Bookmark and SharePrintable ViewEmail to a friend
 

Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec

March 2008       

March 2008 Newsletter

CSBA Region 1 Director Bob Berkowitz speaks out against cutes proposed to the state budget during a press conference at the Humboldt County Office of Education in Eureka last month. Tools for defending public education are available on CSBA's "Schools: An investment we can't afford to cut" Web page at <a href="http://www.csba.org/">www.csba.org</a>.

Web Only Articles

SBE: PI districts action required, but funding absent

14 March 2008 - The state Board of Education’s action Thursday on 97 local education agencies in Program Improvement under No Child Left Behind amounts to an unfunded mandate, CSBA says

Taking Center Stage—Act II

1 March 2008 - The first installment in this series introduced Taking Center Stage—Act II (TCSII): Ensuring Success and Closing the Achievement Gap for California’s Middle Grades Students. TCSII (pronounced T-C-S-2) is an innovative new project for middle grades educators.

New Prop. 39 rules OK’d; affect charter facility requests for 2009-10

- CSBA's Education Legal Alliance weighs litigation against state Board of Education

The message is hitting home: ‘Don’t cut schools!’

- Grassroots advocacy activities by CSBA and other public school advocates about the potentially devastating impacts of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed spending cuts are resonating with Californians, who say they are increasingly concerned about protecting public services from draconian budget reductions.

In California School News

Schools: An investment we can’t afford to cut

As local opposition grows to the drastic spending cuts Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed in the 2008-09 state budget, Legislative Analyst Elizabeth Hill’s detailed scrutiny of the governor’s proposal provides a fresh starting point for legislative deliberations.

Californians take part in lobbying D.C. for schools

No Child Left Behind and federal funding issues drew nearly 900 local school board members from around the country to Washington, D.C., earlier this month for the National School Boards Association’s Federal Relations Network Conference.

Vantage Point: Get all stakeholders involved in your budgets

Commentary by CSBA President Paul H. Chatman

Find your way to San Jose in April: Celebrating Opportunities is coming

Effective responses to the challenges faced by students most affected by the academic achievement gap are on the agenda for this year’s Celebrating Opportunities conference, to be hosted by CSBA at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose April 25-27.

Advocacy & Outreach

Outreach tips to help you better engage your legislators and their staff in Sacramento and Washington, D.C., on behalf of California’s schoolchildren. School governance leaders are encouraged to work with their local CSBA Governmental Relations chairs and Federal Governmental Relations chairs to advance the education agenda and to maintain support for our public schools.

UndertheDome: Status of CSBA-sponsored bills

Few new bills have been introduced so far this year, and most two-year bills from last year have died in appropriations committees due to the budget crisis. Some CSBA-sponsored bills are still pending, and new ones are in the process of being introduced.

Rivas is newest CSBA legislative advocate

Brian Rivas, who represented the University of California in the state Capitol for well over a decade, has joined CSBA as a legislative advocate.

Mandated-cost claims: CSBA, SI&A offer help

CSBA and School Innovations & Advocacy have partnered to provide mandated-cost reimbursement claiming services to school districts and county offices of education throughout California. The joint venture was launched Feb. 1.

New mental health funds available through counties

County health departments are planning now how to use more than $2 billion in Mental Health Services Act funds over the next three years, and school districts and county offices of education can get in on the action—but they must act now, according to CSBA Student Wellness Consultant Jean Schultz.

Grants fund efforts to help improve student health

CSBA has been awarded nearly $1 million in grant funding from a number of sources aimed at improving oral health, tackling asthma and improving indoor air quality; providing technical help to districts addressing schoolwide health issues; and encouraging school boards and other local elected officials to collaborate effectively to resolve community health problems.

April workshops slated on playground standards

CSBA’s California Playground Compliance Program will offer a series of Playground Safety Workshops in April to familiarize association members with the expanded requirements of Assembly Bill 1144, which took effect in January, and to provide information about how the program benefits school districts and county offices of education.