Legal: Board members now subject to “pay-to-play” campaign contribution restrictions (UPDATED)

Update: On Nov. 17, the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) discussed the application of amendments to Government Code Section 84308 more fully described in the blog below. The FPPC’s staff attorneys had proposed the commission issue an opinion advising that Government Code Section 84308, as […]

Workforce housing momentum builds as CSBA launches workshop with UCLA and UC Berkeley

By Andrew Keller Teams from a select cohort of four school districts in rent-burdened communities around the state met at Selma Community Housing in Los Angeles Oct. 13 for the launch of a pilot CSBA workshop series designed to help convert existing school property into […]

CSBA report finds that learning recovery is a top priority for school leaders

By Jeremy Anderson Since the beginning of the pandemic, there has been a national conversation about its impacts on student learning. Compounding this concern is the educational inequities that pre-existed the pandemic were worsened in school districts that primarily serve historically marginalized students. This conversation […]

New state policy requires high school seniors to apply for FAFSA

By The California Student Aid Commission In California’s 2021–22 state budget, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature included a groundbreaking new policy that local educational agencies, including charter schools, must confirm that their graduating high school seniors complete an application for financial aid (or an […]

Monrovia USD celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month through arts in the community

By Martiza Flores-Travanti The Monrovia Latino Heritage Society (MLHS), in collaboration with Monrovia Unified School District (MUSD), exhibited an art show, Monrovia’s Past and Future Legacy, featuring Hispanic heritage-themed artwork from fourth- and fifth-grade students from all five elementary schools. With over 60 percent of […]

How equity walks can be leveraged by boards to further success for all students

By Nicole Anderson As governance teams lead for equity through continuous improvement to close equity gaps, it is critical they become data savvy through a process of embracing and monitoring both quantitative (test scores, grades, etc.) and qualitative (equity walks, surveys, etc.) data to inform, […]

SB 906 on homicide threats creates obligations for board members who regularly interact with students in grades 6-12

On July 21, 2022, Gov. Gavin Newsom approved Senate Bill 906 which seeks to address homicidal threats in middle and high schools. The bill is a response to school shootings in the United States and data suggesting that 93 percent of school shooters planned their […]