SearchOn Wednesday, February 25, 2026, CASBO was invited to provide testimony before a joint hearing of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 3 on Education Finance and the Assembly Education Committee on the topic of Coherence in Fiscal and Programmatic Planning.The hearing focused on how California can better align funding, accountability, and program requirements to support student outcomes.
Chief Governmental Relations Officer Sara Pietrowski testified on behalf of CASBO’s more than 30,000 members statewide. She emphasized that coherence requires stable, ongoing funding, sustained focus over time, clarity in expectations, meaningful planning structures, and modern systems that reduce administrative burden. Her message reinforced a core principle: the path to coherence begins by tapping into local expertise and recommitting to local control.
CASBO member leader Grant Schimelpfening also testified before the Committees. Grant serves as Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services at Lindsay Unified School District and as CASBO’s Central Section State Director, Advocacy Network Chair, and incoming Vice President.
Representing a high needs Central Valley district serving approximately 4,000 students, Grant shared how Lindsay Unified sustains a learner centered, mastery based instructional model while navigating multiple reporting systems, categorical programs, and one time funding streams. His testimony underscored an important reality: districts achieving coherence are not experiencing less complexity. They are managing incoherence through strong leadership, disciplined alignment, and intentional integration of funding and accountability structures.
He also highlighted how clarity at the outset, particularly around audit expectations and implementation guidance, directly influences district decision making. When expectations are clear, districts can innovate with confidence. When ambiguity exists, implementation can vary based on local context and risk tolerance.
Together, Sara and Grant demonstrated the depth and credibility of CASBO’s leadership. At the state level, CASBO advances policy principles that promote stability, alignment, and meaningful planning. At the local level, our members implement those policies every day, ensuring state decisions translate into meaningful outcomes for students.
When the Legislature convenes a hearing on coherence and invites CASBO to the table, it signals that school business expertise is indispensable to shaping California’s education system. This is the impact of sustained, trusted engagement.
CASBO remains committed to partnering with policymakers and empowering members to engage in advocacy that strengthens public education across California.
