Some people anticipate the holidays all year long. Others yearn for summer vacations at the beach while a number of individuals wait breathlessly for the first sign of spring. While I appreciate these seasons for all they have to offer, my favorite time of year is right now, when students return to school and we officially renew our efforts to ensure every child receives a high-quality education.

Of course, that mission is a year-round endeavor that never really stops. Yet, there is something magical about the first day that children flood back onto campus and formerly vacant classrooms ring with the sounds of laughter. I have experienced the first day of school as a teacher, counselor, principal, school board member and CSBA President, and no matter the role, it never gets old.

Earlier this month, I had the privilege of making several site visits in the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District where I have served on the school board for the past 19 years. It was reinvigorating to see how faculty, staff and administrators were prepared for students on day one and created an atmosphere of joy and caring to welcome students back to school or to greet new students for the first time.

Witnessing these scenes always causes me to reflect on the importance of school boards in setting the tone, establishing the vision, developing the policy and creating the conditions required for student success. As the social, political and technological environment in which school boards operate becomes increasingly complex, we must work even harder to keep pace with new developments.

Few developments pose greater significance for the future of education than the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) in schools, so I’ve valued the work produced by CSBA’s AI Taskforce. As someone who has been working in schools since before personal computers became commonplace, it’s extremely helpful to have access to resources on the latest advances in technology. The CSBA research brief “Understanding artificial intelligence in K-12 education: What governance teams should know” enhanced my understanding of the intersection of school governance, policy and AI, while fact sheets like “Educators’ perspectives on AI in education” and “Students’ perspectives on AI in education”, gave me added insight into how different stakeholders are impacted by the expanded use of AI.

These resources and many others are found on the section of the CSBA website dedicated to the work of the AI Taskforce at csba.org/AI. On these webpages, visitors can find a host of AI-related content including relevant research, reports, articles and webinars; promising AI practices and policies; updates on legislation and AI-related events; breakdowns of AI-related scenarios that local educational agencies are likely to encounter, and resolutions that school districts and county offices of education have passed on AI. Taskforce members also collaborated with CSBA’s GAMUT Policy team to introduce a new AI sample policy, BP 0441 – Artificial Intelligence, as part of a mini policy packet on AI released in June.

The work of CSBA’s AI Taskforce has attracted attention not only from members but also from other education organizations. In early August, taskforce member and Portola Valley School District trustee Robert Bauer was selected from nearly 600 applicants by the California Department of Education to join a new, Legislature-mandated AI taskforce, the SB 1288 California Statewide AI Workgroup. We know from Robert’s keen insight and vigorous advocacy on CSBA’s own AI Taskforce that he will be a strong representative of California LEAs in his newest role.

There’s much to learn on the subject of AI in public schools and CSBA will continue to produce timely resources as the topic evolves. I encourage you to stay informed because for governance leaders, school is always in session.