As of March 18, an estimated 939 out of 1,035 local educational agencies in California had either closed or were in the process of doing so due to coronavirus (COVID-19), affecting more than 99 percent of the state’s 6.2 million public school students. In a press conference on April 1, Gov. Gavin Newsom said that that, while not a directive, state officials are advising LEAs to proceed as though students will not be returning to campus this school year, offering sought-after clarity and direction for decisions to close schools while still respecting local control. All districts should be planning for and implementing online learning with this longer time frame in mind, if they have not done so already.

On March 17, the California Department of Education released extensive guidance for schools that have closed due to COVID-19. In a webinar, CDE representatives said that the CDE would send updates every Friday and update the guidance as needed. The guidance is divided into three sections: distance learning, school meals, and child care and student supervision, and can be found on the CDE website at www.cde.ca.gov/ls/he/hn/guidance.asp.

Under Government Code section 54954.2, the agenda for a regular school board meeting must be posted at least 72 hours prior to the meeting in a location that is freely accessible to the public and on the district’s website, if the district has a website. The agenda must contain a brief general description of each item of business to be transacted or discussed at the meeting. The description must be sufficient to give the public notice of the items to be discussed or acted upon, but generally does not need to exceed 20 words. These requirements help to ensure the public’s business is conducted openly. As a general rule, under Government Code section 54954.2, a governing board may not discuss any item that does not appear on the agenda posted for a regular meeting.

Government Code section 54954.2, subdivision (a)(3), allows board members or staff to briefly address items that are not on the agenda, but these limited exceptions do not allow the board to fully discuss and/or act upon a matter. These limited exceptions are as follows:

• Members of the board or staff may briefly respond to statements made or questions posed during public comments.
• The board may ask staff members to report back to the board on a matter and to place the matter on the agenda for a future board meeting.

I am writing this message in a time of great uncertainty, not just for public education, but for our everyday lives as we face the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. I want to commend my fellow trustees — as well as administrators, teachers and classified staff — across California for working tirelessly as we strive to educate and serve the state’s 6.2 million students amid unprecedented school closures. The challenges of the moment and those that lie ahead are tremendous, but by working together, we can meet them head on.

Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a stay-at-home order for the entire state of California on March 19, urging residents to shelter in place, avoid nonessential errands and practice social distancing. However, we know that the critical functions of education must go on. Since the onset of coronavirus concerns and even before schools halted in-person instruction, CSBA has been working hard to keep you informed of the latest updates from both state and federal authorities. In addition, we have compiled a comprehensive set of resources (which are being updated as necessary) for California schools grappling with the impact of COVID-19. I hope school communities, students, families and staff find it useful and provide feedback to staff. These resources cover areas including remote and distance learning, student health and well-being, serving students with disabilities and special needs, multilingual education, support for parents and families, meals and nutrition services, and pressing legal issues.

The CSBA Nominating Committee encourages CSBA members to participate in this year’s election process for the offices of CSBA vice president and president-elect.

The 2020 criteria used to evaluate potential officer candidates is as follows:

A CSBA leader:

• Communicates effectively on behalf of public education and, as the face of CSBA, advocates CSBA’s vision, mission and governance structure.
• Demonstrates knowledge of education finance, budget and accountability issues on a statewide basis.
• Understands, articulates and influences the Legislature’s impact on public education.
• Demonstrates advocacy for and knowledge of the diverse needs of all students throughout the state.
• Engages and strengthens the power and voices of local governance teams.
• Demonstrates high standards of ethics and integrity.
• Leads successfully in the face of change and challenges.
• Possesses strong leadership skills, including the ability to collaborate, motivate and inspire.

In summer 2018, CSBA launched an Equity Network with a grant from the Stuart Foundation, providing extensive support and professional development to board members across California on concepts related to educational equity. Topics addressed included implicit bias, cultural proficiency, the history of public education and the role of education leadership in disrupting a system of inequity.

The second cohort of network participants met at CSBA’s offices in West Sacramento for the final time March 6–7 to discuss the status of their districts’ equity action plans, review what they’ve learned so far and further analyze how they can continue working toward creating equitable opportunities for all students.

CSBA spoke to a handful of participants to discuss what they’ve learned through the Equity Network and their district plans moving forward.

As California’s attention has been focused on filling positions to address an unprecedented teacher shortage in the last few years, far less attention has been paid to deepening the expertise and skill set of those teachers already in the classroom. One often overlooked and misunderstood professional learning opportunity is the National Board Certification program offered through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

Certificated staff who become National Board Certified teachers by completing this rigorous, advanced certification process can provide valuable expertise and exemplary leadership for school sites. They can act as teacher leaders on school campuses through roles including team leaders, department chairs and instructional coaches.

In partnership with the National Association for Bilingual Education, the Santa Clara COE is leading the national My Name, My Identity initiative. The goal is to bring awareness to the importance of respecting one’s name and identity in schools and build a respectful and caring culture that values diversity in school communities.

The initiative — which received a 2019 CSBA Golden Bell Award and the Apple for Excellence Award from California County Boards of Education — provides students, teachers and those in the community the opportunity to learn about other people’s cultures, history and identity by first learning the story behind students’ names.

Though pronouncing another person’s name properly may seem to be a small gesture, making that simple effort can have a major, positive impact on children.