As part of The California Influencer Series, Billy joins a group of 100 leaders in analyzing important issues facing the state The Sacramento Bee has selected CSBA CEO & Executive Director Vernon M. Billy for its 2019 California Influencer series, which surveys 100 of California’s […]
Commentary: Opportunity knocks for school funding
by Emma Turner The funding challenges facing California public schools are many and varied, and so are the ways in which CSBA is addressing them. By now, you’re aware of CSBA’s initiative to secure Full and Fair Funding for K-12 public schools by raising per-pupil […]
Coalition rallies at Capitol with funding message of ‘Our students deserve more!’
Alameda County school board members, teachers, administrators, other staff members, students and parents rallied at the Capitol steps in Sacramento on April 3 behind a unified call for increased state education funding. More than 300 people attended the event organized by the East Bay Coalition […]
Study finds achievement gap is as large as it was 50 years ago
As the United States grapples with growing inequality, a new analysis finds that the achievement gap between haves and have-nots remains as large as it was 50 years ago — neither having widened, as some have suggested, or closed. “Two surprises emerge from this analysis,” […]
Experts share insights on future of Prop 64 funds for youth health programs
Experts from Washington and Colorado, two states which legalized recreational marijuana before California, weighed in at a Capitol briefing on the best ways to design youth drug prevention and health programs using cannabis tax revenue. The March 26 event was hosted by Assemblymember Reginald Byron […]
Digital divide largely closed at California schools, but large gaps remain in homes
California has closed the digital divide at its K-12 schools, but internet access at home remains a persistent problem, a new report finds. Analysis by the Public Policy Institute of California shows that 90 percent of the state’s schools met the Federal Communication Commission’s minimum […]
Record number of board members advocate for education on Legislative Action Day
More than 260 board members and superintendents representing more than 150 school districts and county offices of education across California met at the Capitol on March 12 to advocate for the state’s K-12 public schools and its more than 6 million students — with Full […]
What districts should know about first run of optional California Spanish Assessment
A new, optional test will be administered for the first time when the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress testing window opens April 1, 2019. The California Spanish Assessment will be offered to third- through eighth-grade and high school students seeking a measure of […]
Blending the systems: ESSA and California’s System of Support
By Tom Armelino, executive director, California Collaborative for Educational Excellence Over the past month, as I met with educators across the state, school district administrators and board members have shared questions and concerns about what is required of them if schools in their districts are […]
State Board explores System of Support’s impact at the local level
Despite the California State Board of Education’s recent focus on System of Support implementation, some State Board members have voiced concerns about whether the new approach is reaching all districts and schools with demonstrated need. The system aims to assist local educational agencies and schools […]