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December 2007       

CSBA Senior Director Jo Ann Yee

CSBA Senior Director Jo Ann Yee speaks at the Achievement Gap Summit in Sacramento last month. "Solutions will have to be devised locally, with the help of school board leadership," Yee said. putting the discussion of gaps in academic performance in the context of longstanding efforts to raise achievement among all student groups.

Web Only Articles

CSBA offers Forecast for free as state budget woes grow

13 December 2007 - The Sacramento Bee reports that projections of California's budget shortfall have reached $14 billion.

Special education communications development credential backed

- Existing special education credentials would not be affected.

In California School News

No silver bullets, but plenty of passion

Achievement Gap Summit focuses attention on disparities in academic performance among groups.

Long-term budget woes jeopardize 'Year of Education'

Legislative Analyst's Office releases sobering forecast on state revenues

Forecast Webcast, workshops and other events planned in new year

CSBA members can participate in the upcoming Forecast Conference Webcast from the comfort of their own home or office, and those wanting to attend a New and First-term Board Member Institute or Brown Act briefing won’t have to travel much farther.

Masters in Governance now has 1,000 grads

Davis Campbell, president of the Governance Institute which developed and runs the innovative program, praised all the graduates and the other thousand or so board members and superintendents who have attended portions of the unique training.

Vantage Point: We're in it for the kids!

Kathy Kinley is president of the California School Boards Association

Call for nominations for Delegate Assembly

Monday, Jan. 7, is the deadline to submit nominations and biographical sketch forms for prospective members and incumbent members seeking re-election to CSBA’s Delegate Assembly.

EdSource conference addresses school finance, reform

In an effort to transform theory into action, the nonprofit organization EdSource hosted a one-day education policy “Convening” in Sacramento that brought together 300 public school advocates, business leaders, researchers and state officials.

Grant sustains ongoing CSBA preschool initiatives

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation has awarded CSBA a $125,000 grant—the fourth since 2003—to continue its work on various preschool initiatives, including in-depth research into local board members’ preferences on preschool policy, technical assistance to local education agencies and dissemination of the RAND Corp.’s ongoing “California Preschool Study” reports.

CAHSEE: Slight drop in grad rates reported

The latest study of the impact of the state’s exit exam requirement, prepared for the state Department of Education by the Human Resources Research Organization, found that graduation rates declined slightly and dropout rates were up for members of the class of 2006, the first students required to pass the California High School Exit Exam in order to get a diploma.

Most school measures OK’d in November elections

Public school supporters who backed 12 of 17 school bond and parcel tax measures on local California ballots this Nov. 6 had something to celebrate after the final votes were tallied.

CCS Partnership issues report on status of ‘emancipated’ foster youths

The Cities, Counties and Schools Partnership has issued a report calling for California to extend services to foster youths past the age of 18 and saying that the more than 4,000 youths per year who “emancipate” or “age out” of foster care experience critical needs in housing, education, employment, behavioral health and sustaining personal relationships.

ELA sues over mandates, statewide benefit charter

Wrapping up the year with vigorous activity on behalf of the state’s public schools, CSBA’s Education Legal Alliance has gone to court twice recently—most recently to contest the state government’s authority to defer repayment to schools of state-mandated expenses and, before that, to challenge the California Board of Education’s approval of a statewide benefit charter.

New report explores ways to enhance instructional time

A task force chaired by CSBA President Kathy Kinley has released a report to spur education leaders to find ways to create and take advantage of increased instructional time for students and for teachers.

New funds earmarked for school-based mental health services

School districts and county offices of education need to get involved now if they want to participate in planning for new mental health funds generated by the Mental Health Services Act, a voter-approved initiative to pay for prevention and early intervention services.