Governance
New CSBA reports available to support planning for the 2021–22 year
A pair of new documents synthesizes challenges identified by Delegates and provides guidance to help address them
CSBA’s Delegate Assembly met on May 16 to discuss one of the most significant and scrutinized issues in the history of California public schools: the return of full-time, in-person instruction statewide. Nearly 250 Delegates were organized into 14 breakout rooms to ask questions, share information, discuss challenges and voice their concerns.

From these conversations emerged seven common topics that local educational agencies are grappling with as they prepare for the 2021–22 academic year, including the mental and social-emotional health of students and staff, professional development and new hire training, use of one-time funds, and other challenges related to fall planning and implementation.

CSBA has released two documents to support members as they plan for the coming academic year:

  • The “May 2021 Delegate Assembly Report,” synthesizes the comprehensive discussions Delegates held into easily digestible key topics.
  • A companion guide, “Turning crisis into opportunity: Resources for board members in planning for the 2021–22 year and beyond,” provides research and resources on the seven areas of emphasis identified by Delegates.

“The challenges from this pandemic and the issues school board members have faced and will be facing is daunting, and while things seem to be trending in a more positive direction, the coming year is going to bring a whole new set of challenges,” said Naomi Eason, CSBA Assistant Executive Director of Member Services. “This report that stemmed from the Delegates’ discussions will help LEAs get a better understanding of different perspective on these issues. The guidance is a powerful reference tool to support program planning and implementation for the upcoming school year.”

CSBA’s Delegate Assembly
Comprising elected district and county board representatives from 21 geographic regions and the Board of Directors — is a vital link in CSBA’s governance structure and works to ensure the association promotes the interests of school districts and county offices of education throughout the state.
Delegates express concern and share strategies for the coming year
Most Delegates expressed serious concern about the mental and social-emotional health of students and staff, specifically how they can best support children and their teachers . Other frequently discussed challenges included hiring additional staff or reallocating existing staff to reflect changing needs and priorities, professional development and training, strategic use of one-time funding, initiatives to accelerate learning recovery, planning fall program delivery to account for uncertainty around health and safety protocols, and other assorted challenges related to fall planning and implementation.

Addressing mental health was overwhelmingly the most common challenge cited during the virtual meeting, and for good reason. A Gallup poll conducted in May 2020 found that among parents of K-12 youth, 29 percent reported their child was “already experiencing harm” to their emotional or mental health because of physical distancing and pandemic-related closures of schools. Those numbers only appear to have worsened since the poll was conducted.

LEAs are getting creative in how they meet the need. One is working with Sports for Learning, which blends social-emotional learning and physical activities. Another LEA is in the process of building “two big mental health and wellness centers” that will be in operation by fall and is working with community groups to ensure the centers are open 24/7. Working with nearby institutions of higher education and local community, nonprofit and faith-based groups was a strategy outlined by numerous Delegates as a way to quickly scale up the accessibility and breadth of services available to students, staff and families.

Two new reports are available now! The first, “May 2021 Delegate Assembly Report,” summarizes seven common topics that members of CSBA’s Delegate Assembly report grappling with as they prepare for the 2021–22 academic year.

The second, “Turning crisis into opportunity: Resources for board members in planning for the 2021–22 year and beyond,” is a reference tool for governance teams that provides research and resources on the seven key areas from the first report.

Both are available here: https://bit.ly/3cwvQjX

The resource guide
“Turning crisis into opportunity: Resources for board members in planning for the 2021–22 year and beyond” cites the value of establishing partnerships with nearby institutions of higher education and local community, nonprofit and faith-based groups to best support the social-emotional health of the school community.

The resource guide features a discussion of the most current evidence-based research and best practices aligned with the seven areas identified by Delegates. Also included are questions that board members and school leaders should consider when addressing the content in the resource guide. These considerations were tailored to help members think about what supports they already have in place, what supports might be most useful for students and staff, and where the resources in the guide might help extend current efforts.

In addition, the companion guide includes relevant CSBA sample policies in each of the seven sections. These policies are available for GAMUT Policy subscribers to use in their local districts.

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