California School Boards Association

Giving back to the community and being a voice for those who may otherwise go unheard are what motivates Cecilia Márquez in her work as a Redwood City School District trustee. What's your why?

CSBA President Albert Gonzalez was as busy as ever on Aug. 26! Alongside other CSBA leaders and staff, Gonzalez visited the Yolo County Office of Education to meet with Superintendent Garth Lewis and tour the COE’s alternative education and early childhood education sites before meeting with Washington Unified School District Superintendent Cheryl Hildreth, who provided an overview of the district’s Community Schools Initiative. Then the team headed up the hill to Black Oak Mine Unified School District to tour the STEM program at Northside Elementary School, led by Principal Emily Gallo, before capping off the night at an El Dorado County Office of Education board meeting to hear about the latest updates. It was an exciting day, and we can’t wait to do it again!

Dr. Cori Lathan, neuroscientist and founder of Anthrotronix, will be the featured speaker at AEC's Second General Session! During this keynote, attendees will explore the possibilities of tomorrow through the 20-year journey of invention with Lathan. This riveting odyssey goes from from CosmoBot, the educational robot for children with disabilities; to 3D-Space, the virtual reality experiment in space; to String, the device that stimulates your brain. In this optimistic view of the future, Lathan unveils her belief that technology should amplify our strengths, bridge our capabilities and forge an equitable tomorrow. Audiences will learn how to embark on their own adventure to invent the future in this inspiring talk. Learn more: csba.aec.org

LEAs are required to comply with an ever-growing list of state and federal reporting requirements. So many, in fact, that a list of all the mandated documents doesn’t even exist and some are duplicative or are no longer reviewed at all. CSBA compiled a sampling of these reports in the brief “Drowning in Documentation” earlier this year and is following up with a second installment in the coming months. What can you do to lessen the burden? CBSA co-sponsored SB 1315, which seeks to improve and streamline the reporting process for California’s districts and county offices of education to identify where reports could be condensed or even eliminated. Learn more and view a sample resolution that your LEA can consider passing in support of the bill in our latest weekly update: https://ow.ly/xii550T55YY

The summer edition of California Schools has arrived just in time for the start of a new academic year! Features include deep dives into how local educational agencies are preparing to balance the books while maintaining student supports as pandemic relief funds run dry; the benefits of building a high-functioning governance team and tips to get there; and lessons learned from LEAs that have implemented smartphone restrictions. This issue also includes an examination of trustees holding other elected or appointed public offices that may be incompatible with their LEA role; a look into the work of CSBA’s small school district advisory group; ways in which MORONGO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT makes the most of outdoor learning in the desert; and more related to career technical education, telehealth opportunities for rural students, COMPTON UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT’s journey to educational excellence and a conversation with California Department of Health Care Services Deputy Director of the Office of Strategic Partnerships Autumn Boylan. Read the full issue: https://lnkd.in/gnE-Q4-j

The August newsletter explores the opportunity Proposition 2 — the statewide school facilities bond — presents local educational agencies and how CSBA advocacy was instrumental in securing support for small districts. This issue also includes resources related to school safety and new instructional continuity requirements; an analysis of the State Supreme Court’s recent decision protecting LEAs’ ability to collect taxes and fees; a recap of the most recent State Board of Education meeting; and spotlights on how LEA’s serving high-need students utilized federal Emergency Connectivity Funds, how one district got creative to ensure recess was for all students, the need to secure permanent federal funds for rural schools and more. Read the full issue: https://lnkd.in/gzPqxpYa

CSBA Chief of Governmental Relations Patrick O'Donnell and Legislative Director Chris Reefe presented the association's Special Recognition Award to Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D-Carson) on Aug. 14. Gipson was nominated after he championed CSBA's Juvenile Court and County Community Schools budget request,, which was co-sponsored with California County Superintendents. As a result, $90 million in ongoing funds was. secured for county offices of education to help stabilize funding and maintain and expand services for some of the state's most at-risk and underrepresented students. #CALeg

Thinking about applying for CSBA’s 2025 Education Workforce Housing (EWH) Workshop Series? Check out this moment with CSBA’s Andrew Keller, who oversees the association’s workforce housing efforts, and board member Karen Sher of OXNARD UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT from yesterday’s housing summit convened by the California Department of Education! Find an array of EWH resources, tips on how to strengthen your LEA’s workshop series application and more at csba.org/WorkforceHousing. And keep an eye out for our full recap of the event!

The Coachella Valley Unified School District has become a leader in providing career technical education (CTE) opportunities to students in middle school, and even lays the foundations for in-demand, high-paying fields like coding and renewable energy as early as elementary school. “It’s giving these kids kind of a leg up, and it’s been really exciting,” said Marie Perotti, the district’s director of College & Career Readiness. Learn more about the district's early CTE programming and the benefits for students: https://lnkd.in/gGrrTpU6

"My passion for education and the students that we impact holistically on a daily basis in public education is what drives me to do the work that I do," said Chico USD trustee Caitlin Dalby in our latest What's Your Why video. Hear more about why she loves being a board member: