Winter 2020
Schools take on convergence of anxieties in uncertain times
by Andrew Cummins
by Teresa Machado
by Vernon M. Billy
by Elaine Yama-Garcia
by Teri Vigil and Dave Haubert
By Christina Hecht
By Peter Livingston and Tom Courtney
Interview with Laurie Fong
Suzanne Kitchens, CSBA President-elect
tudents of history are familiar with Winston Churchill’s “Finest Hour” speech. Churchill had just assumed the role of prime minister at a time of great peril for the United Kingdom. The Nazis had completed their invasion of France — and much of Europe — in stunning fashion and were now turning their attention to Britain. With spirits low and war imminent, Churchill addressed the House of Commons in June of 1940.
In an attempt to boost the morale of Parliament and the nation, Churchill reflected on the difficult victory achieved by Allied forces in World War I. “During that war we repeatedly asked ourselves the question, ‘How are we going to win?’ and no one was able ever to answer it with much precision, until at the end, quite suddenly, quite unexpectedly, our terrible foe collapsed before us.”
In conclusion, Churchill implored his nation to meet the great challenge before saying, “Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves, that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, ‘This was their finest hour.’”
Region 1, Del Norte County USD
Sherry Crawford
Region 2, Siskiyou COE
A.C. “Tony” Ubalde, Jr.
Region 3, Vallejo City USD
Paige Stauss
Region 4, Roseville Joint Union HSD
Alisa MacAvoy
Region 5, Redwood City ESD
Darrel Woo
Region 6, Sacramento City USD
Yolanda Peña Mendrek
Region 7, Liberty Union HSD
Region 8, Lammersville Joint USD
Tami Gunther
Region 9, Atascadero USD
Susan Markarian
Region 10, Pacific Union ESD
Jackie Moran
Region 11, Ventura ESD
William Farris
Region 12, Sierra Sands USD
Meg Cutuli
Region 15, Los Alamitos USD
Karen Gray
Region 16, Silver Valley USD
Region 17, Solana Beach SD
Wendy Jonathan
Region 18, Desert Sands USD
Albert Gonzalez
Region 20, Santa Clara USD
Scott Schmerelson
Region 21, Los Angeles USD
Nancy Smith
Region 22, Palmdale SD
Helen Hall
Region 23, Walnut Valley USD
Donald E. LaPlante
Region 24, Downey USD
Director-at-Large African American,
Monterey Peninsula USD
Crystal Martinez-Alire
Director-at-Large American Indian,
Elk Grove USD
Gino Kwok
Director-at-Large Asian/Pacific Islander,
Hacienda La Puente USD
Bruce Dennis
Director-at-Large County, Riverside COE
Joaquín Rivera
Director-at-Large Hispanic, Alameda COE
Janet Wohlgemuth
CCBE President, Monterey COE
Region 1, Del Norte County USD
Sherry Crawford
Region 2, Siskiyou COE
A.C. “Tony” Ubalde, Jr.
Region 3, Vallejo City USD
Paige Stauss
Region 4, Roseville Joint Union HSD
Alisa MacAvoy
Region 5, Redwood City ESD
Darrel Woo
Region 6, Sacramento City USD
Yolanda Peña Mendrek
Region 7, Liberty Union HSD
Matthew Balzarini
Region 8, Lammersville Joint USD
Tami Gunther
Region 9, Atascadero USD
Susan Markarian
Region 10, Pacific Union ESD
Jackie Moran
Region 11, Ventura ESD
William Farris
Region 12, Sierra Sands USD
Meg Cutuli
Region 15, Los Alamitos USD
Karen Gray
Region 16, Silver Valley USD
Debra Schade
Region 17, Solana Beach SD
Wendy Jonathan
Region 18, Desert Sands USD
Albert Gonzalez
Region 20, Santa Clara USD
Scott Schmerelson
Region 21, Los Angeles USD
Nancy Smith
Region 22, Palmdale SD
Helen Hall
Region 23, Walnut Valley USD
Donald E. LaPlante
Region 24, Downey USD
Bettye Lusk
Director-at-Large African American,
Monterey Peninsula USD
Crystal Martinez-Alire
Director-at-Large American Indian,
Elk Grove USD
Gino Kwok
Director-at-Large Asian/Pacific Islander,
Hacienda La Puente USD
Bruce Dennis
Director-at-Large County, Riverside COE
Joaquín Rivera
Director-at-Large Hispanic, Alameda COE
Janet Wohlgemuth
CCBE President, Monterey COE
legal insights
by Elaine Yama-Garcia
LEAs need relief from special education lawsuits
hat does the future hold for students with disabilities and the local educational agencies that are unable to provide each and every student with special education and related services pursuant to their individualized educational program during an unprecedented crisis?
There are currently conflicting federal and state mandates regarding the matter — federal law mandates a free and appropriate education (FAPE) and the state has mandated the majority of schools remain closed due to the pandemic. So, schools are left in a conundrum of how to provide FAPE with campuses closed, limited resources, limited methodologies, limited technology, limited funding or even because of absolute impossibility in some cases. What’s left? Well, it appears it’s a lawsuit by parents, with no immediate assistance from the Legislature or courts.
Chief Information Officer
Troy Flint, tflint@csba.org
Managing Editor
Kimberly Sellery, ksellery@csba.org
Marketing Director
Serina Pruitt, spruitt@csba.org
Staff Writers
Andrew Cummins, acummins@csba.org
Alisha Kirby, akirby@csba.org
Graphic Design Manager
Kerry Macklin, kmacklin@csba.org
Senior Graphic Designer
Mauricio Miranda, mmiranda@csba.org
Circulation and Advertising
csba@csba.org
CSBA OFFICERS
President
Xilonin Cruz-Gonzalez, Azusa USD
President-elect
Suzanne Kitchens, Pleasant Valley SD
Vice President
Dr. Susan Heredia, Natomas USD
Immediate Past President
Dr. Emma Turner, La Mesa-Spring Valley SD
CEO & Executive Director
Vernon M. Billy
California Schools (ISSN 1081-8936) is published quarterly by the California School Boards Association, Inc., 3251 Beacon Boulevard, West Sacramento, CA 95691, (916) 371-4691. $2 of CSBA membership dues goes toward the subscription to California Schools magazine for each board member and superintendent. The subscription rate for each CSBA nonmember is $20. Periodicals postage paid at West Sacramento, CA and at additional mailing office. Postmaster: Send address changes to California Schools, 3251 Beacon Blvd., West Sacramento, CA 95691.
Articles submitted to California Schools are edited for style, content and space prior to publication. Views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent CSBA policies or positions. Articles may not be reproduced without written permission of the publisher. Endorsement by CSBA of products and services advertised in California Schools is not implied or expressed.
Boardwise is a forum for board members and superintendents across the state to share questions about governance and board-superintendent relations. Send your questions to boardwise@csba.org. This year, in addition to our column regulars, Deb Dudley; Steve Ladd, Ed.D; Arati Nagaraj; Luan Burman Rivera; Teri Vigil and Sepideh Yeoh, we are welcoming new consultants to the column. This issue introduces Dave Haubert, the former president and member of the Dublin Unified School District Board of Trustees for 10 years, and is also the city’s mayor. He currently serves as a faculty member for the CSBA Masters in Governance program. In addition, he provides training to new and experienced board members across the state through CSBA’s Orientation for New Board Members and Board Presidents Workshops.
Dear Boardwise,
How might we, as trustees, build community engagement to best serve the needs of our students?
class act Best practices in action
Best practices in action
Best practices in action
Students who complete the approximately 540-hour program leave with experience working directly with firefighting professionals, and dealing with biological and chemical hazards, safety issues, the science behind fire behavior, wildland firefighting, resource management, urban planning and firefighting, the use of fire safety equipment and numerous other industry standards.
Lucerne Valley Elementary was one of the first public schools in the state to open for in-class instruction
he Lucerne Valley Unified School District was on a roll. Our students were thriving with new programs such as AVID, Cadet Corps and career tech at the Lucerne Valley Middle/High School; a new STEM Lab, Next Gen Math and Lexia Reading programs at the elementary school; district enrollment numbers had increased by 23 percent in just a few years; and test scores were rising.
Although initially we were disappointed — devastated, actually — our district leadership team headed by Superintendent Peter Livingston, Assistant Superintendent Nate Lambdin and School Board President Tom Courtney got to work. We quickly realized we had to accept a new reality and find innovative ways to keep our students learning, and somehow, we had to get them back to where they truly thrive as learners — the classroom.
What inspired you to become a school board member? What was your path to get here?
“On purpose.” That is my theme. It means being deliberate about what I believe to be correct action for the good of all and what I can contribute. This is why I first chose to be a teacher. It thrilled me to be the facilitator of learning for adolescents. How could I create the richest environment for their discovery and agency? Then, I chose to enter administration and became a high school principal, also on purpose, to better create a larger and stronger environment for powerful teaching and learning. Now, as a school trustee, it is about creating policies for an equitable and robust environment for ALL to learn and thrive: this includes adults, students and families, and our community.
What is one major concern you hope to alleviate as a board member?
I am grounded in teaching and learning and school systems from my years as a teacher and principal. I see the institutional practices that have become barriers to student engagement and learning. This is the work now: transform archaic systems that serve only a fraction of the student population, that we now see as antithetical to equity. As a current coach of new administrators, I only wish I knew then what I know now! Board work is policy work; policy work determines administrative direction and this creates the teaching and learning environment.
List three books that have left a lasting impression on you.
I consult this at least monthly: The Governance Core by Davis Campbell and Michael Fullan. It helps me keep my eye on the ball as a board member. Then, as we imagine learning, I share this book with everyone I can: What School Could Be, by Ted Dintersmith. Finally, Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn. I return to this periodically to check my perspective. It is transformational.
Santa Rosa City Schools experienced massive fires in 2018. What advice do you have for board members to be better prepared for such an emergency?
We are fortunate to have a strong superintendent who used her broad and deep skills to navigate our response to the fires, and our continuing not-normal times. Overall, the same bedrock habits serve: honesty, transparency, clear and frequent communication, and excellence in all working systems. These traits serve positive working relationships with our unions, effective communication with our families and strong community partnerships. Our board supports and directs all of this and we are of one message. Coherence is vital and we are driven by our mission, vision and strategic priorities — we call it our MVP.
What effect can school board members have on their communities?
As a lifelong educator, it is my privilege and responsibility to call us in (not out) to recognize how our precious public schools must serve all of our students. This, of course, is the equity lens, and it requires that we dig and dive deeply into the systems that comprise school: Who goes to which schools? Who takes which courses? How do we assess? Grade? Assign homework? Treat kids? Place students? Use time in the day and in the year? Which schools have bigger budgets and why? Who has a voice? Who do we listen to the most?
As we surface these questions, we provide a strong learning environment for our stakeholders to assess their schools in meaningful ways, and be partners in transformative change, including grassroots political action. Recent events have provided the moral imperative to pivot: strong governance teams can and must lead our communities. On purpose. Together.
What inspired you to become a school board member? What was your path to get here?
“On purpose.” That is my theme. It means being deliberate about what I believe to be correct action for the good of all and what I can contribute. This is why I first chose to be a teacher. It thrilled me to be the facilitator of learning for adolescents. How could I create the richest environment for their discovery and agency? Then, I chose to enter administration and became a high school principal, also on purpose, to better create a larger and stronger environment for powerful teaching and learning. Now, as a school trustee, it is about creating policies for an equitable and robust environment for ALL to learn and thrive: this includes adults, students and families, and our community.
What is one major concern you hope to alleviate as a board member?
I am grounded in teaching and learning and school systems from my years as a teacher and principal. I see the institutional practices that have become barriers to student engagement and learning. This is the work now: transform archaic systems that serve only a fraction of the student population, that we now see as antithetical to equity. As a current coach of new administrators, I only wish I knew then what I know now! Board work is policy work; policy work determines administrative direction and this creates the teaching and learning environment.
List three books that have left a lasting impression on you.
I consult this at least monthly: The Governance Core by Davis Campbell and Michael Fullan. It helps me keep my eye on the ball as a board member. Then, as we imagine learning, I share this book with everyone I can: What School Could Be, by Ted Dintersmith. Finally, Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn. I return to this periodically to check my perspective. It is transformational.
Santa Rosa City Schools experienced massive fires in 2018. What advice do you have for board members to be better prepared for such an emergency?
We are fortunate to have a strong superintendent who used her broad and deep skills to navigate our response to the fires, and our continuing not-normal times. Overall, the same bedrock habits serve: honesty, transparency, clear and frequent communication, and excellence in all working systems. These traits serve positive working relationships with our unions, effective communication with our families and strong community partnerships. Our board supports and directs all of this and we are of one message. Coherence is vital and we are driven by our mission, vision and strategic priorities — we call it our MVP.
What effect can school board members have on their communities?
As a lifelong educator, it is my privilege and responsibility to call us in (not out) to recognize how our precious public schools must serve all of our students. This, of course, is the equity lens, and it requires that we dig and dive deeply into the systems that comprise school: Who goes to which schools? Who takes which courses? How do we assess? Grade? Assign homework? Treat kids? Place students? Use time in the day and in the year? Which schools have bigger budgets and why? Who has a voice? Who do we listen to the most?
As we surface these questions, we provide a strong learning environment for our stakeholders to assess their schools in meaningful ways, and be partners in transformative change, including grassroots political action. Recent events have provided the moral imperative to pivot: strong governance teams can and must lead our communities. On purpose. Together.
For many, reading that headline was likely the moment they learned that the 405-officer Los Angeles School Police Department had 61 M16 assault rifles, three grenade launchers and a mine-resistant vehicle — all of which it had received from the Pentagon via its 1033 program, which permits the distribution of excess U.S. Department of Defense supplies and equipment to state, county and local law enforcement agencies.
For many, reading that headline was likely the moment they learned that the 405-officer Los Angeles School Police Department had 61 M16 assault rifles, three grenade launchers and a mine-resistant vehicle — all of which it had received from the Pentagon via its 1033 program, which permits the distribution of excess U.S. Department of Defense supplies and equipment to state, county and local law enforcement agencies.
amilies of Los Angeles Unified School District students and advocacy groups began to question why the district had military-grade weapons in the first place, and how they intended to use them. Within a few months of community outcry, department officials announced they had also returned the 14-ton mine resistant vehicle.
When it comes to the contentious issue of policing in schools, the spectrum of opinion is wide, but the desire is the same. Everyone wants to keep children safe but disagreements arise on how best to accomplish the goal. Some point to deadly school shootings and argue that such devastating events can be avoided by outfitting campuses with metal detectors and police. Others note that school shootings are still relatively rare, and having police at school creates a breeding ground for the daily criminalization of students, particularly children with disabilities and those of color.
hat was before a COVID-19 resurgence and future uncertainty saw many local educational agencies’ plans for a hybrid schedule approach — offering at least partial in-person instruction, relationships and a familiar setting for student support services — derailed. Many schools’ reliance solely on distance learning for additional weeks, if not months, to come has elevated mental health to a level of concern on par with that of learning loss and academics. The stakes are incredibly high, experts say.
“Learning is still happening. Our teachers and our educators are working tremendously hard to make learning happen,” said San Mateo County Office of Education board President Hector Camacho Jr. “But we are concerned about the long-term consequences of this community trauma that’s being experienced in these individual traumas.”
School
Year
Like
No
Other
jumped into action with surveys to families asking about their technology needs when schools suddenly closed. The subsequent run on, and supply issues with, devices and hotspots are a testament to both the need and response from the state’s districts. Districts that had already implemented technology initiatives fared best, with a student/teacher population that was already outfitted with devices and familiar with learning online.
“LEAs large and small have shown fierce determination and incredible innovation in preparing for and beginning this school year,” said CSBA CEO & Executive Director Vernon M. Billy. “Whether schools are operating in distance learning or beginning to reopen for in-person instruction, we have seen thoughtful plans regarding not only academic, social-emotional and mental health supports at a time when the need is great, but also plans to give extra support to our most vulnerable students.”
Thank you
Business Partners
U.S. Bank Global Corporate Trust Services
Dale Scott & Company
Orrick, Herrington, & Sutcliffe
Piper Jaffray & Co.
PARS
3E Company
Barber & Barber Assoc., Inc
School Business Services of California, Inc.
Demsey Filliger & Assoc.
Myers Stevens & Toohey (MST)
School Innovations & Acheivement (SI&A)
Total School Solutions
McPherson & Jacobson LLC
Associate Level
Adams Silva & McNally LLP
Aeries Software
Alliance Building Solutions
Alliance of Schools for Cooperative Insurance Programs
ATI Architects and Engineers
AVID
A-Z Bus Sales, Inc.
Balfour Beatty
Ball Frost Group
Best Best Krieger, LLP
Caldwell Flores Winters, Inc
Key Analytics, a division of California Financial Services
California School Employee Association
California Schools VEBA
NECA-IBEW
Orbach Huff Suarez & Henderson, LLP
Prker & Covert
PreFast Buildings
Probolsky Research
Ruhnau Clarke Architects
Sandy Pringle and Associates
Schools Excess Liability Fund
SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union
Self-Insured Schools of California-SISC
Silver Creek Industries, Inc.
Sodexo School Services
Sports for Learning
Staples Techology Solutions
Stradling, Yocca, Carlson & Rauth
Each year, CSBA presents an analysis of how your senators and assemblymembers voted on key legislation that will impact public schools. In an average year, each legislator’s record is scored on more than 50 bills. But the reduced scope of the 2020 session presented a dilemma that may sound familiar to educators who found themselves grading in a “new normal” this past spring. With just 11 key pieces of legislation to evaluate, could a scorecard give an accurate picture of legislators’ voting records?
Each year, CSBA presents an analysis of how your senators and assemblymembers voted on key legislation that will impact public schools. In an average year, each legislator’s record is scored on more than 50 bills. But the reduced scope of the 2020 session presented a dilemma that may sound familiar to educators who found themselves grading in a “new normal” this past spring. With just 11 key pieces of legislation to evaluate, could a scorecard give an accurate picture of legislators’ voting records?
Each year, CSBA presents an analysis of how your senators and assemblymembers voted on key legislation that will impact public schools. In an average year, each legislator’s record is scored on more than 50 bills. But the reduced scope of the 2020 session presented a dilemma that may sound familiar to educators who found themselves grading in a “new normal” this past spring. With just 11 key pieces of legislation to evaluate, could a scorecard give an accurate picture of legislators’ voting records?
(Required by 39 U.S.C. 3685)
West Sacramento, CA 95691
West Sacramento, CA 95691
3251 Beacon Boulevard
West Sacramento, CA 95691
3251 Beacon Boulevard
West Sacramento, CA 95691
a. Total no. copies (net press run)
11,200
11,200
Paid/requested outside-county mail subscriptions stated on Form 3541
10,494
10,401
Paid in-county subscriptions stated on Form 3541
38
38
Sales through dealers and carriers, street vendors, counter sales, and other non-USPS paid distribution
0
0
Other classes mailed through the USPS
0
0
c. Total paid and/or requested circulation
10,533
10,439
Outside-county as stated on Form 3541
0
0
In-county as stated on Form 3541
0
0
Other Classes Mailed through the USPS
0
0
Free distribution outside the mail
100
100
e. Total free distribution
100
100
f. Total distribution
10,633
10,539
g. Copies not distributed
567
661
TOTAL
11,200
11,200
Percent paid and/or requested circulation
100%
100%
I certify that the statements made by me above are correct and complete:
Kimberly Sellery, Managing Editor
