On August 15, ACSA and other organizations addressed a joint letter to Secretary Mark Ghaly of the California Health and Human Services Agency to express concerns about the implementation of a new billing system for behavioral health services.

The fee schedule is tied to the California Youth and Behavioral Health Initiative, a five-year, $4.6 billion initiative aimed to increase access to mental health services for students in schools. The first cohort of local educational agencies involved in the program are experiencing challenges with billing the state for those services, said ACSA Legislative Advocate Serette Kaminski.

The letter states that the fee schedule has become more burdensome than the LEA Billing Option Program by creating more requirements such as submissions of monthly provider rosters and management of entire provider networks. ACSA and education partners recommended that state agencies revisit decisions like these in order to relieve the administrative burden on participating LEAs.

LEAs in the first cohort are also concerned about the lack of collaboration or consultation from state agencies so far, noting that they have been primarily asked to disseminate guidance rather than provide input.

Educational organizations also requested a joint hearing of the Legislature early next year to address the issues raised in the letter. Meanwhile, ACSA and the other letter signers are also engaging in solution-oriented meetings with state agency leadership.

Read the letter posted on ACSA’s Resource Hub: content.acsa.org/concerns-with-multi-payer-school-linked-fee-schedule.

In a new public awareness campaign, the California Department of Public Health and CalFresh Healthy Living casts a light on the various health risks associated with sugar-sweetened beverages. The Not So Sweet Side initiative encourages California families and communities to make informed decisions about their beverage consumption and fosters healthy changes that promote long-term well-being.

“Amidst the glitzy marketing and confusing labels surrounding sugary beverages, there’s a hidden truth about the potential health risks,” said Dr. Tomás J. Aragón, CDPH director and state public health Officer, in a news release. “The Not So Sweet Side campaign aims to reveal the added sugars hiding in unsuspecting places and educate families about the serious health risks associated with them. By offering practical strategies to support healthier lifestyles, such as reducing sugary drink intake, we are committed to helping reduce chronic conditions and diseases.”

A significant proportion of added sugars in the American diet come from sugary drinks, regular soda, fruit drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, sweetened teas and flavored coffees. Consuming too much sugar has been associated with an increase in chronic conditions and diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and tooth decay.

Sugary drinks and other unhealthy food and beverage advertisements disproportionately target Blacks, Latinos and other communities of color, so CDPH is reaching these communities with information and practical resources to support healthier choices.

For more information about the Not So Sweet Side campaign, including the Beverage Breakdown Calculator, recipes, resources, and tips for making healthier beverage choices, visit UncoverHealthyHabits.com.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond has launched a statewide effort to accelerate housing development by utilizing the significant amount of developable land owned by California’s local education agencies.

Combined, California LEAs own 75,000 acres of developable land, providing the potential to create an estimated 2.3 million new housing units throughout the state. According to recent data from the Regional Housing Needs Assessment, the housing gap in California could be addressed by creating 2.5 million new homes over the next eight-year development cycle.

This initiative aims to accelerate the use of existing research by the California School Boards Association, UC Berkeley, and UCLA, and the use of funding for educator housing that Thurmond previously secured in the state budget.

Progress on educator housing development has moved slowly but steadily across the state, with recent projects that prove the impact of workforce housing development on teacher retention and students’ classroom-level experience. During a July 30 press conference, Jefferson Union High School District Board Trustee Andy Lie stated that, following the completion of a 122-unit housing project last year, the district opened schools with zero teaching vacancies for the first time in years. Jefferson Union High School District is located in San Mateo County, one of the most competitive rental markets in the state.

The Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents is welcoming four new members to its executive board, two of whom are ACSA members. The board will help lead the organization alongside incoming ALAS President Alex Marrero.

The executive board members were voted on during ALAS’ board of directors’ retreat in July. They are: President-Elect Leslie Torres-Rodriguez, Treasurer Zandra Jo Galván, Secretary Ruth Perez and Historian Francisco Durán.

“Drs. Torres-Rodriguez, Zandra Jo Galván, Ruth Perez, and Francisco Durán are amazing leaders with a passion for driving positive change in their districts, their communities, and in the larger education industry,” said ALAS Executive Director Ulysses Navarrete, in a news release. “They will lay the foundation for ALAS to be the premier organization for cultivating Latino leaders to ensure equitable outcomes for all students, especially our Latino youth.”

ACSA member Galván, superintendent of Greenfield Union School District, currently serves as ALAS State Affiliate At-Large Director West.

Fellow ACSA member Perez, deputy superintendent of the Los Angeles County Office of Education, currently serves as ALAS Director for Region 1 West.

ALAS’ board of directors, who serve staggered two- or three-year terms, will be sworn in during the ALAS 21st National Education Summit, Oct. 9-11 in Portland, Ore.