Professional Development Update

August 21, 2020

What's in this update

CASB Leadership Workbook: Evaluating your board's effectiveness
CASB Conversations Webinar: Special Policy Update
CASB Connections Podcast: Advocacy 101
Registration is now open for the CASB Fall Regional Meetings
Recognize a deserving school board member for their service
CASB Call for Resolutions now open for the Fall Delegate Assembly

CASB Leadership Workbook: Evaluating your board's effectiveness

How have you been using your CASB 2019 Leadership Workbook? As a member of CASB, school boards can access this resource online by logging into the website. You'll find valuable tools, tips, and worksheets. For example, the Board planning calendar gives you the layout for the year — even for this complicated year — so take advantage of planning ahead and don’t forget to utilize it as you plan for the next 2020-2021 school year.

We encourage you to start with Chapter 1: Serving on Your Local Board. Teamwork makes the dream work. While the work of the board is carried out as a group, you do have important responsibilities. No time is better than now for assessing your board's effectiveness. Here are some questions for self-reflection and a great self-assessment tool:

How is your teamwork going?
Is everyone doing their fair share of the work? Are you doing your fair share?
How is the board complying with board policies?
How do you prepare for board meetings?

Evaluating the Board / Performance Checklist

CASB Conversations Webinar: Special Policy Update

Did you have a chance to attend the July webinar on Title IX and Reopening Schools Policies? If not, check out the webinar but we encourage you to take notes as there is a lot of information. Look for more Title IX webinars with the first in a series on Wednesday, September 23, 2020.

Learn more (member-only resource requires login)

CASB Connections Podcast: Advocacy 101

As we round the corner into the fall, we also look forward to preparing for the 2021 legislative season. Resolutions are vital to CASB’s advocacy work but you have an integral role in advocating for your district and your students. As an elected official, you share constituents with other elected officials — legislators and the Governor. Learn tips and tools to use that will strengthen your advocacy muscles and help you build relationships that will work for your district.

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Stitcher

Listen on Spotify

Registration is open for the CASB Fall Regional Meetings

CASB's Fall Regional Meetings have been moved to a virtual format this year and will be held from September 1 - October 22, 2020. CASB members will have the ability to collaborate with colleagues from neighboring districts, share ideas, and hear from CASB's knowledgable staff as they offer up-to-the-minute insights to help boards make sound governance decisions. Registration is free and we are looking forward to great participation!

AGENDA
		Welcome Mastering the Tools of Effective Governance Monica Furey Peloso, CASB Board of Directors President Join CASB Board President Monica Peloso who will lead a panel conversation with several local school board members from your region. Our panel will highlight the tools and resources they used to navigate the past six months, their lessons learned, and plans for moving forward. Learn and collaborate with your peers to refine your leadership skills during this uncharted time where we are all navigating a global health pandemic, an economic crisis, and social unrest. By harnessing the collective wisdom of school boards, we keep Colorado strong and support the more than 900,000 students our school boards are charged with serving.
		Addressing Equity in Your Community Cheri Wrench, CASB Executive Director Education is the great equalizer in our society and opens up opportunities regardless of race, gender, or economic background. Recent studies, protests, and the media have highlighted equity concerns across our state. When our schools went to remote learning in the spring, the lack of access to the internet and technology became highly visible. In addition, food insecurity in each community was highlighted as schools helped serve their community’s needs. As schools reopen, the inequities in infrastructure are more apparent with concerns around adequate air filtration systems. We will spend time discussing how your districts are approaching equity and making sure every student gets what they need to succeed.
		Title IX Information Josie Lewis, CASB Chief Legal Counsel and General Counsel Sam Jones-Rogers, CASB Staff Attorney Title IX makes clear that no student shall, on the basis of sex, be subject to discrimination. The U.S. Department of Education recently released its long-awaited final regulations governing campus sexual assault under Title IX. As a board member, the legal control of your district rests with you and understanding the changes made to Title IX is an important responsibility. CASB legal staff will provide you with highlights and answer questions you may have based on the recently released Special Policy Update resources and webinar.
		Connecting with Your Community and Working Together Monica Furey Peloso, CASB Board of Directors President Community participation in the affairs of the school district is essential if the school system and the community are to maintain mutual confidence and respect, and work together to improve the academic achievement of students in the district. CASB Sample Board Policy KCB (Community Involvement in Decision Making) speaks to the importance of a strong working relationship with your community to build trust and satisfaction with your school district. This is true during times of stability and even more important when the choices we are making are high-stakes and plagued with uncertainty. Join your peers in walking through the Community Relations Checklist.
		The November Ballot Matt Cook, CASB Director of Public Policy and Advocacy As an elected official, your constituents look to you to understand how measures on the November ballot may impact schools. Both of the referred measures on the ballot — SCR 001: Repeal of the Gallagher Amendment and HB20-1427: Cigarette Tobacco And Nicotine Products Tax — would affect school funding. We will run through ballot initiatives, their impact on local schools, and address your questions.
		McGuffey Awards School board members are ordinary people who demonstrate extraordinary dedication to our public schools. The CASB McGuffey Award honors unique board members who bring committed and passionate service to their board work. Every district has the opportunity to submit one board member each year. Join us as we pause and recognize their significant contributions.

Learn more and register

Recognize a deserving school board member for their service

The CASB McGuffey Award honors unique board members who bring committed and passionate service to their board work. Every district has the opportunity to submit one board member each year. Honorees are recognized at CASB’s Fall Regional Meetings and featured on our website, through social media and in the Annual Convention program. It takes just a small amount of your time for a worthy recognition.

Submission deadline is two weeks prior to your regional meeting — so act today!

Learn more

CASB Call for Resolutions now open for the Fall Delegate Assembly

Our members play a critical role in advocacy and helping determine CASB’s legislative platform and priorities. Each summer, we issue a Call for Resolutions request to every member school board as an opportunity to provide input on public education issues for the next legislative session. CASB compiles the proposed resolutions, prepares research data and distributes the information to the Legislative Resolutions Committee below, which reviews resolutions and makes recommendations to the CASB Delegate Assembly. Additionally, the committee reviews legislative proposals, discusses issues and advises CASB staff of the issues school board members would like brought to the attention of the General Assembly.