Why Join APISBMA?

Please join us, the Asian Pacific Islander School Board Members Association (APISBMA).  

APISBMA supports school board members across the state as we navigate the increasingly complex challenges to equity and educational justice. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the support of Asian Pacific Islander (API) students in California schools, as well as the promotion of equitable and quality education for all children. We do so through active social media for news and resources, special events, workshops, and partnership at the California School Boards Association (CSBA) annual conference.  

We welcome school districts, individual school board members, and other interested advocates. Our purpose and goals are to: 

• Respond promptly, with research and evidence, to issues affecting API students (e.g., curriculum that includes their histories and experiences). 
• Be a network for all school board members to help support their API students and equity for all students. 
• Be a network for API school board members. 
• Encourage greater voice through participation of API board members in the CSBA. 
• Provide information and resources for prospective school board members to increase API representation. 
• Develop coalitions with other educational, ethnic, and community leaders and organizations to promote equitable and quality education for all children. 

APISBMA efforts this year have helped ensure an accessible yet comprehensive California Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum. APISBMA has also responded to the current wave of anti-Asian hate and violence/verbal harassment, offering local school boards statements and templates for their own communities. Recently, our seminars have provided insight into the hidden mental health and well-being challenges of API students and their families. School board members can be better networked to establish enhanced policies. 

I’m pleased to share a couple of typical comments from our members: 

APISBMA focuses on the needs of API students, a group that is diverse and whose needs can be overlooked, as API students comprise only 12% of the California student population. Connecting with and supporting APISBMA helps our district to address the needs of our API students. 

When attending APISBMA events, I can network with other school board members who share some of the same issues as our district; it helps to identify new ideas and best practices. As the APISBMA school district annual membership fee is only $100, this makes it a real bargain. 

We look forward to meeting and working with you! 

Warmly, 

Laurie Fong 

2022 APISBMA President