CSBA COLLEAGUES – YOU KNOW ME! YOU KNOW MY WHY! YOU KNOW MY LEADERSHIP STYLE!

“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

Dear fellow board members,

Education is who I am—I’m a product of public schools, it is my professional life, and what I fight for each day because I know that it is the backbone of our society. I’ve grown from my professional experiences, and my work in nonprofits and public education has especially equipped me to become an effective CSBA Vice President.

I represent the generation of our students, school board members, and staff on the frontline every day. As a teacher, I work on the other side of the Board where you see and feel repercussions of board decisions and see when it’s for and against the people we’re working for. This has allowed me to see the world in a more informed way, to better connect with stakeholders—a connectedness I would love to employ as Vice President.

CSBA should be a household name, being the “essential voice for public education.” Alongside you, and by empowering membership to take part of a grassroots effort to advocate locally, statewide, and nationally for public education–we can make genuine change for the better. As Vice President, I will to continue to push for strong, relevant, and reliable professional development; I will also continue to work for the best toward advocacy, policy, and informational resources for our members.

I’m honored to have served as a Delegate, as a Director, and I’d be honored to give back in a larger capacity. I respectfully ask for your vote as CSBA Vice President.

It is my honor to declare myself a candidate for Vice President of CSBA. In order for CSBA to be “the essential voice for public education” and to “inspire” members, it must have highly educated, inspiring, knowledgeable leaders. I am such a leader. Having spent the early part of my career as a journalist and a lobbyist for the California Newspaper Publishers Association at the state capitol, I understand firsthand both what it looks like to be on the other side of the dais in these trying times but also what our highly skilled government relations team is doing and what supports they need to be successful. I spent 27 years as a corporate attorney forming and advising corporations on governance issues. It’s been my honor to sit as an officer or director on many corporate boards, including a publicly traded bank. I served on the Delegate Assembly for seven years and have served on the Board of Directors for almost three years. I am a MIG graduate. Whatever CSBA has asked of me, I have eagerly done, including seeking appointment to the California Commission on State Mandates, to which I was appointed by Gov. Newsom in 2021. I retired from my practice four years ago to devote my full attention to serving my local district and advocating on behalf of students and public education. If elected, I will devote my time and energy into moving CSBA’s agenda forward statewide and to ensure excellent corporate governance.

I believe in the importance of public education and am passionate about safeguarding this invaluable democratic institution. As Vice President I pledge to ensure CSBA remains a mission driven organization that has a direct impact on quality public education for ALL California students.

My priorities include sustaining CSBA’s focus as an organization that serves its membership and strengthening CSBA as a respected representative of California public education that advances the equitable education and well-being of California’s 6 million public school students. Empowering members with education, resources, and support will ensure the delivery of the highest quality education to our students. By activating our collective voice, we will continue to work to address critical issues essential to the success of public education in California.

As a veteran school board member with 21 years of service and 8 years of involvement in CSBA’s leadership as a Delegate and Regional Director, I have the knowledge and experience to serve CSBA and contribute to shaping the future of our organization.

It would be an honor to serve as the Vice President. Together, we can continue to champion quality public education for all California Students.