ssembly Bill 715, effective Jan. 1, 2026, has the stated goal of promoting educational equity and preventing antisemitism in California schools. According to the uncodified legislative intent, its passage was prompted by reports of a widespread surge in antisemitism discrimination, harassment and bullying. The bill was immediately challenged in court on the grounds that it violated the First and 14th amendments to the U.S. Constitution. However, in a ruling that demonstrates the very nuanced nature of speech claims, the court ruled that AB 715 meets constitutional muster.

s California school districts navigate tightening budgets, staffing shortages and rising student needs, leaders are increasingly being asked to do more with less while still improving outcomes related to attendance, discipline and school climate. Investments that reduce downstream costs and strengthen internal capacity are a critical component of responsible district stewardship.

One approach gaining traction is a shift away from reactive, compliance-driven discipline systems toward strategies that address the conditions that lead to student disengagement and exclusion in the first place. At the University of San Diego SOLES Center for Embodied Equity and Neurodiversity (CEEN), this work centers on educator well-being, their capacity to relate to students, and classroom strategies for neurodiverse learners as foundations for student success.

CSBA’s Small School District Advisory Workgroup focuses on the superintendent-principal

CSBA’s Small School District Advisory Workgroup is composed of small and rural local educational agencies across the state with an average daily attendance (ADA) of 2,500 or fewer students. The workgroup convenes monthly to address various issues that impact these districts.

Topics raised in meetings over the last three years have led to more awareness of the issues of small and rural LEAs and resulted in legislation that better supports them. Recent projects include development of a comprehensive list of county office of education services for small and rural LEAs; reports on state and federal reporting requirements, resulting in CSBA’s co-sponsorship of Senate Bill 1315 and subsequent SB 374; and research on a statewide survey about the impact of late start legislation, SB 328.

When the program started, almost half of K-3 students were below grade level. Through data-driven, structured literacy and progress monitoring, nearly 100 percent of K-3 students grew in foundational skills and 80 percent of students in grades 4-8 advanced multiple levels.

“One of our board goals is to have everyone reading by third grade and reading on grade level,” explained Christina Fitzgerald, the district’s director of Curriculum and Instruction.

Jefferson Crain: We are entering contentious times. Facing the unknowns of budgets, labor negotiations, declining enrollment, inflationary costs and other uncertainties create pressures that stress relationships within the school district and with communities.

Unfortunately, many of the issues you will face as a board are beyond your control. You have hard decisions to make that will test the bonds of the common mission of our school communities to educate our children.

Building stability through preparation

For school board members, long-term planning is familiar territory. They make strategic decisions about investments knowing stability and performance don’t happen by accident. The same investment principle applies to the educators who carry the daily responsibilities in classrooms with students.

In education, residency programs are one of the clearest expressions of this belief. Residencies are preparation models that invest at the very beginning of an educator’s career, ensuring each new teacher enters the profession confident, well-prepared and aligned to the communities they serve. Through a full year of on-the-job training paired with intentionally aligned coursework, residents develop the skills, knowledge and site-based expectations needed to be successful from day one. In this model, educator preparation programs become partners with the school community rather than operating parallel to it.

ccording to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s January Budget Proposal, about 15 percent of California’s TK-12 population, more than 800,000 students, were enrolled in special education in the 2024–25 school year, with disabilities ranging from mild learning disorders to severe autism or traumatic brain injuries. This represents an uptick from 2018–19, when about 13 percent of students were identified for special education services. Over that time, the number of students in special education increased by more than 70,000 students while total California school enrollment decreased by more than 380,000.

Funding has long been a challenge in providing special education services. When the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) — a law that requires public schools to provide a free appropriate public education to children with disabilities throughout the nation and ensures special education and related services to those children — was enacted, Congress committed to provide up to 40 percent of the average per-pupil expenditure to pay for its expanded federal mandate. It has never come close. California’s federal share of IDEA funds equaled 8.7 percent of the total spent in 2024–25. This underfunding has had a major impact on local educational agencies’ abilities to balance annual operating budgets and maintain quality education programs and services for all children.

n Feb. 10, for Safer Internet Day 2026, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a warning about the dangers of sextortion schemes for young people. “The FBI has noticed an increase in the number of cases of sextortion against minors in recent years,” the agency stated.

Knowing the basics, warning signs, resources and what to do should an incident occur are critical components of protecting children. For governance team members, being familiar with these factors, as well as what to do should a staff member be victimized, are essential.

Ahead of the 250th founding of the United States of America this Fourth of July, CSBA spoke with Caresse about the importance of civic education and how to improve its teaching during polarized political times.

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