More than 725,000 students were affected by the wildfires that devastated Southern California communities in January. As blazes become more frequent and destructive occurrences across the state, a new report by EdTrust and UndauntedK12, The Impacts of the Los Angeles Wildfires on Students: Lessons for Schools Nationwide, offers a look at the repercussions that the fires had locally and provides proactive recommendations for education leaders.

No matter how divisive or frustrating politics can be, I try to demonstrate generosity of spirit, especially where my fellow district and county board of education members are concerned. We ran for this office because we believe in the power of education and value children as the most important resource for our local communities and for society at large. We simply can’t afford to be defeatist when our responsibility is so large.

That view was reinforced by more than 300 of my peers who traveled to Washington, D.C. last month to participate in the fourth annual CSBA-ACSA Coast2Coast Federal Advocacy Trip. It was a remarkable undertaking that built the capacity of attendees and highlighted the potential of education leaders to serve as an effective force for change. While in the nation’s capital, we heard from some of our state’s federal representatives like Rep. Kevin Kiley, Rep. Ted Lieu and Sen. Adam Schiff. We also absorbed a wealth of information from education policy analysts and political experts, in addition to honing our advocacy skills under the tutelage of CSBA and ACSA lobbyists.

“In order to fulfill our obligations to students and community, we must pursue continuous improvement, constantly increasing our knowledge base and honing our skills,” CSBA President Dr. Bettye Lusk said during the 2025 CSBA County Board Governance Workshop.

Those sentiments served as the theme for the event — which took place April 11-12 in downtown Sacramento — as scores of county office of education (COE) trustees and superintendents from across the state networked; heard inspiring and informative speakers; participated in discussions on good governance, policy and advocacy; and took part in CSBA’s first-ever micro-trainings.

The 2025 legislative session is in full swing as policy committees in both the Senate and the Assembly work their way through the thousands of new bills introduced since January.

Among those under consideration is a package of CSBA-sponsored legislative measures that respond to input and concerns raised by school district and county office of education board members. Two bills aim to provide additional education workforce housing tools to help develop teacher and classified staff housing. Other bills seek to to address the zero-emission school bus purchasing mandate, an effort to expand the time a substitute teacher may serve in a classroom, follow-up legislation to implement CSBA co-sponsored Senate Bill 1315 from last year to help reduce administrative workloads associated with the substantial number of reports required of local educational agencies, and modernization of the 40-year-old school and county board member stipend amounts.

Garvey School District trustee Andrew Yam may only be 25 years old, but his experience in policy and advocacy is extensive. Prior to his appointment to the school board, Yam was the youngest city commissioner appointed to the Monterey Park Library Board of Trustees in the city’s history. He serves on the Public Social Services Commission, advising the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services. Previously, Yam worked in other community-facing roles through various political campaigns and as a staffer to an elected official in Orange County.

CSBA spoke to Yam about the value of advocacy and what local educational agencies can do to promote leadership opportunities among California’s students — particularly its Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) youth. The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Throughout 2024 and 2025, members of CSBA’s AI Taskforce: Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence considered a multitude of issues related to artificial intelligence (AI) and schools and oversaw the creation and compilation of important resources to inform local educational agency leaders.

As AI rapidly evolves and transforms industries, it is imperative that California’s education system stays ahead of the curve to maximize the benefits of AI while safeguarding the welfare of the state’s students. CSBA’s AI Taskforce embodies the association’s commitment to provide members with resources to make informed decisions that support student success and harness the power of innovation.

On March 14, 2025, California’s Third District Court of Appeal issued its decision in CSBA v. State Board of Education (CSBA) in favor of the association’s Education Legal Alliance (ELA) and member district Napa Valley Unified. A significant victory for CSBA and its members, the decision provides valuable procedural guidance regarding local educational agencies’ review of charter petitions pursuant to Education Code Section 47605 and, even more importantly, recognizes the substantial deference owed to LEA decisions under current California law. The ELA continues to be on the cutting edge of statewide legal issues affecting school districts and county offices of education, as this was the first litigation over the sweeping charter reforms in Assembly Bill 1505. The decision was initially deemed unpublished, which meant it could not be cited as precedent. The ELA, the district and others petitioned the California Supreme Court to publish the case, and the court approved the request. The decision is now precedential.

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits discrimination based on sex, including sexual harassment, in education programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance. Title IX is codified in 20 USC 1681-1688, with implementing regulations contained in 34 CFR 106.1-106.82.

In July 2024, CSBA released a special Title IX Policy Packet in response to revisions to the Title IX regulations promulgated under the Biden Administration, which went into effect on Aug. 1, 2024. These revised regulations replaced Title IX regulations that had been in effect since 2020.

Thousands of fourth graders in Santa Cruz County have received free, all-access annual passes to more than 2,000 sites including national parks and other federally managed land thanks to a partnership between the Santa Cruz County Office of Education and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) California Central Coast Field Office.

For the second year, students were provided the passes as part of the Every Kid Outdoors program, which allows children and their families access to the country’s natural areas.