On Jan. 10, California Department of Finance Director Joe Stephenshaw formally presented the Governor’s January Budget Proposal. A continuance of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s sneak peek presentation of his proposed budget on Jan. 6, the theme for the 2025–26 budget proposal is one of caution and vigilance. Citing the state’s revenue volatility, which is in part due to its reliance on the top 1 percent of income earners and capital gains revenues, the proposed budget is balanced and comes with a modest surplus of $363 million. This is attributed to early budgetary actions the state took in April and in the adoption of the 2024–25 state budget last June, which helped to reduce the operational deficit.

It is an incredible privilege to serve as your 2025 CSBA President, a role that serves as one of the crowning achievements of my career. It was the pursuit of an education and the possibilities it offers that took me from a small, country town in Arkansas to a four-year university, and eventually, to a long and enjoyable career in public schools.

My career includes time as a classroom teacher, counselor, dean of students, assistant principal and principal. For more than a decade, I have been a strong advocate for CSBA and even as President, I remain a servant-leader, committed to being in the trenches and doing the day-to-day work.

As someone who has experienced the school system as a student, educator and parent, I have a well-rounded perspective on public education and the relationship between a good school board and student success. So I am thrilled that my first column as CSBA President coincided with National School Board Recognition Month. I would argue that our society should celebrate local educational agency boards all year round, but the least we can do is set aside one month to elevate the accomplishments of these governing bodies.

Buena Park Elementary School District was presented with the 2024 Governance Team of the Year Award on Dec. 5 for exemplifying best practices in effective governance during the First General Session of CSBA’s Annual Education Conference and Trade Show in Anaheim.

Board President Tharwa Ahmad took the stage alongside fellow trustees Jason Chong, Jerry Frutos, Rhodia Shead and Brenda Estrada and Superintendent Julienne Lee to accept the award.

“This award is a reflection of not just the work we do, but the spirit in which we do it: together, united in our commitment to the students, families and communities we serve,” Ahmad said. “In an ever-evolving educational landscape, our team has remained grounded in our shared purpose, ensuring that every decision we make ignites the passion for learning and promotes achievement for all students. We are a group that came together for the right reasons — to lead with integrity, openness and a collective vision. Our ability to navigate challenges, honor diverse perspectives and keep our focus on student success has been the foundation for our work.”

The power of CSBA members was on full display during the opening session of the 2024 Annual Education Conference and Trade Show (AEC). In kicking off the first day of the event, CSBA CEO & Executive Director Vernon M. Billy and then-President Albert Gonzalez detailed results of member advocacy over the last year.

“You played a crucial role in advocating for education funding. When the Governor wanted to cut $8 billion from the educational budget, your voices made a difference. When the Legislature passed a bill restricting hiring practices, you urged the Governor to veto it, and he did,” Gonzalez said. “Never forget that you are the vital voice of public education. Strong county and district boards are essential in delivering high-quality education to every student in every community.”

Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are evolving quickly, and with those advances come many opportunities and challenges for TK-12 schools. Whether it’s from a policy or curricular perspective, governing board members are looking for support, which is why CSBA created its AI Taskforce: Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. After nearly a year of work, the taskforce hosted its first webinar, “Artificial Intelligence in Schools: Promise, peril, policy and performance,” on Oct. 30.

The webinar featured CSBA experts and district leaders outlining the major considerations for local educational agencies as they seek to leverage AI’s significant potential to benefit students, staff and community while also safeguarding against potential downsides.

In October 2024, the California Department of Education (CDE) released the results of the 2023–24 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP). Statewide improvement was exceptionally modest, and achievement gaps across student groups remain consistent.

CAASPP, also known as Smarter Balanced assessments, is the system of computer-based English language arts (ELA) and mathematics assessments taken by California students. Student performance is categorized using four levels, each addressing grade-level content and measuring associated knowledge and skills.

The beginning of a new year offers fresh opportunities — to read more, reach out to an old friend or finally clean out the garage. For CSBA’s Legal Department, it also offers the opportunity to remind member boards of the various rules and regulations affecting board governance. A quick review of governance rules can help your board kick 2025 off on the right foot, especially for those with new members. The following are a few of the most important rules.

The landscape of independent study is evolving, with several legislative updates reshaping how school districts and county offices of education (COEs) design, operate and ensure accountability for these programs. Recent amendments to the Education Code introduced by Senate Bill 153 (2024) and Assembly Bill 176 (2024) bring significant changes to independent study requirements, aimed at enhancing flexibility while maintaining rigorous standards.

Legislation enacted this past year expands the scope of independent study student work products to include the daily time value spent by a student on asynchronous instruction, such as online or computer-based instructional activities, even when tangible products are not created. Participation in these activities must be documented by a computer program that tracks student engagement. To ensure proper oversight, districts and COEs are now required to maintain documentation of hours or fraction of an hour for both student work products and the time that the student engaged in asynchronous instruction. Evidence of participation can include work produced or performed, or verification by a certificated employee that a student participated in synchronous instructional periods, either visually or verbally.

The Riverside County Office of Education recently launched an initiative focused on partnerships and collaboration to address the myriad challenges that foster students throughout the county face both in and outside of the classroom.

Data shows that foster youth throughout the nation continue to face lower rates of academic achievement, attendance and post-secondary success while also having higher disciplinary rates compared to nearly all other student groups.

According to the California Department of Education (CDE), about 60 percent of foster youth statewide graduate from high school, compared to 86 percent of non-foster youth. These children, who move schools an average of eight times while in care, lose up to six months of learning with each move.