September is Attendance Awareness Month, but experts say a year-round focus is required of district leaders and board members to make sustainable inroads and cultural shifts. “I think that school board members really play a central role in monitoring whether chronic absence is improving or […]
Author: Kimberly Sellery
Updates on AB 1505, charter school petitions and renewals
On Aug. 28, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that an agreement had been reached with legislative leadership on Assembly Bill 1505 (O’Donnell, D-Long Beach), a bill that would make substantial changes to processes governing charter school petitions and renewals. The amended version of AB 1505 is […]
Education governance and the importance of equity-centered leadership
By David B. DeLuz, CSBA Director, Strategic Initiatives and Development Since its inception in 1933, CSBA has been, at its core, about leadership and governance. Our work preparing education governing board members and governance teams to address the diverse needs of today’s students in the […]
Legislative agreement reached on charter schools bill
On Wednesday evening (Aug. 28), Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that an agreement has been reached with legislative leadership on Assembly Bill 1505 (O’Donnell, D-Long Beach), a bill that would make substantial changes to processes governing charter school petitions and renewals. The exact details of this […]
Assembly District 1 race heads to November runoff
The race to fill the vacant Assembly District 1 seat is headed for a Nov. 5 runoff between Democrat Elizabeth Betancourt and Republican Megan Dahle, after the two garnered 39.1 percent and 36.2 percent of the vote, respectively, as of late Tuesday evening. Betancourt, a […]
Teachers nationwide show strong support for mental health, SEL focus to improve school safety
As the nation’s schools begin a new academic year, a survey finds that most teachers say the majority of their students do not feel very safe at school. And to have the biggest impact on improving school safety, educators surveyed by the Education Week Research […]
Concerns about bias, anti-Semitism dominate Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum feedback
After myriad advocacy organizations sounded their opposition to the first draft of California’s Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum, the State Board of Education indicated in a statement that the curriculum will be “substantially redesigned.” The statement, from State Board President Linda Darling-Hammond, board Vice President Ilene […]
Update: SB 328 placed on Assembly Appropriations suspense file
Senate Bill 328 (Portantino, D-La Cañada Flintridge) was placed on the Assembly Appropriations Committee suspense file during the committee’s hearing this morning. The Assembly and Senate Appropriations Committees will both hear their respective suspense files the last week of August, determining whether SB 328 (along […]
Watching out for the health and safety of student athletes
Whether it’s hitting a home run, crossing the finish line or simply being part of a team, extracurricular athletics are influential to the educational experience of many students. Students in these programs experience enhanced school engagement by being part of an athletic program. Research shows […]
Nationwide poll sees school funding’s importance rise in the eyes of parents, teachers
Awareness and frustration with the continued underfunding of the nation’s public schools has reached a point at which 58 percent of teachers say they would vote to strike for higher funding for school programs. And for the 18th consecutive year, Americans said the lack of […]









