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CalSTRS committee hears progress on board education curriculum and virtual library
Summary
Staff reported the board continuing education curriculum and a virtual education library are largely complete; presenters outlined next steps including a trustee self-assessment, refresher sessions on tools like Diligent, and expanded mentoring to support onboarding and ongoing trustee development.
The Board Governance Committee received an update on trustee education initiatives, including a finalized continuing education curriculum and a virtual board education library intended to make training materials easier to access.
Saba Hashmi, who led the presentation, said the curriculum groups topics into core, fundamentals and strategic categories and that the team considers the curriculum and the virtual library to be "complete" for now while noting they will continue to evolve the content. "This slide shows you the 4 major components of all the initiatives we've been considering," she said, describing completed items and ongoing work.
Presenters thanked staff members (including Danielle Fong) for building the virtual library and said the library will house an external conference catalog to help trustees identify high-value learning opportunities. Planned next steps include launching a trustee self-assessment to recommend an education track for year one, periodic communications about educational opportunities, and offering refresher sessions on tools such as Diligent.
Trustees responded positively: multiple trustees praised the thoroughness of onboarding and emphasized the value of mentoring and opportunities to meet members. One trustee requested a refresher course on Diligent; staff said refresher content is being incorporated into ongoing education materials.
Why it matters: trustees said better, more accessible education will help new and existing board members understand complex topics relevant to CalSTRS oversight, including actuarial briefings and budget materials.
Next steps: staff will send a communication to trustees announcing the completed curriculum and virtual library, solicit feedback, and work to implement the one-year check-in and other scheduled education activities.
