2026 ACSA Personnel Institute

It takes more than being an expert on Ed. Code to reduce the potential for negative impact on an organization during a layoff. Soft skills, emotional intelligence, and empathy will assist in weathering the storm successfully.

Learn about the latest from the State Capitol as the Governor wraps his final year in office with action on hundreds of bills while voters consider statewide ballot measures with impacts to school communities. Advocates will share their insights and take your questions on statutory and regulatory updates impacting the bargaining table.

This session equips HR leaders with practical tools and strategies they can bring back to their teams to strengthen communication, navigate challenging interactions, and create more positive, solution-focused experiences for employees. Presenters will explore ways to model service-minded leadership, coach their teams, and build shared expectations around what exceptional HR service looks and feels like. Leave with actionable ideas to help inspire a culture where service isn’t just something HR provides, it’s part of how the department works every day.

This presentation will provide information on how to develop and plan a year long professional development opportunity for all new administrators. It will provide ideas and suggestions for how to actively engage and involve new administrators in learning the "basics" of Personnel, diving into the bargaining contract and learning the important parts of the contract, share conflict management skills and strategies for effective leadership, review real life disciplinary scenarios and how to go through the entire FRISK and progressive discipline process. The workshop will be interactive and engaging and provide specific example and tools that have proven to be very useful and resourceful to support our new administrators in being successful and grow their leadership skills.

This session equips school administrators with the knowledge and tools needed to legally and effectively document certificated employee misconduct. Participants will learn how to conduct personnel investigations, prepare meaningful performance evaluations, and implement progressive discipline in a manner that is fair, consistent, and defensible. The presentation will walk through best practices for identifying misconduct, selecting appropriate levels of discipline, and creating documentation that supports sound employment decisions. Administrators will leave with practical strategies to strengthen their documentation practices and reduce legal risk.

Building on Part One, this session provides a detailed roadmap of the certificated termination process from start to finish. Participants will gain a clear understanding of the statutory framework governing dismissal, including the filing of charges, Skelly rights, suspension procedures, and the formal hearing process before the Office of Administrative Hearings (“OAH”). The presentation will outline the roles of district administrators and witnesses, expected timelines, and the financial and operational considerations involved in pursuing dismissal. Attendees will leave with a comprehensive view of what certificated termination entails and how to prepare themselves and their teams for each stage effectively.

Now more than ever, school districts are faced with employees engaging in controversial speech occurring in and out of the classroom. When can employees criticize the administration or speak out about political events? Where does an employee’s expression of their views on a controversial topic cross the line and potentially impact their employment? This workshop will discuss the district’s need to balance a respect for employee viewpoints while ensuring that employee speech does not disrupt the workplace or violate the rights of others. This high-level workshop will equip attendees with a framework of legal considerations and supportive measures designed to collaboratively address sensitive topics.

Traditional recruitment strategies alone are no longer enough to meet today’s educator workforce demands. As districts navigate ongoing staffing shortages, turnover, and hard-to-fill positions, Human Resources leaders are increasingly exploring innovative “grow your own” solutions that create stronger pathways into the profession.
This session examines educator residency and registered apprenticeship programs as strategic staffing models that support long-term workforce development. Participants will learn how districts are partnering with higher education, labor, and community organizations to recruit and retain aspiring educators while creating paid pathways into teaching.
The session will highlight implementation models, funding considerations, workforce implications, and policy trends shaping residency and apprenticeship efforts across California. HR leaders will gain practical insights into how these approaches can support staffing stability, workforce diversification, and future-ready talent development systems.

Maybe you’re new to educational leaves, or maybe you have been working with leaves your entire career. Whatever your experience, have you ever had that moment when you ask yourself “What leaves does this employee get?” Local Educational Agencies are required to apply Federal, State and Educational Leaves. In addition to the leave laws like PDL, FMLA and CFRA, agencies must also consider leaves under accommodation laws such as ADA and PWFA. Sometimes it’s straight forward but more often than not it feels like you are in a wild environment where some wild vine or weird creature is going to grab or snag you and pull you under. Don’t be afraid we are here to help you with those wild leave questions. Join us for an interactive discussion where we explore the different kinds of employee leave and how to coordinate them based upon real life scenarios.

Key Takeaways:
• Identify the appropriate leaves and interconnection of paid and unpaid leaves and other accommodation laws with each other

• Learn how certain leaves are inter-related and strategies for navigating and coordinating employee leaves

• Other helpful written resources