Governance and Policy ResourcesResearch, guidance and services for effective school board governance

Small school districts face unique challenges such as limited resources with small teams and large expectations. They also hold a powerful advantage: deep community connection and the ability to make a big impact. The California School Boards Association recognizes these realities and has curated resources supporting small district leaders and helping them navigate specific issues. 

Research Materials for Small School Districts

• How to Access Publicly Available and Reliable Data as a Board Member 
• Effective Governance: Recommendations from the Field
• Newcomers in California schools
• Seize the Data: Using Chronic Absence Data to Drive Student Engagement
• Practical Steps Toward Advancing Equitable and Supportive Discipline
• Safe Schools Toolkit
• Waking Up to Reality: The unintended consequences of mandated later school start times in California, Report
• The impact of an unfunded mandate implementation: Findings from a CSBA study on “late start”
• CSBA Superintendents Advisory Council Zero-Emission Bus Survey (1/25)
• Drowning in Documentation: Toward More Effective and Manageable Reporting for California Districts | Executive Summary | Full Report (10/24)
• Drowning in Documentation: Reporting Requirements for California LEAs (5/24)
• Webinar: Maximizing Impact: Prioritizing investments for students' long-term success | Presentation Slides | (03/09/25)
• Webinar: CSBA's 2026 Governor's Budget Proposal breakdown | Slides (1/12/26)
• Blog: Gov. Newsom announces his final state budget proposal (1/12/25)
• Governor’s Budget Proposal helps schools in short-term but relies on third manipulation of Proposition 98 that undermines stable education funding in long run (1/9/26)
• Governor’s proposal to reform CDE echoes CSBA’s call for greater state alignment and accountability (1/8/26)
• CSBA urges Newsom to use his final budget cycle to reimagine California’s scattered state education system and establish a nation-leading reciprocal accountability model (1/7/26)
• Budget Templates for LEAs (8/25)

AI Resources

• Letter:  A Note From AI Taskforce Chair Susan Markarian (2025)
• Letter: A Note From CSBA CEO Vernon Billy (2025)
• Brief: AI Procurement - Key insights for board members (2025)
• Brief: Using AI to Reduce Administrative Burdens (2025)
• Brief: The Board’s Role in AI Decision-making (2025)
• Brief: Guidance - AI Tools Used by Educators (2025)
• Worksheet: AI scenarios for board members
• Fillable Guide: AI Roadmap Facilitation Guide

Resources related to Instructional Materials

• Summary: Defining High-Quality Instructional Materials for Mathematics to Meet the Needs of English Learners
• Guiding Questions: The California Mathematics Framework: Technology Integration in Math Curriculum Adoption
• Brief: High-Quality Professional Development to Support Instructional Materials Adoption Aligned with the New Math Framework
• Brief: Instructional Materials Adoptions: State and local governing board processes, roles, and responsibilities
• Brief: Instructional Materials Adoptions: Local governing board responsibilities
• Fact sheet: State Roles, Responsibilities, and Process for Instructional Materials Adoption
• Brief: The California Mathematics Framework: Curriculum Adoption, Technology Integration and Instructional Decision-making
• Archived webinar: Laying the Foundation for a Successful Instructional Materials Adoption: School Board Strategies | Presentation Slides | May 30, 2024
• Archived webinar: Before the Adoption: Creating the conditions for a high-quality mathematics program | Presentation Slides | Oct. 16, 2024
• Archived Annual Education Conference (AEC) session recording: Navigating the Instructional Materials Adoptions Process for Math and More | Dec. 5, 2024
• Archived webinar: High-Quality Professional Development for Mathematics Instruction | Presentation Slides | Jan. 22, 2025
• Archived Annual Education Conference (AEC) session recording: Support for Building High Quality Mathematics Programs | Dec 3, 2025

Workforce Housing Resources

• Report: Housing California Educators: Insights from nine education workforce housing developments
• Summary: Education Workforce Housing in California: Developing the 21st Century Campus (Executive Summary | Full Report)

Policy Guidance

• Navigating opt-out requests in light of Mahmoud v. Taylor 
• Immigration enforcement in California public schools

Advocacy Resources

• CSBA Policy Platform
• Find Your Legislators
• View 2025-26 Legislative Session bills CSBA is monitoring
• View 2025-26 CSBA sponsored/cosponsored legislation
• View descriptions of CSBA positions of legislation

Small School District Advisory Workgroup

CSBA’s Small School District Advisory Workgroup aims to address issues that impact local education agencies with fewer than 2,500 average daily attendance. Members of the Small School District Advisory Workgroup work with the CSBA Research and Educational Policy Development (REPD) staff and other departments to identify policy, fiscal and operational challenges unique to small school districts on various topics.

The Small School District Advisory Workgroup provides input on how CSBA can support small school districts with relevant information including research, governance resources, and advocacy. Advisory Workgroup members contribute through participation in meetings, brief surveys, and other CSBA-hosted events designed to advance issues of concern to small school districts.

Resources developed from the Small School District Advisory Workgroup

County Services to Small LEAs

CSBA’s Small School District Advisory Workgroup partnered with County Offices of Education to create a repository of services and supports available to small LEAs statewide. Designed to help small district leaders — especially new Superintendent/Principals and Superintendents — quickly connect with assistance, the resource also promotes collaboration and shared learning among county offices. CSBA will update the survey every other year to keep the information current, with the next update planned for 2027. 

Board Bylaw 9240: Why Board Training and Professional Development Matter

Small school districts across the state are facing growing challenges in securing funding for school board member professional development as budgets tighten and communities prioritize classroom spending. To support boards and communities, CSBA released two resources that emphasize the importance of ongoing board training and its impact on effective governance and student success. These resources include the fact sheet Board Bylaw 9240: Why Board Training and Professional Development Matter and an editable communications template to help LEAs explain the value of investing in board development.

Two Jobs, One Person: Supporting the Superintendent-Principal: Research spotlighting the challenges and opportunities of the dual-role administrator

More than 260 superintendent/principals across the state serve in the demanding dual role of leading both district operations and school administration. To better understand their experiences, CSBA’s Small School District Advisory Workgroup conducted a statewide survey exploring the challenges, opportunities and support needs tied to the position. The findings provide valuable insights, recommendations for small boards and key governance questions to consider when supporting dual-role administrators through this brief.

Products and Services

Legal Services

The California School Boards Association Legal Services program offers affordable, subscription-based legal support tailored for school districts. Members get access to experienced attorneys for everyday education law needs such as contracts, HR issues, the Brown Act, and Public Records Act requests. This includes an extensive online Resource Library with negotiation tools. Designed with small districts in mind, the program helps save time and money, with low annual costs and included attorney hours to get started.

Annual subscriptions are only 10% of your CSBA dues. For most small districts under 2,500 ADA, that works out to be around just $1,000 per year, with many districts paying less than $500. In addition, all new subscribers receive $600 of attorney time free of charge in the first year. Learn more at legalservices.csba.org.

Policy Services

GAMUT is the definitive resource for California school governance, bringing together the most comprehensive collection of sample board policies, administrative regulations, bylaws, and legal references in one place. No more digging, guessing, or falling behind while balancing bigger priorities. Gain instant, 24/7 access to a complete Sample Policy Manual and real-time email alerts when policies change so updates never go unnoticed. When the work is complex and the stakes are high, this is the resource that keeps governance sharp, current, and confidently managed with competitive pricing for districts with ADA under 2,500. Learn more about GAMUT and it's speciality modules at www.csba.org/GAMUT.