Executive Director’s note 

Milestones and memories: CSBA turns 75

On Sept. 8, 1931, a small group of school board members from 10 counties gathered in the Donner School Auditorium in Sacramento to organize a state association of school trustees. Thus, the California School Trustees Association was born, with Judge Warren Stockton of Bakersfield as its first President and Florence Porter its first Executive Secretary. Driving the interest in organizing was widespread dissatisfaction with teacher tenure laws that made it “practically impossible to dismiss teachers who are ... unsatisfactory, or to replace mediocre and poor teachers.” Fittingly, ensuring the schoolchildren of California are taught by the best possible teachers remains one of the California School Boards Association’s main concerns 75 years later.

It is therefore with great excitement that we celebrate CSBA’s 75th anniversary year during 2006. You’ll notice the theme everywhere, on correspondence, conference materials, publications, brochures and our Web site. As well, special anniversary features will appear in each issue of the magazine this year.

One of the “gems” we’ve uncovered in our archives is the organization’s original statement of purpose, adopted on Sept. 4, 1933 as part of the constitution of the California School Trustees Association. While our mission statement may have changed, the sentiment is the same as it was in 1933: “the betterment of the educational opportunities of the children of California.”

For example, our cover story in this issue highlights how the trend to wrest control of local school districts from locally elected school board members thwarts the democratic principles our nation and public education were built upon — a struggle taken from the pages of CSBA’s history. In 1945, Executive Secretary Porter reiterated the association’s longstanding commitment to citizen representation of schools: “Although their duties and responsibilities have changed from time to time, the government of school districts still rests upon local school boards. I emphasize this because we, as schoolboard members, must be alert to insidious efforts to undermine this Constitutional provision for local control.” Rest assured, CSBA remains dedicated to fighting such takeover attempts.

In 1937, association members approved the publication of an official journal to make it easier to “systematically contact our members” and reach out to county superintendents and other school administrative bodies. While Mrs. Porter found it a challenge to add sales rep to her other jobs of membership and outreach director, publication editor, executive secretary, legislative advocate, conference coordinator and board liaison, today we have experts to manage each of those areas, as well as a circulation manager who has made California Schools magazine and CSBA’s Business Affiliates Program the most successful publication partnership among state school board associations in the country.

From an early “Code of Ethics” adopted in 1936, to a rudimentary “Manual for School Board Members” in 1946, and continuing with publication of the “Maximizing School Board Leadership” series in the early 1990s, CSBA’s leadership in the area of governance principles and education led to the creation of Professional Governance Standards in 2001. Those standards are the foundation of our Masters in Governance program that educates individuals about the role and responsibilities of successful school governance team members.

Throughout the years, CSBA has published a wealth of information and instructional materials through its publications department. Today, we’re venturing into alternative means of delivery with the use of audio and Web conferencing, training on CD, DVD and video, and Web-based publications. And as we get comfortable with living in the 21st century, newer technologies could lead us in even more directions.

We hope you’ll enjoy this year as we look back to see how far we’ve come, glimpse where the future can take us, and note that the more things change, the more they seem to stay the same. We invite you to share your own special remembrances about CSBA; and we’re especially interested in hearing from those of you who have been serving as board members for many years. We’ll use the best of your memories in our anniversary coverage. Just send them to anniversary@csba.org. As a valued CSBA member, it’s your anniversary too!