CSBA advocacy carried the day, propelling five sponsored bills through the Legislature and securing the Governor’s signature on all five, as well as two hard-fought vetoes on some of the year’s most problematic education proposals.

First drafted in 1989, the document, formerly known as “Guidelines for Piloting Textbooks and Instructional Materials,” includes recommendations for determining what instructional materials to pilot, information on piloting and other considerations. Playing a key role in informing California educators about legislation and regulations concerning instructional materials, it has been periodically updated, with the last revisions taking place in 2015.

American poet and journalist Carl Sandburg said, “Nearly all the best things that came to me in life have been unexpected, unplanned by me.” I relate to this sentiment because the past four decades of my life as a school trustee and as a CSBA member have unfolded in a wonderfully unpredictable manner. I wasn’t even sure I really wanted to win the election when I first ran for school board 38 years ago. Now, here I am, writing the final column of my tenure as CSBA President.

It’s been a tremendous journey so far, and one I plan to continue after I hand the president’s gavel to my successor. I didn’t become a school trustee because I anticipated honor or fame — that’s not a reasonable expectation for a woman of my era who grew up in rural Fresno County. I still reside in that small farming community, about five miles from where I lived as a child, but my experiences as a school board member have taken me to every corner of this great state and formed the basis for lifelong relationships. All of our children should have similar options.

This year’s speakers — through keynote addresses and a one-on-one conversation — will cover a breadth of topics crucial to the work of trustees across the state, including how best to work with and relate to one another despite generational divides, working empathetically with struggling youth as they forge a new path forward, the pitfalls and potential for artificial intelligence (AI) in education and more.

For additional information about AEC or the speakers below, visit aec.csba.org.

“BEFORE YOU ARE A LEADER, SUCCESS IS ALL ABOUT GROWING YOURSELF”! This is who I am and what I’ve done throughout my life and careers – a country girl whose resume shares the years of service rendered thus far. What could be more lasting than focusing our SERVICE on investing in our finest treasures and future – our children? Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR OTHERS?” My goal as your President-Elect is to continue to personally and professionally dedicate myself to serving this organization. I believe that through our unified voices and collaborative efforts, CSBA and our partners will make a significant impact on the decisions and legislation that affect the educational outcomes for every student in this state. When elected, I will represent YOU, seeking your viewpoints and listening with respect. I will work to achieve CSBA’ goals and to represent our Vision and Mission. We are strongest when we speak with one voice to our Stakeholders. Our STUDENTS need us to STAND for them, and I am here to do just that. I would be honored to have your vote:

Dr. Bettye Lusk, CSBA PRESIDENT-ELECT 2024

The Oct. 12-13 meeting of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) primarily focused on the state’s teaching performance assessments (TPAs), with commission staff presenting an analysis of TPA passing scores between 2018–23. While just an information item, the robust discussion between commissioners and large volume of written public comments regarding the usefulness of high-stakes assessments brought the assurance of commissioners that the topic would be coming back in future meetings for further discussion and action.

A product of the San Diego County Office of Education, California Indian Museum & Cultural Center and the California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center funded by a federal Office of Indian Education Native Youth Community Projects grant, the nonprofit was developed to infuse resources from tribal communities into curriculum to tell an accurate version of the state’s history.

California Indian Education for All is currently involved in creating the model curriculum for K-12 Native American studies in California.

CSBA hosted a webinar, “AB 1078 is more than meets the eye: What governing boards need to know,” on Sept. 28, featuring experts from CSBA’s Governmental Relations, Legal, and Policy and Governance Technology Services departments.

Current law requires that local educational agencies provide their students with “sufficient textbooks or instructional materials,” meaning that each pupil has a standards-aligned textbook or instructional materials, or both, to use in class and to take home. Existing law also requires that an LEA annually determine via a publicly adopted resolution whether each pupil in each school has sufficient textbooks or instructional materials, or both, by the eighth week of instruction after the school year has started.

Nominations for CSBA’s Delegate Assembly are now being accepted. CSBA member boards may nominate board members to run for election until Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024. Nominees are required to submit a completed, signed and dated biographical sketch form; and an optional one-page, one-sided resume may be submitted as well. The election period for boards to vote runs from Feb. 1 to March 15. Elected Delegates serve two-year terms beginning April 1, 2024, through March 31, 2026.

CSBA’s Delegate Assembly is a vital link in the association’s governance structure. Working with local districts, county offices of education, the Board of Directors and officers, Delegates ensure that the association reflects the interests of school districts and county offices of education. In addition, they elect CSBA’s officers and Board of Directors, adopt the Policy Platform and the Bylaws, serve on committees, and provide advocacy on behalf of public education and boards of education.

Visit csba.org/election to learn more about CSBA’s Delegate Assembly and to download relevant documents, including those for the nomination and election process.

More specifically, AB 1078 provides for the following:

The petition urges the court to rule on the measure before the election because, as petitioners claim, if approved, the measure will imperil the provision of essential government functions before the courts have an opportunity to strike it down if it is eventually found to be invalid. Petitioners also allege that rather than proposing the kind of an amendment that may be made through the state initiative procedure, the measure attempts an impermissible revision of the California Constitution.

“Leaders and partners must be mindful that learning and discovering can change dramatically as children develop from ages 48 to 72 months. Therefore, the prekindergarten math program should reflect and respond to learners’ developmental stages,” the report states. “Throughout a child’s UPK experience, they should continually be provided with opportunities to develop their sense of agency, to productively struggle with math concepts, and to begin to gain a sense that they are capable mathematicians. Helping students develop a positive mathematical disposition is a key focus of early mathematics. To this end, mathematical experiences in UPK must be grounded in play and exploration.”