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
Statement from CSBA CEO & Executive Director Vernon M. Billy
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Jan. 7, 2026) — Simply put, California’s TK–12 education system is too scattered to succeed — and students are paying the price. The California School Boards Association (CSBA) has been leading the call for a seismic shift in how the state operates, urging policymakers to move beyond disconnected programs, funding gimmicks and underfunded mandates, and instead take responsibility for aligning state agencies, policies and budgets around a single goal: closing the achievement gap.
CSBA continues to call for a state-level operations and support plan that establishes clear goals and benchmarks for state agencies, aligns policy and budget decisions with those goals, and includes transparent reporting and regular, independent evaluations of effectiveness. This approach would strengthen local control, reduce duplicative paperwork, and shift the state’s role from compliance enforcement to a concierge, service-oriented model that provides high-quality support — not dictates — to local educational agencies working to improve student outcomes.
Governance teams at school districts and county offices of education work tirelessly to serve students while navigating a fragmented and misaligned state system — a system further complicated by funding manipulation, one-off initiatives and a never-ending stream of underfunded mandates. California’s students cannot afford another decade of incremental gains or symbolic reforms. CSBA looks forward to partnering with Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature to reimagine and build a nation-leading state accountability system that finally delivers the coherence, alignment and support school districts and county offices of education need to help every student succeed.
Vernon M. Billy
CEO & Executive Director
California School Boards Association
CSBA is a nonprofit association representing nearly 1,000 PreK-12 school districts
and county offices of education throughout California.
www.csba.org