On Dec. 2, the CSBA Board of Directors took a significant step forward in the ongoing effort to expand and enhance services to county boards when it decided on a series of recommendations presented by CSBA’s County Board Transitional Working Group (TWG).

The board’s action concluded a yearlong process in which 15 county trustees from across the state — including past presidents of the former California County Boards of Education (CCBE) and past CCBE directors — developed a set of recommendations about programs, trainings, supports and events that should be added or preserved in order to create the best possible future for CSBA County Board Member Services.

The TWG recommendations emerged from an intensive development process beginning in January 2024 and encompassing 11 full committee meetings and 12 additional subcommittee meetings. After a thorough review conducted during the board’s regular December meeting, the following actions were taken.

Offer a county-focused Orientation For New Trustees in election years

Offer Masters in Governance^® (MIG) for county offices of education (COEs) every other year, following an election year

Deploy the county board self-evaluation tool

Provide dedicated space in the CSBA monthly newsletter, California School News, for county-specific content and provide county public information officers and board presidents with an annual calendar of county-related topics to encourage submissions from the field

When the Golden Awards committee convenes, present the Jack Bedell Lifetime Achievement Award proposal

Every other year in the CSBA Member Survey, include specific county-focused questions for all respondents who identify themselves as county board members to collect in-depth feedback

Annually in June, the Region 14 Director will submit considerations for committee appointments to the incoming CSBA President for consideration and each Delegate committee will have at least one county board member representative

The remaining TWG recommendations were approved with adjustments that modified the original recommendation while retaining its essential spirit.

These recommendations were merged into a single item on county-specific training and networking events:

CSBA will provide three county board member-specific training and networking events annually, including the Annual Education Conference and Trade Show (AEC), and staff will incorporate county member input on programming through currently established processes and procedures. Staff will regularly review the events as established for effectiveness and feasibility based on CSBA’s current practices.

Promote a free electronic copy and sell hard copies of a county handbook and develop and deploy related training opportunities

Staff will provide a summary of the County Board Member Services May 8, 2024, webinar that included an explanation of the dues process

CSBA will endeavor to make county member-specific communications easily recognizable by county members

CSBA, in the near-term, will emphasize measurement of county member satisfaction with the products and services being provided by CSBA, and report results to the Board of Directors

Continue Programmatic Content Advisory Group practice already in place

Increase the county representation to two county members on the Policy Platform Committee

CSBA staff will continue to collaborate with California County Superintendents as they see fit to foster a mutually beneficially relationship related to county offices of education

“The Board of Directors respects the thoughtful nature of the recommendations we received from the Transitional Working Group,” said 2024 CSBA President Albert Gonzalez. “We appreciate the county board perspective contained in the recommendations submitted by the working group and believe they will help strengthen the already robust array of supports for our county boards.”

CSBA’s county boards and the entire organization express tremendous gratitude to outgoing Region 14 Director John McPherson for his leadership in this process, representing county needs and helping guide the transition to County Board Member Services. CSBA also salutes the 15 members of the Transitional Working Group for their yearlong service in developing recommendations for the enhancement and expansion of County Board Member Services. The time and effort invested in assessing the past, present and future needs of county board members and how CSBA can best meet them was considerable.

• Robert Brown, Shasta COE
• Bryan Burton, Fresno COE
• Yvonne Chan, Los Angeles COE
• Peggy Cohen-Thompson, Solano COE
• Juliana Feriani, Tuolumne COE
• Ramon Flores, Ventura COE
• Beverly Gerard, San Mateo COE
• Aisha Knowles, Alameda COE
• Bina Lefkovitz, Sacramento COE
• John McPherson, Monterey COE
• Harjit Singh, Sutter COE
• Michael Teasdale, Ventura COE
• Shelton Yip, Yolo COE

The collective insight of these leaders has been instrumental in helping CSBA envision new ways to empower county trustees and support CSBA’s ongoing process of continuous improvement for County Board Member Services.

“As we move forward with implementing these recommendations, CSBA remains committed to transparency, collaboration and shared growth as a unified association,” said CSBA Director of County Board Member Services Mike Walsh. “Our county trustees can expect regular updates and engagement opportunities as we work together to build a stronger CSBA.”