Happy New Year! I hope you were able to rest and rejuvenate during the winter break and are ready for the year ahead.

We have changed American School Board Journal's publishing schedule for 2024 to align with NSBA’s meetings and convenings. You will receive the magazine four times a year: February, April, August, and October. We will bring to our readers the same excellent level of content that you’ve come to expect in our more than 130-year history.

We also will be adding new features to these pages, including the State Association Membership Spotlight that will showcase our members and their initiatives and efforts for their school board members. We are kicking off the feature with the Indiana School Boards Association, written by Executive Director Terry Spradlin.

Governance is the focus of this issue, and as we all are aware, school boards don’t lead in a vacuum. We have several opportunities for school board members to come together in national forums to learn and to exchange ideas. First up is our Equity Symposium on Jan. 27 in Washington, D.C.

Equity Symposium provides a forum for school board members, public school advocates, and community leaders to examine and discuss the strategies, current trends, research, and best practices around equity in our nation’s public K-12 schools. Alex Boyé, performer and mental health advocate, is one of the keynote speakers. Boyé is known for his dynamic African-infused music and is an official ambassador for many causes, including the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Our Advocacy Institute comes right after Equity Symposium, on Jan. 28-30. It brings together education leaders to explore and discuss the latest developments in key education policy and legislation, champion the interests of public K-12 students, advocate for education priorities and federal policies, and network with colleagues from across the country. Among our signature speakers: Kymyona Burk, a senior policy fellow at the Foundation for Excellence in Education (ExcelinEd), and autism activist Temple Grandin, a Distinguished Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University. Grandin has designed livestock handling facilities used by companies around the world and has been instrumental in implementing animal welfare auditing programs used by corporations.

We were proud to hold our first-ever virtual rural summit in December to address the intricate challenges and opportunities within rural education. Through sessions with national experts, the event provided participants with valuable insights and strategies to navigate the unique landscape of rural education. If you missed the summit, you can watch it at nsba.org/RuralVirtualSummit.

I hope to see you soon at our winter convenings or at our annual conference in April in New Orleans.