CSBA’s School Boards in Action campaign is kicking off its second phase Aug. 15 — focusing more than ever on highlighting the critical work that school board members do to serve California’s nearly 6 million public school students.
Phase one, which took place last year, generated greater recognition of the complex nature of responding to an everchanging pandemic as well as the variety of innovative programming offerings districts developed to support students, staff and families in unprecedented times. It gave an in-depth look at how board members and districts dedicated themselves to providing online learning, returning students to in-person instruction, jumpstarting learning recovery efforts and addressing social-emotional needs.
As board meetings became a hotbed for contentious conversations around COVID-19 mitigation strategies and other topics, countless trustees faced historic rates of harassment.
This new chapter of School Boards in Action continues highlighting individual school board members and illustrating their unwavering commitment to the job, no matter how hard or thankless it may be, as local educational agencies emerge from the triage stage of the pandemic and begin rebuilding with measures that strengthen school communities and improve student outcomes in the long term.
Through online ads, commercials on streaming radio services, video storytelling, board member profiles in California Schools magazine, monthly features in the California School News newsletter and 5 Questions interviews on CSBA’s blog (blog.csba.org), trustees will continue to share the experiences of their districts alongside anecdotes from their personal lives.
“We are proud of the ongoing commitment district and county board members display when it comes to ensuring that all of California’s K-12 students are getting the support they deserve as we continue to navigate the pandemic and close out the first full academic year back in-person,” said CSBA CEO and Executive Director Vernon M. Billy. “However, it is important to remember that trustees are just people too. People who have families, lives and responsibilities outside of their duties as trustees and deserve the same level of respect and support as the rest of us. We are committed to lifting up the important work of boards through this campaign and showing the public why district and county board members continue to be a cornerstone of our democracy.”
Trustees who are interested in being featured in the campaign by participating in CSBA’s 5 Questions series, please email editor@csba.org.
