CASBO Scholarships Help Members Expand Their Knowledge

Helen K. Foster, Superintendent of Coalinga-Huron Unified School District, leverages more than two decades of experience in educational administration to improve student performance. Active in her professional community, Helen K. Foster belongs to several organizations, including the California Association of School Business Officials (CASBO).

As part of its efforts to support and promote excellence among school business professionals, CASBO offers scholarships to its members to help cover the cost of training and continuing education.

Open to current members who did not receive it during the previous year, the CASBO Annual Conference and California School Business Expo Scholarship is given to 15 returning attendees at the conference and 15 first-time attendees. It covers only the cost of conference registration; recipients must still cover lodging and travel.

The Robert “Bob” Reeves Scholarship is available to a single CASBO member who has not won the scholarship in the past five years. Applicants must be either enrolled in an education program relating to school business, an employee in the education field who wants to further their education in the school business profession, or a postgraduate pursuing school business. Recipients of this scholarship receive $1,000 to offset the cost of their education.

Finally, CASBO maintains three section-based scholarships. The Central Section Pat Kraft Memorial Scholarship gives $1,000 to CASBO Central Section members, while the Eastern Section Scholarship awards up to $2,000 to Eastern Section CASBO members who want to participate in approved study programs. Members attending a CASBO Academy or CBO program in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara and Ventura counties can receive one of two $500 Southern Section Scholarships.

St. Mary’s College Ed.D Program Focuses on Diversity

Dr. Helen K. Foster serves as the Superintendent for California Central Valley's Coalinga-Huron Unified School District. In addition to two bachelor’s degrees in speech and drama as well as in chemistry, and two master’s degrees in environmental engineering and educational administration, Helen K. Foster holds a Doctorate of Educational Administration from St. Mary’s College of California. 

St. Mary’s Ed.D. program through the Kalmanovitz School of Education is designed to allow professionals in educational roles to enhance their leadership skills. The educational system in the US today faces many challenges that require capable leaders. Funding is often limited and the achievement gap between students of varying race, gender, and socioeconomic status continues to widen. Leaders must find creative solutions to address diversity in the classroom and help each and every student succeed. 

The educational doctorate program has graduated twelve groups of students thus far. Diversity of the cohort is a major aspect of the program’s learning environment, as the students--whose average age is 48-- bring their own unique set of experiences into the classroom. In general, the program has been composed of about equal numbers of men and women, with almost half of them being students of color. 

Further, St. Mary’s College values social justice and community principles, and the Ed.D. curriculum encourages students toward reflection. It works from the premise that those who look at themselves and their own value set will be better able to build the skills to apply communication and creativity to the problems they face in their role in the educational system.