California School Boards Association Conference Resources

missoula conference resources
A panel presentation to California School Boards Association
Annual Conference, San Diego, December 11, 2003

Supt. Don Brann, Wiseburn Elementary SD
Bill Erlendson, San Jose USD (see his PowerPoint presentation:
School Accountability Data to Build Community Support)
Steve Rees, School Wise Press (see his PDF presentation:
Your SARCs Should Show a Return-on-Investment)

At the annual conference of the California School Boards Association, our panel shared what we'd learned putting accountability reports to work. The results should prove useful to leaders in any district who'd like to see more parents enroll their kids, more teachers apply for jobs, more citizens turn out to vote, and more voters approve parcel tax and bond measures.

Supt. Don Brann, Wiseburn Elementary SD:

Don Brann, superintendent of Wiseburn Elementary School District in Los Angeles told a happy story of his active recruiting of new families into his small district near the Los Angeles airport. He used SARCs as promotion material, taking them along when he met with corporate management at neighboring firms. His SARCs were well shaped, having been produced by the architectural firm that he'd retained for modernization work.

Bill Erlendson, Directory of Accountability and External Affairs, San Jose USD:

Bill Erlendson, director of accountability and external affairs for San Jose USD in the heart of Silicon Valley, had a story of public engagement to share. His board had been focusing for five years on communicating their schools' results. The purpose was public engagement: happier parents, more active volunteers, a more supportive public, and better outcomes on election day. SARCs played a key role in San Jose's plans, as well, helping educate parents about the real condition of buildings, and establishing a level of candor that built trust. Annual climate surveys that surveyed students, educators and parents continued to provide school by school and district-wide feedback that proved that the district leadership was listening.

These investments have been well rewarded. Voters approved a historic bond measure last year that enabled the district to begin a much needed modernization plan. To view this success story, just click on the link to San Jose's Powerpoint presentation.

Steve Rees, President and Publisher, School Wise Press:

Return-on-investment is the theme of these two stories. Both districts wanted more than compliance from their accountability reports. They wanted SARCs that worked harder, and outsourced the publishing of these reports to get the professional documents they needed. Was this more effective than minimizing costs? Did their investment pay off?

Take a look at this case study. You will find that investing in reports that work harder can, indeed, pay off and bring your district new funds and cost-savings five times over the cost of SARCs alone.

For more information:

For more information, or to contact the panelists, you may e-mail us at the addresses below.

Don Brann: dbrann@wiseburn.k12.ca.us

Bill Erlendson: bill_erlendson@sjusd.k12.ca.us

Steve Rees:stever@schoolwisepress.com