Last year, one of California’s most destructive wildfire seasons on record resulted in school officials hundreds of miles from the disasters making difficult decisions amid toxic smoke and unhealthy air, oftentimes without formal guidance or existing policies. Concerned parents and community members questioned whether schools […]
Legislative Update: Policy committee hearings resuming this month
Click here for all 2019 bills with CSBA positions. CSBA co-sponsored bills: Assembly Bill 39 (Muratsuchi, D-Torrance), which would state legislative intent to increase the Local Control Funding Formula base grant targets equivalent to the national average in per-pupil funding (intent language mirroring this bill […]
Keeping kids safe at school: DSSF’s Lock Don’t Block campaign
Submitted by the Door Safety & Security Foundation According to The Los Angeles Times, there have been more than 180 shootings on school campuses that resulted in an injury or death in the U.S. since December 2012, when 20 children and six adults were killed […]
The limited impact but substantial importance of Cal Fire v. CalPERS
On March 4, 2019, the California Supreme Court unanimously affirmed the appellate court’s decision in Cal Fire 2881 v. California Public Employees’ Retirement System, upholding the 2012 elimination of a pension benefit for public employees. The narrow decision in favor of the State will not […]
Student data disconnect persists as California works to lower achievement gap
An integrated data system to assess student performance and results is desperately needed in California, two researchers said at a May 10 talk in Sacramento. At the event, experts discussed key findings on data systems from the Getting Down to Facts II report and next […]
Enthusiastic Capitol crowd calls for Full and Fair Funding of California’s public schools
From Humboldt County, Monterey, San Diego and beyond, school leaders converged on Sacramento by the busload on May 22 to make their voices heard and to fight for Full and Fair Funding of California’s public schools. About 200 school board members took that fight to […]
CEO’s Note: The ‘big short’ in California school funding
by Vernon M. Billy This past January, educators across the state (and nation) were fixated on the Los Angeles Unified School District’s six-day teacher’s strike. The LAUSD strike was followed almost immediately by a seven-day work stoppage in Oakland and a highly publicized one-day walkout […]
Commentary: Fighting for students, rallying for public schools
“Every student should graduate high school prepared for success in college, career and civic life. Unfortunately, our ability to deliver on this promise has been compromised by 40 years of underinvestment in public schools,” write Burbank Unified School District leaders in a new commentary published […]
Legislative Update: CSBA co-sponsored bills on the move as key deadline approaches
On May 16, both the Senate and Assembly Appropriations Committees held their respective suspense file hearings, determining which bills that require an appropriation of funds will continue to advance this year. CSBA co-sponsored bills passed by the Assembly Appropriations Committee and sent to the Assembly […]
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month: Meeting Pacific Islander student challenges
Nearly 30,000 Pacific Islander students are enrolled in California public schools in the 2018-19 school year. The majority of these students come from low-income households, and many struggle academically and have among the highest rates of chronic absenteeism of all student groups. As one of […]