Pacific Grove board to present at CSBA on avoiding 'culture wars'; trustees discuss delegates and student rep participation

The Pacific Grove Unified School District board confirmed plans at a special governance session to deliver a presentation at the California School Boards Association (CSBA) conference about avoiding "culture wars" and leading school governance in polarized environments.

Board members described the presentation as a chance to highlight the district's work to maintain mission-focused governance during public controversies. Dr. Hazen said the presentation will focus on "how do you avoid the pitfalls that open the door for it becoming a political issue rather than a district issue," and noted the presentation will emphasize practical steps the board took during recent contentious episodes. Trustees discussed logistics: several trustees plan to register for CSBA, the clerk was identified as the trustee the board expects to enroll in president training the day before the conference, and staff will confirm registration details and costs.

The board also discussed inviting student trustees to attend. Trustees said student participation could be valuable, but raised schedule, cost and supervision issues; the board asked staff to check school schedules and investigate possible funding or fundraising to underwrite student attendance if appropriate.

Trustees raised ethics and propriety issues related to outside presenters and vendors. One trustee expressed concern about perceived coziness when outside counsel or vendors provide hospitality; trustees agreed on the importance of transparency and propriety when outside entities provide refreshments or sponsor events.

Ending: Staff will finalize registrations, confirm who will attend CSBA, and return to the board with attendance logistics and a brief on student trustee participation options.