“In order to fulfill our obligations to students and community, we must pursue continuous improvement, constantly increasing our knowledge base and honing our skills,” CSBA President Dr. Bettye Lusk said during the 2025 CSBA County Board Governance Workshop.
Those sentiments served as the theme for the event — which took place April 11-12 in downtown Sacramento — as scores of county office of education (COE) trustees and superintendents from across the state networked; heard inspiring and informative speakers; participated in discussions on good governance, policy and advocacy; and took part in CSBA’s first-ever micro-trainings.
Many COE leaders in attendance indicated their excitement to bring newfound insights back home to benefit their communities. As Lusk pointed out, that focus on serving students, families and the larger community is critical to keep centered, particularly during trying times and unprecedented circumstances.
“This is a challenging time to serve as a county trustee or a district board member. The job is growing increasingly complex, and the landscape is more challenging than ever before, so we need to work together to create the legislative, policy and financial conditions needed to strengthen schools and support student success,” Lusk said.
CSBA CEO & Executive Director Vernon M. Billy echoed that sentiment, adding that “Now more than ever, county boards play a critical role in serving students, including our high-need students who deserve more support from the state — especially as it relates to closing the achievement gap and producing positive academic and life outcomes at scale.
“This is difficult work, but if it wasn’t hard, it wouldn’t be worth doing,” Billy continued. “Our shared commitment is to be bold in defense of public education and in service of students, and to remain steadfast when challenges arise.”
Keynote
To work in education requires a certain level of determination and grit, Billy said during his opening remarks. Bestselling author, entrepreneur and film producer Chris Gardner embodies those traits and uses his life experiences to embolden the next generation.
Gardner, whose autobiography “The Pursuit of HappYness” inspired the critically acclaimed film “The Pursuit of Happiness” starring Will Smith, shared a bit of his background and upbringing, the time in his life that was captured in the film and what he’s been up to since.
In the last six years, he has spoken at over 500 schools to students of all ages — including marginalized populations, such as students with disabilities and youth involved in the foster care and juvenile justice systems — on freedom, confidence and what is possible when you give yourself permission to dream and dedicate yourself to becoming the best at what you want to do. Giving himself permission to dream as a boy changed his trajectory, Gardner said.
A product of public education, Gardner noted that sharing one’s own experiences helps close generational gaps and builds meaningful connections that have lasting impacts in the lives of others.
COE governance team members have the power to affect millions of California children, Gardner said, and should imagine being on the receiving end of each decision they make to help ensure policies will best serve their intended purpose. “Keep saying, ‘It’s not about me or what I want, it’s about these young people who don’t have a voice, who don’t have a seat at this table,’” Gardner said.
Gardner will speak again at the County Board Conference, happening Sept. 5-7 in Monterey, about how to move the education system forward and the influence that leaders can have on the future.
Presentations
David M. Toston, senior advisor at the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) and newly appointed Santa Clara COE superintendent, and Erin Mahoney, senior director of community schools at San Diego COE, shared information about the CCEE’s Community Engagement Initiative (CEI), which aims to accelerate academic performance and close achievement gaps.
Toston touched on how community engagement is of the utmost importance for those attending COE-run programs as it may mean they have left their school or district of residence and are in a new setting trying to establish a sense of belonging and connection.
Nearly 150 local educational agencies representing more than 800,000 students participated in CEI’s first five cohorts.
Toston and Mahoney gave an overview of CEI and the journey that LEAs embark on as part of a cohort, spoke to the challenges educators and families face in creating authentic partnerships and outlined a theory of action to address those hurdles. Next workshop participants broke into groups and completed a data-weird, he equity walk exercise looking at English language arts performance, suspension and graduation rates, and chronic absenteeism.
Panels included the statutory functions of the county superintendent and board members and tips to navigate finances featuring experts from COEs and CSBA. Additionally, Assemblymember Heather Hadwick (R-Alturas), Andrew Medina, principal consultant to Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire (D-North Coast), and Sophia Kwong, chief of staff to Assemblymember Mike Fong (D-Alhambra) presented on legislation and policy trends specific to the interests of COEs. The presentation also included a recorded message from Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher (R-East Nicolaus).
The debut of micro-trainings provided attendees with information about the CSBA Policy Platform, advocacy strategies and managing challenging conversations and contentious meetings.
View photos on CSBA’s LinkedIn page.
