Member Services

Member Services/
County Board
Member Services
The Member Services team supports new and experienced trustees by providing access to essential information, training and resources. Professional development is offered through events and in-person and virtual trainings, as well as through customized governance workshops for individual boards. The Business Development team partners with more than 200 companies, offering a comprehensive directory of solution providers.

conferences

CSBA hosted two specialty conferences in 2025: the County Board Conference in September and the Annual Education Conference and Trade Show (AEC) in December.

County Board Conference

Drawing 130 participants, the County Board Conference was dedicated to the specialized training needs of county office of education trustees and featured General Sessions, micro-trainings, breakout sessions and networking mixers. A highlight of the program was the General Session “Children Behind Bars: The Real Cost of Youth Incarceration,” presented by the National Center for Youth Law, which centered the voices of youth with lived experience in the juvenile legal system.
A large group of professionals attending a seminar or workshop in a wood-paneled conference room with round tables.
A professional with a white beard using a VR headset and handheld controllers during a member services technology demonstration.
A female keynote speaker in a red blazer addressing an audience during a conference.
Two professional women collaborating during a workshop session at a member services conference, taking notes on a shared brainstorming chart.

conferences

annual education conference and Trade Show

CSBA hosted AEC, the premier continuing education opportunity for governance team members, in Sacramento for the first time. Nearly 4,000 attendees had the opportunity to hear from some of the major gubernatorial candidates about how they view California’s public schools and the direction they should take as the 2026 election looms. AEC attendees were also able to hear from the state superintendent of public instruction candidates, along with participating in more than 100 workshop sessions and hearing from other notable speakers.
Four professional female leaders standing together in front of a large yellow CSBA AEC event backdrop
Portrait of a smiling man with a shaved head wearing a dark blue suit and a blue patterned silk tie.
A female attendee in a brown leather jacket and plaid skirt asking a question during a member services Q&A session at a professional conference.
Two smiling attendees, a man in a black coat and a woman in a jacket, enjoying a presentation.
A female keynote speaker in a blue belted blazer giving a presentation at a conference.
A diverse panel of six professional leaders and educators participating in a moderated discussion at a conference.
training &
county support
Front cover of the California School Boards Association County Board Governance Handbook
The Trainings team focused heavily on instructional quality and ongoing support for board members. A major redesign of the Masters in Governance® (MIG) Program debuted in summer 2025, shifting to an adult learning theory model. The goal was to decrease lecture-based instruction and shift toward more large group discussion, scenarios, case studies and small group work.

Additionally, Member Services focused on increasing support for county board members through improved content and programming for county board member events. At the fall conference, CSBA introduced its “CSBA County Board Governance Handbook.” This new resource, created in collaboration with the California County Superintendents, is a comprehensive tool designed specifically for county office of education governance teams. It covers the authority and role of county boards and superintendents, funding for county offices, and the student programs provided by COEs and includes detailed appendices like CSBA sample Board Bylaw 9000 for county boards, a glossary of acronyms, key legal citations, sample governance calendars and basic parliamentary procedures for county board meetings.

other 2025
accomplishments
  • 1,025 board members completed at least one training session in 2025.
  • More than 700 trustees completed CSBA’s ethics training to fulfill the requirements of Government Code 53235.
  • The 2025 CSBA County Board Governance Workshop featured keynote speaker Chris Gardner, bestselling author, entrepreneur and film producer.
  • 110 districts received tailored governance consulting services in the areas of board self-evaluation, superintendent evaluation, establishing district values, goals and priorities and developing governance agreements.
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