Public School Governance

Public School Governance in California  Introduction 

The state of California is the largest public education system in the nation. The
responsibility of serving approximately 1,000 school districts and more than 6 million students
calls for the need of effective and efficient public school governance (California School Board
Association, 2018). The governance of public schools in California is very large in number,
however very rigorous in responsibility, and interconnected in order to build school leadership
capacity, in addition fostering the learning, support and success for all students (Kaplan &
Owens, 2015). In order to illustrate the roles and responsibilities of public school governance in
California, a mind map is provided (SEE LINK BELOW), in addition to a brief overview of the
eleven identified bodies of governance as described below.

Link to School Governance Mind Map:
 https://bubbl.us/NTA3NDYxMC85NzA2ODE3L2Q4ODc4NTkwMzRiZDBiYzJhMjU0YTlkODFmOTIwOTdi-X?utm_source=shared-link&utm_medium=link&s=9706817

Overview for Public School Governance in California 

The eleven identified bodies of governance within California public education are as
follows: 1) state governor, 2) state legislature, 3) state board of education, 4) state
superintendent, 5) county board of education, 6) county superintendent, 7) district board of
education, 8) district superintendent, 9) assistant superintendent of personnel, 10) assistant
superintendent of educational services, and 11) vested stakeholders consisting of students,
parents, and the community. Although each body of governance has separate roles and
responsibilities, it is observed that one cannot function effectively without the other. Thus, the
web of interconnectedness of public school governance begins with the California state governor
(California Board of Education, 2019; California County Superintendents Educational Services
Association, 2019; California School Boards Association, 2018; Fekete, Edwards, Girard,
Vinson & Trulillo, 2016; Legislative Analyst’s Office, 2018).

First, the California state governor is the chief administrator of public school governance.
The governor proposes the fiscal budget for education and has the power to veto educational bills
which stimulates from the state legislature. The state legislature, which is the second identified
body of governance, is responsible for enacting education policy and approving educational
funding. As policy and funding are disseminated through the state legislature, the state board of
education, which is the third body of governance, is responsible for carrying key educational
policies, issues regulations to implement state laws, and considers district requests to be waived
from state requirements (Legal Analyst’s Office, 2018). Fourth, the state superintendent,
executes the policies of the California board of education, oversees the California board of
education and all of the state of California's public schools (California School Boards
Association, 2018; Fekete, Edwards, Girard, Vinson & Trulillo, 2016; Legislative Analyst’s
Office, 2018). 

The fifth role of governance is the county board of education. The county board of
education advocates for education at the local, state and federal level and is involved in the
appointment of county superintendents, which is the sixth identified role of governance. The
county of superintendent is responsible for meeting the changing needs of the state and its
students, which is entrusted with the direction and guidance of the district board of education.
The district board of education, identified as the seventh role of governance, ensures that districts
are responsive to the values, beliefs and priorities of their communities. In efforts to uphold this
standard, the district board of education is responsible for the election of a district superintendent
(California County Superintendents Educational Services Association, 2019; California School
Boards Association, 2018). 

The district superintendent is the eighth role of governance in California public schools.
The responsibility of the school district superintendent is to address the values, beliefs and
priorities of the community in efforts to improve instruction and build capacity for student
success. For example, San Juan Unified School District’s Superintendent, Kent Kern, is
responsible for addressing the districts achievement gaps, making data driven decisions, and
enhancing collaboration at all levels in efforts to improve instruction and build capacity for
student success. The above superintendent’s priorities are supported by the assistant
superintendent of personnel and the assistant superintendent of educational services (San Juan
Unified School District, 2018).

The assistant superintendent of personnel is the ninth body of governance, whose
responsibility is to provide leadership, management and coordination for all classified and
certificated personnel programs (principal, vice principal, specialty staff and teachers). The tenth
body of governance is the assistant superintendent of educational services. The assistant
superintendent of educational services is responsible for planning, organizing, monitoring and
administering the districts instructional goals. The assistant superintendent of educational
services is also responsible for overseeing and supervising various instructional programs and
specialty services (student services, assessment, curriculum, special education, visual arts, health
and wellness, registration and transfers, suspensions and expulsions, child welfare and
attendance, school social work, counseling, etc.).  The execution of the roles and responsibilities
from the local county board of education to the assistant superintendent of educational services,
has a tremendous impact on the vested stakeholders who benefit from public school governance
(San Juan Unified School District, 2018). 

Vested stakeholders comprised of students, parents and the community are identified as
the eleventh role of governance in California public education. These stakeholders hold a
collective and strong voice in guiding the funding and allocation of educational instruction,
student services and the appointment of qualified personnel as set forth by the Local Control
Accountability Plan (LCAP), and in accordance to the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF)
(California Board of Education, 2019). Furthermore, students, parents and the community will
always have the attention of the California State Governor, who is the chief administrator of
public school governance (Ballotpedia, 2018).

Conclusion 

In conclusion, the public school system in California is orchestrated into eleven core roles
of governance. Although each role of governance has their own set of responsibilities, they
illustrate a graphic web of interconnectedness. Every role and responsibility of governance has
an impact on each other (positive or negative). This in turn plays a crucial part in fostering
positive outcomes of improved instruction, building school leadership capacity, support and
success for every student (Kaplan & Owens, 2015). 

References 

Ballotpedia (2019. County superintendents. Retrieved from: 
https://ballotpedia.org/Governor_of_California

California Department of Education (2019). Local control and accountability plan (LCAP). 
Retrieved from: https://www.cde.ca.gov/re/lc/

California School Boards Association (2018). Governance and policy resources: Research,  
guidance and services for effective school board governance. Retrieved from:
https://www.csba.org/GovernanceAndPolicyResources/EffectiveGovernance/RoleandRes
ponsibilitiesofSBMs.aspx

California County Superintendents Educational Services Association (2019). County  
Superintendents. Retrieved from: http://ccsesa.org/members/county-superintendents/

Fekete, F., Edwards, H., Girard, Vinson, & Trulillo (2006). Statutory functions of county boards  
of education & county superintendents of schools. Retrieved from:
https://www.scoe.org/files/statutory_functions.pdf

Kaplan, L. & Owens, A.W. (2015). Introduction to the principalship, theory to practice. New 
 York, NY: Routledge.

Legislative Analyst’s Office (2018). Overview of the State Governance: K-12 Education. 
Retrieved from:
https://lao.ca.gov/handouts/education/2018/Overview_of_State_Governance_K12_Educa
tion_021418.pdf

San Juan Unified School District (2019). Kent Kern, San Juan Unified District superintendents  
of schools. Retrieved from: https://www.sanjuan.edu/domain/148