CLSBA Unity 2026

How can School Boards/Districts/Schools move beyond isolated programs to ensure 100% of students engage in meaningful civic learning? This session highlights an award-winning school-wide model embedding civic engagement across instruction, leadership, and partnerships that improves engagement, climate, and achievement. Participants will learn how governance teams can support systems that shift classrooms from teacher-directed instruction to student-driven inquiry, where students lead discussions on real-world issues, participate in simulations of democratic processes, and influence school decision-making. Attendees will leave with practical strategies to implement scalable, low-cost civic engagement structures in their own districts.

Highlights
This session highlights the board’s role in setting priorities that elevate student voice and civic engagement, aligning efforts to LCAP goals, and ensuring equitable access for all students. It addresses policy considerations related to student leadership, student engagement, civic learning, and community partnerships. Budget implications are minimal, leveraging existing staff, collaboration time, and grants, demonstrating how boards can support high-impact, sustainable initiatives.

Key Takeaways/Call to Action:
1. Build systems that ensure 100% student engagement in civic learning. 2. Shift from teacher-directed instruction to student-driven inquiry and leadership. 3. Take action: align policies, leverage existing resources, and implement scalable civic practices across your district.

Preparing all students to thrive and lead in a global world, and closing gaps for our culturally and linguistically diverse students requires visionary and strategic leadership. Creating multilingual school districts that reflect, embrace, and support our diverse communities is the critical next step for California.  Come hear from school board members and superintendents at LEA and County Office levels who are working on the cutting edge to implement a vision of multilingual education, and learn about an exciting statewide campaign to establish multilingual education as a signature feature of California schools. In this session you’ll hear about the rationale and research behind this movement to scale multilingual education for every student in our state. Attendees will gain actionable leadership strategies and concrete tools to move their own districts forward—including sample board policies—and learn how to join with forward-looking leaders across the state in this groundbreaking campaign.  implement multilingual education for every student in our state, learn about leadership strategies, gain tools to move your own district forward (including sample board policies), and consider joining with forward-looking school board members throughout California in this ground-breaking campaign. We need schools that reflect, embrace and support our diverse communities!  As with the State Seal of Biliteracy, our English Learner Roadmap, Global California 2030, and development of dual language immersion models, California is once again  paving the way for the nation.  Join us.

Effective Communication Between Board and Superintendent 

Overview:
The time for bold leadership for multilingual students is now. California’s current math curriculum adoption and ELA/ELD/SLA cycles offer a critical opportunity to improve instruction for over 5 million students, including 1.1 million multilingual learners (MLLs). With two-thirds of students performing below basic proficiency on the Nation’s Report Card and only 10% of English learners meeting California math standards, the urgency for change is clear.

Join us to explore ELSF’s Curriculum Adoption Toolkits and MLL-inclusive RFP language. These resources are designed to help districts ensure that selected materials align with the CA EL Roadmap Policy and state initiatives to close achievement gaps for MLLs. We will highlight how leaders can take action to support local education agencies (LEAs) throughout the adoption and implementation process and share more about ELSF’s professional learning services.

What You’ll Gain:

- Action Steps: Guidance for board members and leaders to collaboratively create plans with district leadership.
- Equity and Access: Clarity on how to center equity throughout the curriculum adoption and implementation process.
- Concrete Tools: Sample RFP language and MLL-centered reviews of materials aligned with the 2023 California Math Framework.
  - Professional Learning: Awareness of ELSF’s offerings to support math adoption and implementation across LEAs.

This panel discussion explores how catalytic, adaptive, and legacy leadership can transform schools and communities. Drawing from the themes of Lead with Purpose, panelists will discuss the responsibility of educational leaders to serve a purpose greater than themselves and remain focused on the success and well-being of students.

Through real-world experiences and practical insights, participants will explore what effective leadership is—and what it is not—while learning how purpose-driven leadership can build trust, inspire change, strengthen communities, and create a lasting impact for future generations.

FIRM, FAIR AND FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE LABOR RELATIONS

California’s school board members are increasingly confronting issues that extend well beyond education, including safe drinking water, climate resilience, aging infrastructure, school greening, and environmental justice. These challenges directly affect student health, school operations, and community well-being, particularly in historically underserved communities.
This panel will explore the vital role education leaders play in advancing healthier, more resilient communities through partnerships, innovative campus improvements, and informed public policy. Participants will gain practical insights into the intersection of education, public health, sustainability, and water policy - and learn strategies to help ensure safe, reliable water and stronger outcomes for students and the communities they serve. 

Learn about the evolution and present status of the law permitting initiation of sexual abuse cases for conduct occuring up to decades ago.  Practitioners will discuss what District’s can do when such claims are filed against them and the practical issues, including determining coverage and whether resolution versus defending through trial should be considered.