California School Business News July 12, 2022

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July 12, 2022

New Program Puts Public Health Volunteers in Schools

Lottery Has New Tool to Track p. 11 Money for Schools, Seeks Your Help How to Talk to Get p. 13 Increased Cooperation

Eastern Section Seeks New Board Member

California Association of School Business Officials The Foremost Authority on School Business

SCHOOLbusiness news NEW PROGRAM PUTS PUBLIC HEALTH VOLUNTEERS IN SCHOOLS CBO / FACILITIES / RISK MANAGEMENT

EdSource report.

California’s investment in students’ health and well-being got a boost from the federal government at the end of June when AmeriCorps announced it would dispatch dozens of public health volunteers to schools and communities, according to an

Five California organizations, including several that work in schools, are part of the first wave of a new AmeriCorps grant program intended to boost public health among children and families, particularly those who have been hard hit by the pandemic.

The program, a joint effort with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), will provide $400 million in grants over five years nationwide. In California, the program will disperse at least $5 million this year, with more funding expected in the future. Organizations will use the grant money to place AmeriCorps volunteers in schools and other locations where they can help families get COVID vaccines, tests and treatment; find mental health counseling; and connect to other local health resources.

The goal is to improve public health overall, but especially in communities that have been hard hit by COVID. Low-income, Black and Latino communities have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, suffering greater health impacts as well as economic repercussions.

The program is also intended to lure more workers to the public health field, which the CDC determined was woefully understaffed when the pandemic struck. Ideally, the grant program will help prepare thousands of future nurses, doctors, epidemiologists, researchers and others interested in the field, said Michael Smith, chief executive of AmeriCorps.

Here are the California organizations that won public health grants from AmeriCorps: Safe Passages: $273,000 Los Angeles County Department of Public Health: $1.6 million A. Works: $1.5 million Reach Out: $201,000 The Arc: $278,000

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July 12, 2022 These organizations that also were awarded grants have branches in California: Reading & Math, Inc.; Leeza’s Care Connection; FoodCorps, Inc.; Catholic Charities; Boat People SOS; and the American Heart Association.

In Alameda County, the nonprofit Safe Passages will place 15 AmeriCorps volunteers in schools in Oakland, Hayward and Union City. Those volunteers will work directly with families, go to health fairs and other events, meet with students and parents at school, and call families to help them get vaccinated, among other tasks.

The AmeriCorps investment comes amid a broad surge of support for health services located on school campuses. The new state budget includes $1.1 billion for community schools which offer on-campus health care, mental health services and other amenities for students as well as families.

In addition, since the pandemic, schools around the state have opened “wellness centers,” rooms where students can relax, meditate, see counselors, do yoga, get peer counseling and otherwise tend to their mental health. Districts also have extra funding to hire more counselors, psychologists and social workers; partner with local nonprofits that offer health services; streamline the process to bill Medi-Cal for health services; and invest in social-emotional learning in the classroom.

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SCHOOLbusiness news NEW TOOL HELPS CALCULATE COST OF ACADEMIC RECOVERY CBO / FINANCIAL SERVICES

Administration.

Bringing students back academically from the challenges of remote instruction and other COVID disruptions may take a while.

But there is good news when it comes to calculating how long it will take and what it might cost, according to a report by District

To help districts get a handle on the size of the recovery, the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University has developed a calculator that school leaders can use to determine how far behind their students are and the costs of tutoring to catch them up.

The Edunomics Lab calculator has data on approximately 8,000 districts, including how long schools were closed for remote learning or operating on a hybrid model. The cost estimates are also based on factors such as a district’s racial demographics; poverty levels; and the impact of past major disruptions, such as hurricanes and earthquakes.

Data shows that low achieving, Black and Hispanic, and low-income students fell the furthest behind during the pandemic, particularly during remote or hybrid learning.

For instance, the Edunomics Lab estimates that in the Los Angeles Unified School District, which was fully remote for most of the 2020-21 school year, students fell 22 weeks behind in math and 18 weeks behind in reading.

Here’s how that compares to other districts: Falls Church City Public Schools, Virginia; low-poverty and mostly remote: 11 weeks in math 5 weeks of reading Brevard Public Schools, Florida; mid-poverty and mostly in-person: 6 weeks in math 4 weeks in learning Galena Park Independent School District, Texas; high-poverty and mostly in-person: 11 weeks in math 10 weeks in reading

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July 12, 2022 The costs of recovery are based on providing high-dosage tutoring to students three times a week for the entirety of an average 36-week school year. The costs could vary based on student-to-tutor ratios and who provides the instruction.

The Edunomics Lab estimates that it will cost Los Angeles Unified about $851 million to provide the necessary math tutoring and $466 million for reading. The district received $2.5 billion in the third round of ESSER funding.

While districts and states have submitted their plans for spending their relief funds, much of the money has yet to be spent, and school leaders have time to alter those plans as the scope of learning loss is now becoming clearer. Leaders are also encouraged gather more input from their communities when considering changes.

An estimated 57% of 100 large and urban districts studied by the Center for Reinventing Public Education have followed an ESSER requirement to collect community feedback on their initial spending plans. Districts that have reached out to their communities have done so through surveys, town halls and other platforms. Some districts have created new opportunities to include parents in leadership decisions.

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SCHOOLbusiness news STATES RELAXING CERTIFICATION RULES TO ADDRESS TEACHER SHORTAGE CBO / HUMAN RESOURCES / PAYROLL Policymakers nationwide are relaxing their states’ certification requirements to get more teachers in the classroom and circumvent shortages.

Education Week and the Education Commission of the States identified about a dozen states that have recently amended — or are considering amending — teacher certification rules. Some are changing the criteria for licensure, others are expanding the qualifying score on state licensing tests, and some are dropping licensure tests altogether.

These adjustments are coming as school leaders brace for increasingly severe teacher shortages, particularly in hard-to-fill subject areas or locations. Last fall, nearly half of district and school leaders said they struggled to hire enough full-time teachers, according to a national EdWeek Research Center survey.

Large percentages of teachers indicated plans to quit at the end of this past school year — although it’s not yet clear how many actually did — and the percentage of prospective teachers entering the profession has been declining for years.

To pave the way for more people to enter the classroom, California legislators voted last year to allow teacher candidates to skip two different exams — the basic skills test and a subject matter exam — if they have taken approved college courses. And Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill in May that removes the requirement for teacher-candidates to pass a general education exam that covers communication, critical thinking and computation.

Missouri’s state board of education voted earlier this month to grant teaching certificates to test-takers who score within one standard error of measurement, meaning they missed the qualifying score by a few questions. The education department says 550 teachers will benefit from this policy change — 80% of whom are working toward being certified in one of the state’s top 15 shortage areas.

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July 12, 2022 In Alabama, state board of education members are also considering certifying prospective teachers who don’t reach the qualifying score on the Praxis. Nearly 1,200 teachers in the state scored one standard error measure below the passing score between September 2019 and August 2021. The state’s education department has proposed that candidates who score within one standard error of measurement on the Praxis can still be certified if they have a higher GPA in their teacher-preparation program or if they complete 100 hours of stateapproved training.

Meanwhile, New Jersey has implemented a five-year pilot program where prospective teachers can still get limited certification if they either don’t meet the minimum GPA requirement or earn the minimum passing score on a state licensing test of subject matter knowledge. Districts that want to hire these teachers must first apply to the state to enroll in the program.

About a decade ago, states were strengthening entry requirements to the field. Now, some critics warn against lowering the bar at a time when effective teachers are needed more than ever to help make up learning that was disrupted during the pandemic.

While certain subject areas and locations have always been perennial shortage areas, there’s no evidence of a mass teacher exodus since the start of the pandemic. And many states don’t collect or publish data that would help pinpoint the scope of the problem, experts say. To truly combat shortages, states need better data. After all, you can’t fix what you can’t see.

Another alternative to blunt policy responses is giving more support to aspiring teachers so they can pass state exams.

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CASBOinsights EASTERN SECTION SEEKS NEW BOARD MEMBER SECTION LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITY If you’re a CASBO Eastern Section member who’s interested in becoming more involved in your section leadership, look no further, as they are seeking a qualified individual who wants to serve in the open position of Director IV this year!

Joining your section as a board member is not only personally fulfilling, it can also benefit your career by improving your leadership skills and widening your network of colleagues and business connections.

To learn more about the responsibilities involved in serving as a section board director, please consult CASBO’s Eastern Section Bylaws, or contact a member who served in 2021-22. Both of these resources can help you learn more about the role, as well as the benefits that leadership service can provide you and your local education agency.

Current individual members* in these categories who are located within the Eastern Section are eligible to apply and serve: Organizational Subscriber Employee Members Honorary Life Members Retiree Members If you’re an eligible member and this opportunity appeals to you, please complete the application and send it to Eastern Section President Mary Jeannette Sanchez no later than July 31, 2022, at mary.sanchez@sausd.us. (And if you’re not eligible but know someone who is, please feel free to forward this announcement to them!)

Thank you for considering becoming a CASBO member-leader this year. Our association counts on professionals like you to make us strong! *Not a CASBO member? Join or renew today!

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CASBOinsights THE CASBO CAREER CENTER: RECRUIT PERSONNEL AND ACHIEVE CAREER GOALS! CASBO RESOURCES UPDATE Last year, CASBO provided its network of school business professionals with a more robust recruiting tool with our CASBO Career Center, an enhanced, all-in-one platform that provides local education agencies and individual job seekers with a centralized way to place notices of open positions or seek new career opportunities.

For our human resources recruiters, this means a wealth of features at your fingertips to find just the right candidates for your open positions. And for you job seekers out there, it means getting a one-stop shop to watch the market (with customized job alerts), put yourself out there for consideration and more!

In addition to career-related resources offered to members and non-members alike, our center provides access to Career HQ, the online job board platform powered by our partner Naylor Association Solutions. It offers industry best practices and innovative technology to help you successfully plan and achieve your individual career goals or build your organization’s human resources capacity.

It’s one powerful job board platform with unlimited opportunity. Here are a few more of the benefits that our Career Center has to offer: For Employers With Career HQ, you have a suite of job ad packages and enhancements to ensure your open positions reach a wider audience of candidates. Here, you can: Save on multiple ads. Purchase three- or five-ad packages (valid for 365 days) to save on future job posts.

Find qualified candidates. Every ad posting includes access to a live resume database.

Get your position filled. Take advantage of job ad enhancements that quickly put your open position in front of more candidates, such as: Social media recruiting - Reach active and passive job seekers via Twitter @CASBOCareerHQ. 9

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July 12, 2022 Ad retargeting – Have your opening follow a candidate to their next stop online in the form of an ad in their browser.

Featured job posts – Gain an advantage and get prime exposure on the site with highlighted job postings and prominent visibility to job seekers.

Job post videos – Create professional, 60-second videos to provide key information, brand identification and a call to action for each of your postings.

Best of all? There are no job posting deadlines that are tied to newsletter submission dates.

Because Career HQ is a live platform, linked prominently both on casbo.org and in every newsletter issue, you can recruit new personnel any time you like!

For Job Seekers Whether you’re ready to make a change now, or just want to keep an eye on the market, the CASBO Career Center is the first and last place for a job search in school business. Create your own individual account to: Post your resume. Maintain your presence as a qualified candidate with a robust profile that includes your resume, references, letters of recommendation and more! Maintain your privacy with complete control over how much information is shown to employers at any time.

Get job alerts. Sign up to receive email alerts of new job posts, in any area of California, in any area of expertise.

Apply for jobs. With new jobs posted daily, you can search for your next position anytime and apply on the spot.

Grow your skills. CASBO offers a library of courses in our Career Center. From resume building to building your own brand, the Career Center encourages an integrative career and professional development process that enhances your skill set.

Don’t wait to start using the CASBO Career Center! With affordable member and non-member rates, the Career HQ job board is a great way to give yourself the tools you need to fill or find the next best position!

Want to get Career HQ discounts? Join CASBO or renew your membership today!

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CASBOinsights LOTTERY HAS NEW TOOL TO TRACK MONEY FOR SCHOOLS, SEEKS YOUR HELP CASBO GUEST FEATURE / CALL TO ACTION As most CASBO members know, the California Lottery's mission is to raise supplemental funding for California’s public schools. In an effort to highlight the Lottery’s commitment to transparency as well, there’s a new feature on the Lottery website that allows the public to follow the dollars.

The new, interactive tool helps people see how much Lottery funding goes to schools by county and by school district. Website visitors can now see where the nearly $2 billion raised annually goes, right down to the local level. The Lottery recently unveiled this tool to the public, securing media coverage across the state, including in The Sacramento Bee as well as in the Bay Area.

“We developed this follow-the-dollars feature on our website to help Californians better understand the true purpose of the Lottery,” said Alva V. Johnson, California State Lottery Director. “We exist solely to generate additional money for public schools, and this tool demonstrates our commitment not only to our mission but our commitment to transparency as well.”

Over the past 37 years, the Lottery has contributed more than $39 billion to California's public schools. The Lottery gave more than $1.8 billion to public schools in fiscal year 2020-21, which is about 1% of the state's annual budget for public schools.

Since the Lottery's inception, California’s public schools have used their Lottery contributions in many creative ways. In the past, at least one school used their funds for technology, building a “nerve center” which granted complete internet access for each and every classroom.

Another school used their funds to create a “Farm Lab,” the first certified organic farm in the U.S. to be owned by a school district. Other schools used their Lottery funds for books, equipment and furniture, things that may not seem exciting but are required for schools to function.

The Lottery knows a lot of the money also helps pay for the retention of stellar school employees as well; those stories are important too because, as we all know, talented teachers, administrators and other staff ultimately help California’s public school students.

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July 12, 2022 Call to Action The new map and search tool work on mobile devices. Additionally, in some cases, people can narrow the search even further by looking at how much Lottery funding has gone to a specific school. The new feature, however, stops short of showcasing the programs, services, and talented teachers and other school professionals the Lottery funding helps pay for.

In order to dive deeper on these dollars, the Lottery’s Communications Team is now asking for your help to learn how they’re spent so they can amplify positive stories throughout California’s communities about the different ways schools are using their Lottery funds to benefit students.

Stories can be showcased on the local news, on social media, via an email blast … or all of the above!

If you’d like to participate, please send stories of how your school or school district uses Lottery funding to the Lottery Communications Team at pac@calottery.com, and they’ll reach out to work more closely with you to feature these wonderful stories.

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LEADERSHIPtrends HOW TO TALK TO GET INCREASED COOPERATION COMMUNICATION TIPS New research shows that the language we use can inspire people to work together or be more selfish. That’s an important finding when it comes to organizational teamwork. After all, the need for collective action comes up again and again in the workplace.

A study published in Rationality and Society found that cooperation and communication are the keys to improved collaboration, according to Magda Osman, Agata Ludwiczak, Devyani Sharma and Zoe Adams of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley.

While it might be disappointing to realize that others might not cooperate when sacrificing for the public good, it turns out that strong communication helps group members size up the intentions of the others and gives them a chance to persuade their peers to act cooperatively.

The study also suggests that avoiding phrases that indicate hedging and equivocation helps people cooperate. Being vague about the extent of your intended contribution (I’ll give more next time”) and offering conditional contributions (“I’ll give more if everyone else does”) will foster mistrust within your group and reduce people’s sense of obligation. Ultimately, this will hinder the group’s ability to reach an agreement to cooperate.

A better approach is to be explicit and specific with the promises you make about your contribution. It’s also important to pose a direct question to the entire group which asks about everyone’s intended contribution. This encourages each member to make a commitment, and if someone evades the question, it’s a useful signal.

The communication styles we use can also make a difference. Speaking in a way that signals solidarity and authority will strengthen the group’s collective identity and establish a norm to cooperate. Humor and warmth help, too. On the other hand, groups that used more formal and self-interested communication styles, such as those associated with the world of business and politics, were less cooperative.

In short, showing strong leadership through assertive statements, expressing encouragement through motivational phrases, and making people feel part of your group are good first steps in getting others to cooperate.

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LEADERSHIPtrends HOW EMPLOYERS CAN HELP GEN Z STAFFERS FEEL MORE CONNECTED EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

Harvard Business Review.

New research by the mental health organization Sapien Labs shows that half of young people worldwide have experienced mental health decline and a deterioration of their “social self” in the wake of the pandemic, reports Adam Smiley Poswolsky for

But leaders can help Gen Z team members feel more connected! Here are commitments leaders can make to support an increasingly vulnerable generation: Put mental health front and center A culture built on mental health and wellness goes beyond offering a meditation app; it infuses mental health throughout the organization through policies and programs that take care of your people.

Putting mental health front and center might look like offering competitive pay (commensurate with rising inflation), paid time off and expanded family leave policies, childcare subsidies and services, or elder care support and parent support groups. It also might mean doing more to address employee burnout and exhaustion: doubling down on flexible work policies, testing a four-day week pilot program, establishing “Friday rest days,” “meeting-free days,” and “do not disturb hours,” ensuring that employees have more time to rest and recharge.

Make onboarding a community-building exercise Employee onboarding is your opportunity to showcase what a culture of mutual support and well-being looks like to new recruits. For many young employees, onboarding might be their first-ever or second experience in a professional setting. It’s incredibly important, especially in a remote or hybrid workforce, that onboarding establishes a container of mutual support.

Onboarding might involve a shadowing exercise where new hires shadow co-workers for a day to see how their colleagues actually do their jobs; a speed-friending exercise, where new hires meet managers across the organization; a personal purpose exercise, where new hires gain a better understanding of their personal goals; or a play exercise like improv, where new hires get comfortable trying new things and laughing in front of each other.

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July 12, 2022 Support young talent with coaching According to Glint’s 2021 Employee Well-Being Report, having opportunities to learn and grow is now the No. 1 factor people say defines an exceptional work environment. An essential tool for learning and development is cross-organization mentorship and sponsorship, which makes it easier for next-gen talent to secure personal and professional development and promotion opportunities.

Trade screen time for connection time Sapien Labs’ report notes that pandemic-era declines in “social self” mirror an acceleration of a trend that began in 2010, and research by psychologist Jean Twenge and her colleagues shows this trend strongly correlates with the growth of smartphone use and social media.

According to Cigna, employees who say they have colleagues that they like eating lunch with, or who have a best friend at work, or who have more phone calls and in-person conversations with their co-workers are less lonely on the UCLA Loneliness Scale. Leaders should remember the power of picking up the phone and calling their team members (over sending an email, messaging them on apps or scheduling yet another Zoom meeting) and, whenever possible, make time to see colleagues for coffee, lunch or a walk. Taking five minutes at the start of your weekly team meeting to do a well-being check-in (and listening to how people are doing and what they need) matters.

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LEADERSHIPtrends THREE TIPS FOR USING YOUR LUNCH BREAK TO INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY THIS WEEK’S LIST There's no shame in a midday break. In fact, it turns out that taking a lunch break makes you more productive, but you have to commit to taking the time.

Here are three ways to make lunch breaks a habit, according to Xintian Tina Wang for Inc. 1. Start small. For some employees, stepping away from work seems daunting and daring. You don't need to take a whole hour off when you first start to take a lunch break.

"Experiment with a five-minute micro-break and step away from the computer and mindfully eat something nourishing like a piece of fruit. Do that every day for a week, note how it feels, and build from there," Renee Cullinan, CEO of a San Francisco-based consultancy that focuses on wellness, the Dandelion Project, told Inc. 2. Invite others. It's easy to let lunch slip if you're eating alone. But the second you have another party on hand, your obligation to stepping away expands. Doing so can help you cement your commitment to lunch. Think of this, too, as a time to network with colleagues or some business leaders in your area.

Letslunch is a free social network that will match you with someone in your area during weekday lunch hours. The site's algorithm matches you with a like-minded lunch partner, based on your LinkedIn profile, availability and geographic flexibility. This is an efficient way to grow your network by using the time that's already built into your day.

3. Just recharge. "The ideal lunch break is the one tailored to your preferences and circumstances," says Cullinan. You don't need to schedule your lunch break at noon. You don't even need to have a meal during your break time, as long as you feel recharged after the break. Start by asking yourself: When do you want to take a break and what do you want to do?

Cullinan advises employees to think about a good place to take a break. It could be in the break room, on a walk or even on a park bench — just not at your computer. Ask yourself if you prefer to bring something or get a quick bite out? Will you be more energized by social contact or a few minutes of solitude?

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July 12, 2022

What Do You Think?

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER TATIA DAVENPORT

Previous Issues EDITOR-IN-CHIEF JOYCE TRIBBEY

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