Policy committees in both the Senate and the Assembly are working their way through the thousands of new bills introduced since the session began in December. Among the measures is a substantial package of CSBA-sponsored legislation that together will help increase support for districts facing cyberattacks, provide greater ability for school districts to address the teacher shortage, help boards appoint student members, and increase funding for student health.

The September 2022 heatwave in California was the worst on record, with temperatures hitting up to 116 degrees in Sacramento, and multiple other cities experiencing temperatures of 110 degrees and above. This excessive heat has schools on high alert, with many installing and upgrading HVAC systems in areas like Oxnard, which previously relied on cooler coastal temperatures to keep students comfortable and learning.

An area of particular danger that should not be overlooked is asphalt schoolyards. Environmental city planner and author of Asphalt to Ecosystems: Design Ideas for Schoolyard Transformation Sharon Danks found that on an 81-degree day on a California elementary school yard, grassy areas measured 83 degrees, rubber surfaces under a play structure came in at 135 degrees and unshaded asphalt was 107 degrees. Asphalt shaded by trees was more than 30 degrees cooler.

Phyllis McGinley, a Pulitzer Prize-winning essayist and poet said, “Compromise, if not the spice of life, is its solidity.” Constitutional law expert Alexander Bickel opined that, “No society, certainly not a large and heterogeneous one, can fail in time to explode if it is deprived of the arts of compromise, if it knows no way of muddling through.” And noted philosopher Mick Jagger told us that, “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, well you might find, you get what you need.”

Despite these reminders, it seems our society has forgotten the importance of compromise. Weighing different viewpoints and arriving at a solution that was perfect for no one — but acceptable to almost everyone — was once a hallmark of the American public. Now, we struggle to find common ground on event the most pedestrian topics.

Passionate advocacy, congressional meetings, insider access, rousing speeches, skills-building workshops, issues analyses and a reception in the Capitol highlighted the second annual CSBA-ACSA Coast2Coast Federal Advocacy Trip to Washington, D.C. From April 23–26, district and county board members and superintendents met with California’s representatives in D.C., rubbed shoulders with national legislative leaders, and heard directly from cabinet members, top pollsters, political consultants and journalists. This brief item just made the deadline for the print version of the newsletter — stay tuned for more coverage of Coast2Coast in the June issue.

“We have already prepared our pathway for expansion into middle school to welcome our Hmong DLI students to Sequoia Middle School in the 2024–25 school year,” said Sandra Toscano, instructional superintendent. “As we grow our middle school and high school Hmong DLI pathway, we will continue to explore the possibilities of adding additional schools.”

Launched in 2018, the program was created in response to feedback received during the 2015 Master Plan process. Community members were concerned that young people were losing the ability to speak Hmong. Pew Research Center, Fresno is the metropolitan area with the second-largest Hmong population in the U.S., as of 2019.

Specifically, the Ninth Circuit, the federal court of appeals with jurisdiction over California, has in previous cases held that the administrative complaint procedures under IDEA must be exhausted before a claimant may file suit for damages under the ADA or other federal law, where the damages sought were intended to address an LEA’s failure to provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to the claimant. (See, Paul G. v. Monterey Peninsula Unified School District (9th Cir. 2019) 933 F.3d 1096 and D.D. v. Los Angeles Unified School District (9th Cir. 2021) 18 F.4th 1043.) The holding in Perez v. Sturgis Public Schools represents a change to the legal landscape in California because it overturns that Ninth Circuit precedent. This article seeks to address some of the legal and practical issues triggered by the decision.

CSBA’s April 18 webinar, “Safety First: Expert tips for supporting effective school safety plans and student mental health,” offered advice on comprehensive school safety plans, district-level strategies to keep students and staff safe, and the impact that threats have on mental health.

A school safety plan shouldn’t be in a binder collecting dust.

Tom Herman, administrator of the California Department of Education’s School Health and Safety Office, explained the fundamental components of comprehensive school safety plan, which education code defines as a document and a strategy meant to respond to and prevent threats to school safety.

Strong boards institute sound practices such as having a governance handbook, an agreement on unity of purpose, and a clear understanding of roles and responsibilities, along with policies and protocols that guide the work of the governance team. Annual board self-evaluations are required under Board Bylaw 9400 – Board Self-Evaluation.

Governance team members (board members and the superintendent) are tasked with ensuring the best possible learning environment for their students. This is established by setting a clear vision and direction for their district, which begs the question of how to come to agreement. How do governance team members work together to set the direction for their districts when individuals are appointed or elected individually and at different times? Board members arrive at the dais with different views, perspectives, core values and beliefs, and often with little understanding of what governance entails. Moreover, they are expected to work peacefully, professionally and collaboratively to fulfill their roles and responsibilities.

While the option to participate by way of traditional teleconferencing still exists, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued several executive orders that allowed boards to conduct meetings remotely with less onerous requirements. The pandemic and technological advances demonstrated that board meetings could successfully be held remotely, and in some circumstances increased public access and participation, while allowing board members more flexibility. The executive orders have since been rescinded, but many of the changes to teleconferencing rules live on through legislative changes to the Brown Act.

The CSBA Candidate Review Committee encourages CSBA members to participate in this year’s election process for the offices of CSBA Vice President and President-elect.

The criteria used to evaluate potential officer candidates is as follows:

• Communicates effectively on behalf of public education and, as the face of CSBA, advocates CSBA’s vision, mission, policy platform and governance structure.
• Demonstrates advocacy for and knowledge of the diverse educational, economic, social and emotional needs of all students throughout the state through the lens of equity.
• Exemplifies strong leadership skills, ethics and integrity, including the ability to collaborate, motivate and inspire.

The need is not unique to Santa Clara County — between 2007 and 2014, the national suicide rate of children ages 10 to 14 more than doubled, and by 2020 suicide had become the second-leading cause of death among youth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.