Opening the lines of communication
LCFF and May budget revise head members' discussions with their district legislators and staff on Board Member Action Day
Published: June 1, 2014
Paige Stauss, Region 4 Director and a board member of Roseville Joint Union High School District, met with Jeff Short, Field Representative for Assembly Member Beth Gaines, R-Rocklin, at Gaines’ district office in Granite Bay on May 9—CSBA’s Board Member Action Day. There, according to Stauss, they talked “at length” about the key issues impacting public schools and education, including Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed Proposition 98 Reserve, the use of one-time budget-year funds to pay down deferrals, the need for increased transportation funding, and ongoing support for technical education and career development.
When the conversation turned to the Local Control Funding Formula and Local Control and Accountability Plans, Short assured Stauss that Gaines supports local control, but it’s what happened next that would become the highlight of their meeting: Because Stauss did not have time to go into great detail about her district’s progress with its accountability plan, she invited Short to attend her school board’s next meeting on May 13, where the board would present a draft of its LCAP. And Short took her up on it!
“I was really pleased when Jeff did, in fact, attend our meeting to see what our district’s priorities are in the LCAP presentation,” Stauss said. After the presentation ended, he stayed for the board’s budget presentation “to see the expense of these priorities reflected in our budget.”
Lines of communication also opened up for Butte County Office of Education Board Member Amy Christianson in her meeting with legislative staff. Jerry Crow, district representative for Sen. Jim Nielsen, R-Gerber, and Steve Thompson, District Director for Assembly Member Dan Logue, R-Marysville, were not only prepared for their conversation with Christianson—both had questions about the Common Core State Standards—but “left an open invitation to send them any information or changes” Christianson said. “They appreciate the conversation and the connection.”
Christianson reported that both offices committed to following Assembly Bill 215—the teacher dismissal reform bill that CSBA supports with amendments—as it moves through the legislature, and indicated that they would research the issue of deferral repayments and take CSBA’s “recommendation forward.” Additionally, said Christianson, “they were glad to hear about the local work taking place and the engagement of parents and the community,” with Crow sharing a story of how local input has informed agricultural programs in his hometown. He voiced his support for local agricultural education.
Stauss and Christianson were two of more than 100 board members who rallied to promote the Governance First perspective in more than 44 legislative districts throughout California on Board Member Action Day. After attending CSBA’s pre-event webinar to help them prepare, they met with their district senators, assembly members or other legislative staff, and left materials that summarized their talking points. For advocacy tools and resources that advance the Governance First perspective, visit www.csba.org/Advocacy/LegislativeAdvocacy.
Making Board Member Action Day Better
Location matters. That’s what we’re hearing from 66 percent of participating members who completed our Board Member Action Day survey. Keep it local, say some of you, citing cost-effectiveness and other reasons. “Move it back to Sacramento,” say others who argue that meetings at the Capitol would make it easier to establish personal contact with legislators. One member suggested we schedule longer meeting times.
Our goal is to continually improve Board Member Action Day and increase the number of participants in our collective efforts to advocate on behalf of K-12 education. To those who completed the survey—thank you. If you haven’t completed the survey, we urge you to do so. If you did not attend Board Member Action Day, your input is just as important to us! We are evaluating this event and will be seeking your feedback in the near future, so please keep watch.