Her legacy includes her determination to promote smaller class sizes in California's grades K-3. She was a driving force in the creation of California's Academic Performance Index in 1999, the first statewide system for evaluating schools based primarily on test scores.

She was also a leading proponent of California's early efforts to implement a universal preschool program—a vision that is now becoming a reality with the expansion of transitional kindergarten to all four-year-olds.

Less well-known is her support of Alice Water's Edible Garden Project, which began in the mid-1990s at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in Berkeley. “Without Delaine, we wouldn't have had the Edible Garden Project,” said Waters, the founder of the renowned Chez Panisse restaurant, which is just blocks from the school. In a video, Waters said there are now 6,500 edible school gardens around the world.

Above all, Eastin was a great supporter of California itself. Californians, she often said, “are people who grew up somewhere else and have come to their senses.”

Throughout her life, she was committed to promoting women into public office.

Eastin's last appearance on the political stage was in 2018, when she “had the audacity to run for governor,” as Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis described the candidacy. It was a quixotic endeavor at best – something Eastin was well aware of, Kounalakis said. “She ran, above all, to talk about the importance of public education.”

As the two traveled the state together during the campaign, Eastin said, “This is what the future could look like” if they were both elected. But Eastin received only 4% of the vote. Kounalakis was more successful, becoming California's first female lieutenant governor.

Even though she didn't make it to governor, there was something biblical about the journey of a woman who, despite her wishes, had no children of her own and yet was able to improve the lives of millions of children in her home state.

Their colleagues at the Ministry of Education recalled how often they would set out early and half awake for another trip to a remote district.

“It will be a great day,” Eastin, always a motivator, told them. “We get to visit schools.”

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Louis Freedberg is interim CEO of EdSource.

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