Board members attend 2018 Legislative Action Day

Board members descend on Capitol to advocate for key issues including pursuing Full and Fair Funding, raising the LCFF base grant targets, releasing facilities bond money, providing natural disaster relief, increasing local control over 11th-grade assessments and implementing measures to address the teacher shortage.

A stormy day on Tuesday, March 13, didn’t stop CSBA members from across the state from convening at the Capitol for Legislative Action Day. More than 200 school board members held 103 meetings with Senators and Assemblymembers to advocate for the Full and Fair Funding of California’s public schools, urge the expedited release of Proposition 51 school facilities bonds, discuss the pension crisis and inform their legislators about CSBA’s sponsored bills.

Districts large and small cited the full and fair funding of public schools as the number one issue on their docket. “Our top priority today is to speak with our legislators about the effects of the budget and the issues it creates for our children,” said Ann Phillips, a trustee from the Lawndale Elementary School District. “The lack of funding is a huge issue. We are fighting for every nickel we can get.”

Ed Tech leaders to highlight CSBA’s July Leadership Institute

Code.org CEO Hadi Partovi and Google Vice President of Education and University Programs Maggie Johnson are among the top executives and leadership experts that will highlight CSBA’s 2018 Leadership Institute. The 2018 Leadership Institute will take place July 13–14 at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco.

This year, the theme for the two-day event is “The Science of Leading Students to STEM Success” and is designed to provide governing board members with leadership skills training and the tools and resources needed to support STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) growth in schools. The event will include several speakers from STEM-based organizations, and state and national organizations who will share their unique perspectives on leadership strategies and trends in the STEM arena.

Partovi, Code.org’s CEO, is best known for starting the internationally recognized “Hour of Code” movement. Under his leadership more than 100 million students from around the world have become familiar with basic coding, resulting in schools around the globe establishing computer science classes. In the United States, 25 percent of students have been reached. Code.org’s mission is to expand access to computer science in all schools and increase participation by women and underrepresented minorities. Look for an in-depth interview with Partovi about his views on computer science education in the spring issue of California Schools magazine.

The time for Full and Fair Funding is now

I’m sitting at my desk writing this article one week after what many have described as one of the best organized and most impactful Legislative Action Days that CSBA has hosted so far. One person described it by stating that they “had a feeling that their advocacy really made a difference.” Out of 116 current legislators, 104 legislators held a meeting with at least one CSBA member. That alone is a powerful statement on CSBA’s progress toward our goal of being the essential voice of public education in California.

What I believe made the day the most powerful was the unified message we presented — one that any legislator would be hard-pressed to truthfully deny. That critical message is that our state legislature needs to take action towards Full and Fair Funding. Full and fair funding means that funding has to meet the needs of counties and districts, not just meet the minimum requirement of their obligations. This past January, as the Governor unveiled his final budget proposal, he made it very clear that he was proud of his efforts to meet the funding targets for education and the Local Control Funding Formula. While I absolutely appreciate the Governor’s efforts to bring funding back to pre-recession levels when adjusted for inflation, this is no time for board members to rest or celebrate.

Masters in Governance February graduates

CSBA is proud to recognize our Masters in Governance graduates and salute their exceptional commitment to professional development in the service of students! MIG completion signifies mastery of the roles and responsibilities of school boards and a strong understanding of the knowledge and skills needed to build and support an effective governance structure that helps produce better outcomes for students.

Since its inception in 1998, more than 3,000 board members and superintendents have participated in the highly acclaimed certification program. To receive the Masters in Governance certificate, candidates must complete 35 hours of intensive training on the role of the governance team in setting the direction of the district, student learning and achievement, school finance, human resources, policy and judicial review, collective bargaining, and community relations and advocacy.

“This certificate symbolizes deep commitment to professional development in the service of public school students,” said CSBA President and MIG graduate Mike Walsh. “The Masters in Governance program provides education leaders with the knowledge and tools needed to govern effectively. The skills acquired through MIG are critically important as board members and superintendents navigate the increasingly complex landscape of public education. I applaud these graduates for modeling the virtue of continuing education and for refining the practices needed to strengthen schools and support student growth and achievement.”

CSBA sponsoring 2018 bills to increase LCFF funding, bolster college attendance

CSBA has signed on as a co-sponsor of three K-12 education bills — two of which are authored by former governing board members.

Assembly Bill 2808

AB 2808, authored by former Torrance Unified School District board member Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance), would identify anticipated growth in the Proposition 98 guarantee and direct it toward the Local Control Funding Formula with the intent of moving California toward the national average of $12,526 in per-pupil funding. This same mechanism was employed when LCFF was first adopted in 2013.

“CSBA is very excited to co-sponsor this bill, and we certainly appreciate Assemblymember Muratsuchi’s leadership on bringing a much-needed increase to LCFF targets,” said CSBA President Mike Walsh. “This bill is an important step in moving California toward the national average in per-pupil funding and aligns with CSBA’s ultimate goal of full and fair funding for education.”

State Board continues to work on federal compliance plan

California’s ongoing efforts to meet federal Every Student Succeeds Act requirements took center stage at the March State Board of Education meeting. Facing a fall deadline for an approved ESSA state plan, State Board members accepted the recommendation of CSBA and other stakeholders and voted to postpone the decision until a special meeting in the month of April.

CSBA advocated for the delay in order to allow a thorough review of the ESSA plan, particularly where the recently modified Title I elements are concerned. Significant Title I federal funding is attached to ESSA compliance — about $3 billion in grants, including money for principal and teacher training and funds for English learners, migrant and homeless children. In addition, changes to Title I could impact the development of a “single federal, state and local accountability plan,” which is a long-held goal of the State Board.

CSBA CEO & Executive Director goes back to school as “Principal for a Day”

On March 2, West Sacramento’s Washington Unified School District held its annual “Principal for a Day” program, inviting CSBA CEO & Executive Director Vernon M. Billy to join the day’s activities. He had the pleasure to serve as a “principal” for Westfield Village Elementary School, a K-6 school attended by approximately 450 students. Almost all students are from low-income households and half are English learners.

“Being ‘principal for a day’ was a great way to see how the Westfield faculty and staff are connecting with the families they serve, are meeting their Local Control and Accountability Plan goals and are truly making a difference in their students’ lives,” said Billy.

Alongside Principal Roxanna Villasenor, Assistant Principal Jaime Avelar and Washington USD Superintendent Linda C. Luna, Billy toured the school, engaged with students and parents and learned how the elementary school is meeting its LCAP goals.

Preventing sexual harassment of employees

Incidents and allegations of sexual harassment are coming to light at unprecedented rates across the country in a variety of professions. Employers in every industry, including education, have an obligation under the law to take “all reasonable steps” necessary to prevent the occurrence of discrimination and harassment (Government Code 12940).

To this end, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission — the state and federal agencies responsible for investigating complaints of sexual harassment — have issued guidance emphasizing that clear anti-harassment policies and regular staff training are essential.

In order to help school districts and county offices of education comply with the law and fulfill their obligations to their staff and community, CSBA updated its sample board policy and administrative regulation 4119.11/4219.11/4319.11 – Sexual Harassment in March 2018. The revised policy strengthens the district’s prohibition against sexual harassment, including harassment based on the victim’s gender, gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation. The samples also reflect Senate Bill 396, which requires districts to post a DFEH poster on transgender rights in a prominent location, and if the district has 50 or more employees, to provide training to supervisors pertaining to harassment based on gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation. Sample complaint procedures are provided in BP/AR 4030 – Nondiscrimination in Employment.

Local educational agencies encouraged to sponsor meals for children during summer break

June 1 is the deadline for a range of institutions to apply to be summer meal providers. The need is critical, with many low-income students lacking access to fresh, healthy meals when school is out during the summer months.

Ensuring access to healthy school meals is seen as vital to reducing the achievement gap, boosting daily attendance and cutting down on childhood health issues such as obesity. Researchers have found that poor nutrition can negatively affect student well-being and impact academic performance. Studies also show that undernourishment has been linked to poor standardized test scores, low attendance and increased behavioral issues.