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May 2009
 | Student performances are always a highlight of the Celebrating Educational Opportunities for Students of all Culture Conference, held this year in Austin, Texas. Here folklorico dancers from Austin Independent School District's Maple Wood Elementary School prepare to entertain the audience at the March event. |
Web Only Articles
26 May 2009 - President Barack Obama has named Pomona Unified School District Superintendent Thelma Meléndez de Santa Ana as assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Meléndez will serve as Secretary of Education Arne Duncan's principal adviser on K-12 public education.
21 May 2009 - The results of the May 19 special election should come as no surprise to anyone who has been following the polling data on the ballot measures. The defeat of five of the six measures by nearly 2-to-1 margins had been foretold in survey after survey in the weeks leading up to the election. The measures that failed would have established a state spending cap, created a payment to schools, securitized the state lottery and diverted funding dedicated to state and local First 5 commissions by Proposition 10 and to mental health by Proposition 63.
12 May 2009 - School districts, county offices of education and directly funded charter schools will soon have billions of flexible federal stimulus dollars in hand, the California Department of Education announced over the weekend. State Fiscal Stabilization Fund allocations of $2.56 billion should begin flowing to local education agencies within a few weeks.
5 May 2009 - Some California schools reportedly have been ordered closed to prevent the spread of the of H1N1 influenza virus, and many more are seeing increased absences, affecting average daily attendance and disrupting student learning and the spring testing season.
In California School News
California Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor will address CSBA’s annual Legislative Action Conference, to be held May 17-18 at the Hyatt Regency Sacramento and at the state Capitol. The event, presented in collaboration with the California County Boards of Education, will follow a meeting of CSBA’s policy-setting Delegate Assembly May 16-17.
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan discussed schools’ use of economic stimulus funds and laid out an ambitious agenda in a wide-ranging address to the annual conference of the National School Boards Association in San Diego April 4.
My hope is that even in the middle of testing season, we remember that learning is the heart and soul of education and that our children are curious, ambitious and eager. Take time to appreciate the promise and grace in every one of them.
Schools looking to save energy don’t just help the environment. Most can save money, too, by assessing how they use energy, learning where they can conserve and which modifications could help reduce their future energy needs.
Two new categories have been added to CSBA’s Golden Bell Awards, presented each year at the Annual Education Conference and Trade Show. The first category recognizes programs that incorporate “green” practices into school operations and facilities; the second is a wellness category that recognizes and addresses critical health issues and their link to academic achievement
CSBA is making every effort to help its members “weather the storm,” Executive Director Scott P. Plotkin noted recently, and as part of that effort is sending out surveys to help ensure the association is meeting their needs.
The Delegate Assembly is CSBA’s primary policymaking body and a key link in CSBA’s governance structure.
This issue of the Under the Dome departs from our normal reporting on legislation and instead highlights two recent policy briefs published by CSBA on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and on flexibility provisions in the 2008 and 2009 state budget. The advisories can be found at www.csba.org. Summaries of key legislative bills will be covered in later issues.
Three California school districts have earned national recognition for their innovative and effective educational programs.
Forty Californians, including board members, superintendents and teachers from 17 school districts and county offices of education, participated in the annual Celebrating Educational Opportunities for Students of All Cultures conference, a collaboration of state school boards associations in the four southwestern states. This year’s conference took place March 27-29 in Austin, Texas.
CSBA’s Annual Education Conference and Trade Show is recognized as the state’s premier educational event for school board members. This year’s conference, Dec. 3-5 at the San Diego Convention Center, comes at a critical time for governance teams grappling with the state budget crisis.
Registration is now open for the second School Wellness Conference, to be held Oct. 6-7 at the Anaheim Marriott. The inaugural event sold out with over 1,200 participants to become the largest gathering of its kind in the nation.