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, […]
Officials urge families to get mandatory vaccines
The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted many facets of daily life, including routine health screenings, vaccinations and medical check-ups. As the 2021–22 school year begins, more than one in eight children in California need to catch up on routine vaccines that were missed or delayed during the […]
Help support your district’s long-term substitute teachers with new toolkit
Districts across California are reporting many start-of-year vacancies and will be relying on long-term substitutes and reassigned coaches, specialists and central office staff to start the school year. Start-of-year vacancies bring unique challenges for everyone, and long-term subs often don’t get the information and support they […]
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 […]
SB 1061 heads to Governor’s desk and AB 2584 moves through Senate, signaling potential election reform victories for schools
Two CSBA-sponsored bills that would enact important electoral reforms are on the verge of becoming law. Together, the bills increase transparency for voters, cut costs for local school board elections and prevent school funding from being diverted for election administration. Senate Bill 1061 (Laird, D-Santa […]
Collective bargaining in divisive times
Negotiating labor contracts is never easy, even in the best of times. Yet, the unprecedented scrutiny of school operations brought on by the pandemic means that collective bargaining is more public and more complicated than ever before. Deep disagreements about how best to allocate funds […]
Gov. Newsom highlights mental health supports for California students
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Aug. 18, joined by First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, spoke about efforts to support the mental health of young people in the state — including $4.7 billion to increase access to mental health and substance use supports for those ages 0-25. […]
Schools continue facing the same COVID-related challenges
Even as school districts set their sights on a new school year with fewer mitigation measures in place and lower rates of transmission of COVID-19, many local educational agencies were facing the same issues in spring 2022 as they were in fall 2021, according to […]
CSBA-sponsored bill passes suspense hearing hurdle
On Aug. 11, the Senate and Assembly Appropriations committees took up their suspense file — bills with a price tag of over $150,000 that are considered in bulk in order to evaluate their fiscal impact as a whole. Suspense hearings can provide a convenient place […]
CDC updates to K-12 Guidance are in line with CDPH Guidance
On Aug. 11, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued updated COVID-19 guidance for K-12 schools and early care and education programs. The revisions to the guidance largely tracks guidance issued by the California Department of Public Health on June 30 (effective July 1). […]