Governor’s proposal to reform CDE echoes CSBA’s call for greater state alignment and accountability

Proposal correctly diagnoses lack of state-level coherence as major issue and opens door to more comprehensive solution that supports local school districts in driving student performance and closing achievement gaps The logic behind Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to unite the State Board of Education with […]

Legal update: Parental notification of students’ gender identity

In a decision granting a motion for summary judgment issued on Dec, 22 in the case Mirabelli v. Olson, a federal district court judge in San Diego ruled that parents have the constitutional right to be notified when their child requests to change their gender presentation at school and that school districts cannot prohibit teachers from sharing information about a student’s gender with parents.

CSBA’s 2026 budget advocacy strategy: Protect core funding, strengthen local control and drive overall student success

CSBA’s 2026 budget advocacy strategy: Protect core funding, strengthen local control and drive overall student success As the 2026 State Budget cycle begins, CSBA is advancing a comprehensive advocacy strategy that defends public education’s fiscal foundation while urging Sacramento to do more — at the […]

Passage of Secure Rural Schools Act validates years of CSBA advocacy for critical funding

In a testament to the value of persistent advocacy, the U.S. House of Representatives passed S 356, the Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act on Dec. 9, restoring a financial lifeline to many rural schools in California and across the nation.

Analysis of School Dashboard points to a need for state-level accountability

The California Department of Education released the latest edition of the California School Dashboard on Nov. 13, touting a “continued increase in academic achievement and graduation rates” and a “reduction in chronic absenteeism.” While some growth was evident, a look at the underlying data reveals a more complicated picture of student performance — one that demands greater scrutiny of the status quo, increased investment in public schools, and a commitment to reducing achievement gaps by accelerating achievement, particularly for the state’s most vulnerable students.  

CSBA webinar covers CAASPP results, advocates for comprehensive state-level plan to increase support for LEAs in their work to close achievement gap

An Oct. 9 webinar hosted by CSBA featured initial analysis of results from the 2025 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) and CSBA issuing a challenge to the state to create a state-level plan focused on what state agencies and policymakers will do differently to better support local educational agencies in closing the achievement gap.

Explore the immense value of professional development for student board members

By Amy Christianson Being a student board member is a big deal. You represent thousands of students, bring the student perspective to important decisions and help make sure your peers’ voices are heard. That’s a lot of responsibility — but you don’t have to figure […]

Legislature closes out the first year of the 2025–26 legislative session

Originally scheduled to end at midnight on Friday, Sept. 12, the Legislature waived the rules to allow it to continue deliberations into Sept. 13, not adjourning until mid-afternoon. This year featured a number of contentious education-related measures ranging from nonclassroom-based charter school reform to efforts […]