Major School Board Events Announced

Written by the San Mateo County School Boards Association:

The San Mateo County School Boards Association (SMCSBA), representing the 22 school districts, the Community College District and County Office of Education, announced Monday its events and other strategic initiatives for the 2013-2014 school year.


Recognizing the incredible change in public education we are now experiencing with the new Local Control Funding Formula, the coming Common Core State Standards, and the move to a 21st Century Model for public education, SMCSBA has chosen as a theme for this year "Transitions and Transformations." Its events, advocacy efforts, and support programs for school district leaders will revolve around this theme. 

The tentative line-up of events for 2013-2014 include:
• September 18, 2013 (5 p.m.) - CSBA Local Control Funding Formula Seminar (San Mateo County Office of Education)
• October 21, 2013 (7 p.m.) - Countywide Collective Impact - iZone and The Big Lift (College of San Mateo)
• November 16, 2013 (10 a.m.) - New Teacher Agreements and the experience of the San Jose Unified School District (location TBD - joint meeting with Santa Clara County School Boards Association)
• November 23, 2013 (9 a.m.) - Workshop for newly elected School Board members (Redwood City School District office)
• January 27, 2014 (7 p.m.) - Strategic Plans for the 21st Century (College of San Mateo)
• March 10, 2014 (7 p.m.) - Assessments and Measuring Success in the era of Common Core (College of San Mateo)
• May 19, 2014 (6 p.m.) - 2014 Kent Awards (Crowne Plaza, Foster City) 

For the 7 p.m. dinner events, SMCSBA plans to invite at least one past Kent Award winner to showcase progress in their innovative program for students. Other activities this year include the continuation of SMCSBA's monthly networking lunches for school board members to share best practices and challenges in an informal setting. The first of these lunches will take place on Friday, Sept 13. In addition, SMCSBA plans this year to issue a series of position papers on various important topics around public education policy to act both as a resource for school districts and education-focused non-profits as well as a guide for statewide and other policy makers.

"We are in the middle of a series of dramatic changes in public education, and our members are dedicated to helping school districts make this transformation to best serve all students in our communities," said Alisa MacAvoy, President of SMCSBA. "We're excited about all of the amazing events and other advocacy and support efforts we will have this year and the real impact they can make to our public education system."

More details about SMCSBA's events and other activities can be found on its website at www.smcsba.org.