School board members, who represent the largest group of elected officials in the state, aid in supporting student success by establishing their local educational agency’s mission, vision, policy priorities, budget and benchmarks. Amid growing expectations associated with the role and ongoing challenges within the sector that they must navigate, board members, also known as trustees, uphold their commitment to provide students with the conditions they need to thrive.
From the first public school house in an old church in San Francisco in 1850, boards of education have grown to oversee more than 1,000 school districts and COEs in California. Whether in rural districts with just a handful of students or Los Angeles Unified School District, the largest district in the state where hundreds of thousands of students are enrolled, trustees provide crucial support for the nearly 6 million learners served by California public schools.
Board members offer a critical accountability link between schools and the community and a level of accessibility to voters that is unrivaled by other public officeholders. CSBA encourages LEAs, community organizations, mayors and other local officials to designate January as a time to recognize their hard-working board members and educate the public about the important role that school boards play.
In addition to sponsoring legislation honoring School Board Recognition Month, CSBA has made it simple to highlight the hard work and dedication of boards of education by providing resources that can be used to mark the occasion, including a sample press release to spread the word to local news outlets, a sample proclamation for city officials and a social media toolkit to show appreciation to an LEA’s board. Trustees are encouraged to share these resources with communications contacts in their LEAs.
Through initiatives like the What’s Your Why? video series, board member profiles and more, CSBA promotes the positive impact that trustees make year-round.
“School district and county office of education board members pledge their time and efforts to ensure future generations of Californians have the foundation they need to find success in an ever-evolving world,” said CSBA CEO & Executive Director Vernon M. Billy. “As they continue to rise to new challenges, embrace accountability and advocate for the needs of their communities and the education system as a whole, let us salute trustees for their bold leadership.”
