California School Boards Association

What it reported doing in 2024

The education legal alliance (ela) takes on legal issues of statewide impact on behalf of its members, supports members in legal challenges, and tracks case law pertinent to education in California. It files amicus briefs and lawsuits that support school districts and county offices of education on matters of statewide importance and provides funding to school district and county offices of education for litigation on matters of statewide importance. Districts and county offices of education, on a voluntary basis, contribute annually an amount that is based on a percentage of their csba dues. An advisory committee of noted school law attorneys reviews cases and legal issues and, along with the general counsel, advises a steering committee on the potential statewide impact of a case, as well as the likelihood of success in the courts. The steering committee, comprised of prominent school or county board members, superintendents, and education and political experts, makes the final decision about funding various legal projects and cases, unless the decision has significant implications for the organization and is therefore sent to the csba board for approval.the communications department supports the realization of csba's vision and mission by increasing understanding of and support for the school board role in strengthening public schools and improving student outcomes. The department engages members, the public, policymakers, key influencers, and the media through a range of communication channels. These channels include but are not limited to: daily and weekly digests of education news stories; weekly e-newsletters; regular blog posts; the monthly California school newsletter; the quarterly California school magazine; regular updates to multiple websites including csba.org and aec.csba.org; news advisories and press releases, marketing collateral, special publications, the csba year-in-review, and regular communication through social media platforms such as facebook, twitter, and youtube. The department also arranges press events, fields media inquiries and other public questions, and provides executive support in the form of speechwriting and messaging. Through its member communications, csba reaches more than 5,000 school board trustees and their superintendents in more than 1,000 school districts, county offices of education, and regional occupational centers/programs. Externally, csba's statements and positions regularly appear in mainstream news publications across the state of California, and frequently in the national media. Research and education policy development: provides analysis of major education issues and provides information on those issues to csba's leadership and membership. The department also responds to requests from board members and other educational organizations for statistics and other information about tk-12 education policy in California.the business affiliates program: csba's consolidated marketing efforts strengthen our relationships with the private sector and generate additional revenues for the association. The "package" concept of benefits, discounts, and recognition offers substantial appeal for potential csba sponsors, donors, exhibitors, and advertisers.total form 990, part iii, line 4d, other program services

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 77%; rating input score 77
• Program expense ratio: 88.1%; rating input score 88
• Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 6 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • Independent consultant: Pass
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
  • Written employment contract: Pass
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 87.1%; rating input score 87; 19th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 13.5%; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.29; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.18; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 17.3%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 6.1% per year; rating input score 100; 50th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 5.7% per year; rating input score 100; 50th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 5.1% per year; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings