Billy: CSBA is ‘Stepping up advocacy’
Delegates hear how their input guides efforts
Published: May 31, 2012
Over the past year, CSBA has prevailed against significant state budget proposals that would have eliminated crucial transportation programs and radically changed the way schools are funded, Executive Director Vernon Billy noted in his report to the Delegate Assembly at its meeting in Sacramento last month.
“We’re stepping up our political and legislative advocacy efforts in historic ways,” Billy said. “Over the last year, we’ve been intentional in our efforts to build the foundation for a politically stronger CSBA and to raise our advocacy influence on the issues of the day.”
One example: After hearing from members last fall—especially small, rural school districts that would be severely impacted by the cut-off of home-to-school transportation funds, as Gov. Jerry Brown had proposed—CSBA compiled detailed information about the potential impact on every local educational agency in the state. That data helped sway negotiations to stop the transportation cut, Billy explained, telling the delegates, “Our efforts, along with our other education partners, helped [preserve] home-to-school transportation from elimination.”
Another: Members’ concerns helped CSBA work with the governor to temper his proposal to shift school funding from enrollment to a weighted student funding formula. Dennis Meyers, assistant executive director for Governmental Relations, told the delegates that Brown’s revised budget proposal last month was a significant improvement on his original approach last January. While CSBA supports weighted student funding in principle, Meyers said, “this is a situation that calls for a crock pot, but the Department of Finance is using a microwave oven. We’ve got to slow it down.”
In other legislative news, the Delegate Assembly adopted principles for pension reform—an issue that’s expected to heat up once the current budget debate concludes.
Breakout groups popular
Creating an informational conduit directly from local districts to state policymakers is exactly what CSBA is organized to facilitate. At the May meeting, delegates took advantage of dedicated time in small groups to discuss four key areas of focus that guide CSBA’s work: closing the achievement gap; funding and finance; governance; and conditions of children. Their input will shape the work of the association’s legislative and policy advocates in the coming years.
“We may know what the state-level priorities are, such as the Common Core [State] Standards,” said Angelo Williams, assistant executive director for Policy and Programs. “But we have to mix that with local priorities and make sure we’re responding to what the actual needs are at the local level as well as the state level.”