Conference Registration

• NSBA Annual Conference Pricing (In-Person Attendance)

  Registration	Registration Deadline	Participating NATCON & CUBE Districts in Member State Associations/State Association Delegates	Participating NATCON & CUBE Districts in Non-Member State Associations	Non-Participating NATCON & CUBE Districts in Member State Associations	Non-Participating NATCON & CUBE Districts in Non-Member State Associations	Spouse
  Advanced Early Bird	December 14, 2022	$650	$725	$850	$925	$100
  Early Bird	January 11, 2023	$750	$825	$950	$1,050	$100
  Standard	March 30, 2023	$850	$925	$1,050	$1,250	$100
  Onsite	March 31 - April 3, 2023	$1,400	$1,400	$1,400	$1,400	$100

• One-Day Pricing (In-Person Attendance, Available Onsite Only)

  Participating NATCON & CUBE Districts in Member State Associations/State Association Delegates	Non-Member State Associations
  $400	$500

• NSBA Online Pricing (Online Access)

  Participating NATCON & CUBE Districts in Member State Associations/State Association Delegates	Non-Member State Associations
  $450	$550

• NSBA Online Add-On Pricing (Online Access)*

  Participating NATCON & CUBE Districts in Member State Associations/State Association Delegates	Non-Member State Association
  Complimentary	$125

  *In-person conference attendees only.

Preconference Workshops

All preconference workshops are ticketed events. They are open to all conference registrants, and tickets must be purchased in advance.

• Full Day Workshop | 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

  What You Do Matters: Implementing Research Findings on the Impact of Boardsmanship on Student Success from Washington State
  New research reveals data about how school boards can have a positive or negative effect on student success. There is a growing body of research on this topic, and 2021-2022 research from Washington state points to specific board actions that relate to better and more equitable student outcomes. Learn what boards in districts with small opportunity gaps do differently than those with large gaps. In this interactive workshop, you'll get your hands on this research and consider how it could change the govern in your own district.
  CUBE/NATCON: $290 | REGULAR: $345

• Morning Workshops | 9 a.m. – Noon

  Becoming More Engaged and Inclusive Educational Leaders: Strategies for Supporting Our LGBTQ+ Students
  Given the importance and impact that diversity and equity issues play in the lives of students, it is imperative that school boards are prepared to meet the needs of diverse learners, such as LGBTQ students. Educators must recognize key considerations for supporting LGBTQ+ students. Come participate in this preconference workshop that features a highly customizable and interactive diversity and equity training that helps educators and school board members develop the competency necessary to support LGBTQ+ students.
  CUBE/NATCON: $200 | REGULAR: $225

  Professional Boundaries: Keeping Students Safe
  Learn how the Association of Alaska School Boards, with a state-wide working group, took on the task of helping school districts promote healthy boundaries and prevent childhood sexual abuse. Learn who was key to having on the working group, what assignments the working group took on, and how this work is being shared and promoted with school districts in Alaska, all with the goal of establishing healthy and appropriate professional boundaries when interacting with students. 
  CUBE/NATCON: $200 | REGULAR: $225 

  Understanding the Key Work of School Boards
  In today’s high-stakes educational environment, the daily pressure on governance leaders is enormous. The more effective the board, the better a school district’s students perform. The Key Works of School Boards provides a framework that reflects “best governance practices” that are traceable to high-performing boards and high-performing school districts. This session provides an overview of a relevant and reliable governance guide with strategies and ideas that reflect board best practices. You’ll explore the five Key Work action areas. Book included.
  CUBE/NATCON: $200 | REGULAR: $225

• Afternoon Workshops | 1:30 – 4:30 p.m.

  Storytelling for Leaders: Sharing the Good News of Public Education in Your Community
  If school board members do not tell the story of public education in their communities, someone else will, and that story may not be an accurate depiction of their schools. Learn how to craft and deliver an effective story that reflects the strengths, successes, small miracles, and good news of your district. Storytelling is a powerful communication technique that connects people and builds bridges, relationships, and trust. You will create your own inspiring story that shares your values, beliefs, and vulnerability in a manner that makes your message memorable, impactful, and powerful.
  CUBE/NATCON: $200 | REGULAR: $225
  
  Turn Your High-Poverty Schools into High-Performing Schools: How Boards Can Support and Accomplish This Goal
  This session provides compelling insight into what it takes to successfully combat inequity and turn a high-poverty district/school around, particularly in this time of moving froward from the pandemic. It will highlight the author's two recent studies and best-selling books, revealing the roadmap to transform any district/school into high performance for all students. Participants will explore five specific practices essential to this work and common pitfalls to avoid. They will emerge inspired and equipped to take immediate action.
  CUBE/NATCON: $200 | REGULAR: $225
  
  School Safety Leadership in Times of High Ambiguity and Uncertainty
  You may manage the threat and survive the crisis, but can you survive the leadership, political, and communications challenges that go along with it? This session examines research and best practices for strategic crisis leadership and emergency risk communications applied to PreK-12 security threats associated with highly ambiguous and uncertain school safety, security, and emergency preparedness contexts. What have we learned over more than three decades of PreK-12 school safety research and practice? Discover insights on the lessons learned from high-stakes school security civil litigation cases on school shootings, sexual assaults, gang assaults, and other violence.
  CUBE/NATCON: $200 | REGULAR: $225
  
  Crisis Communications for Senior Education Leaders 
  "Reputation" is a school district's largest uninsured asset. Since it takes a lifetime to build a reputation and only a few seconds to destroy one, crisis communications skills are necessary for senior education leaders and the attorneys serving their districts. This fast-paced talk by veteran crisis management and communications specialist Bruce Hennes, from Hennes Communications in Cleveland, Ohio, focuses on a highly strategic approach to communicating, offering methods for establishing and maintaining "control of the message," enabling leaders to emerge from a crisis with a reputation that is intact or possibly enhanced.
  CUBE/NATCON: $200 | REGULAR: $225
  
  
  
  
  

Experiential Learning Visit

An experiential learning visit offers a rare opportunity to explore education in practice.

• Orange County Public Schools (OCPS)

  Empowering Students for Life Beyond the Classroom: Student Success in Action at Orange County Public Schools
  The Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) is pleased to host education leaders for school site visits at multiple school locations. OCPS is the eighth-largest school district in the United States and the fourth-largest in Florida. The district serves more than 206,000 students at 210 schools and is one of the largest employers in Central Florida, with more than 25,000 team members. With the support of families and the community, they are creating enriching and diverse pathways to lead their students to success.
  
  Visit local OCPS schools and join the superintendent, board members, staff, and students to learn about the development and implementation of their current strategic plan, focusing on:

  • High Expectations for Student Learning
  • Student Social and Emotional Well-Being
  • Dedicated and High-Quality Teams
  • Positive Climate and Safe Environment
  • Efficient Operations
  • Engaged and Invested Community
  • Technology and Innovations

   

  Hear how the district is integrating strategies focused around state-of-the-art facilities, innovations in digital learning, extensive choices and unique technical education and learning opportunities, and embracing and celebrating a diverse community to accomplish its vision of ensuring every student has a promising and successful future.

Sessions

• Advocacy

  Challenging Goliath on Behalf of Latino Students
  Find out why and how the Adams County School District 14 (CO, enr. 6,114) stood up to the Colorado State Board of Education by remaining student-centered and true to the values of professionalism, integrity, vigilance, courage, teamwork, and determination. Learn from this story highlighting the strategies and tactics used in fighting for the constitutional rights to local control.

  Beyond the Basics: Nuanced Legal Issues Regarding Accommodating LGBTQ+ Students and Employees in Schools
  Since the U.S. Supreme Court's historic Bostock decision finding that the Title VII guarantees protections from workplace discrimination to people who identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community, there have been major implications for employers nationwide. The Biden administration has released several Executive Orders and guidance documents from the Office of Civil Rights regarding protections for LGBTQ+ students, including in the classroom, athletics, and other school-sponsored activities. This session will go beyond the basics and dive into nuanced issues and practical tips of how to navigate these issues in school districts.
  
  Managing the Media in Turbulent Times: Avoiding the "Gotcha" Moments
  Do you know what to do when the media comes calling? School board meetings have become a target for tantalizing and often sensational news stories with reporters ambushing board members before, during, or after meetings. Presenters from Utah's Jordan School District will demonstrate how to avoid the "gotcha" moments and manage the media in a way that avoids confrontation and controversy on camera. We will give you some simple tools to navigate your way through difficult media situations.

• Equity & Diversity

  Inclusion for All: One District's Journey to Special Education Reform
  This session will discuss the background and actions that led to the reform of Washington's Spokane Public School's special education services. The district redesigned systems, structures, training, programming, and data collection to enhance levels of inclusion and overall services. This included school board engagement with community groups and the allocation of resources.
  
  Visual and Performing Arts: Engaging All Students for Success!
  Learn how expanding student access to the visual and performing arts results in higher grades and better attendance. The Bakersfield City School District, serving approximately 30,000 students in Central California, is nationally recognized as a model of educational excellence and innovation. All students in grades TK-6 are provided equitable access to foundational learning in the arts through the Course of Study in the Visual and Performing Arts.
  
  Breaking Tradition for a New Generation: Retiring the Indian Mascot
  After years of debate, Unionville High School in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, retired its Indian mascot. The process was rooted in listening and learning, including a pivotal conversation with the chief of the Lenape Tribe. Subsequently, the district's mascot selection committee embarked on a journey to select the next mascot of Unionville High School - a decision that transformed the school. Its story is filled with trials and tribulations, but also the joys and successes of breaking tradition to make the school a more inclusive place.
  
  Belonging Bound: Making Room for Everyone on the Road to Equity
  New York's Gates Chili Central School District, enrollment 3,800, celebrates the diversity of its school community and is dedicated to creating a welcoming and affirming environment for everyone. However, state data showed troubling disparities in success across various subsets of the student population. From analyzing existing systems and beliefs to implementing intentional avenues of change, find out how Gates Chili paved new roads and leveraged existing pathways to build community and make room for everyone on the road to equity, inclusion, and belonging.
  
  Advancing Educational Equity Beyond the Classroom: Strategic Community Collaborations as a Cornerstone for Student Mentorship Programs
  Learn how Kansas' Lawrence Public Schools (USD 497), Lawrence Memorial Hospital (LMH) Health, and the LMH Health Foundation collaborated to create the LMH Health Leadership Academy, a paid mentorship program for high school students. The academy encourages experiential learning and allows students to explore various career pathways and make professional connections. It's often a lack of opportunity, not lack of ability, that's a barrier to success. The academy shows how aligning strategies, philanthropy, and community partnerships can eliminate opportunity gaps.
  
  Increasing School Board Diversity and Ensuring All Communities Are Represented: An Examination of At-Large School Board Election Systems
  As America become more diverse, many school boards are not representative of either the district's student population or the community. Could the way boards are elected be a factor? Some school boards are elected community wide. While candidates must live in a particular area, they must run and be elected city-wide. This session will include understanding the history of at-large voting and the impacts of different types of elections on who runs and who is elected. Learn how Oregon's Portland Public Schools (enrollment 46,924) evaluated its at-large board election system.
  
  Dress Code Policy as a Tool for Enhancing Equity in Schools
  Learn how the school board of Lawrence Public Schools USD 497 (the seventh largest school district in Kansas) created a comprehensive district dress code policy designed to support equity and student learning. Often, implementing dress codes results in unintentional equity issues that widen achievement gaps. Board members will describe the process used to create this new policy and share resources to help school districts examine their dress code policies through an equity lens.
  
  Disable the Label: Offering Therapeutic Services Without the Need for a Disability
  Traditionally, schools have only offered therapeutic services such as occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy to students identified as having a disability. This can lead to the unnecessary classification and/or labeling of children as disabled just to grant them access to readily available school-based services. To address this issue, New Jersey's Colts Neck School District has developed a host of therapeutic intervention programs that offer these services to all students without the need for a label or classification.
  
  A Commonsense Approach to Increasing Employee Diversity
  Many school districts hope to have their staff diversity reflect their student population. Join Arizona's Pendergast Elementary School District, enrollment 8,200, as we share our journey to create an inclusive environment to attract and retain a diverse workforce that closely aligns to our student population. We're on our journey but we are excited to see the changes that are happening both at the district and school site level. Come hear some commonsense strategies to help attract and retain members of the Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) community.

  Master Class: Turn Your High-Poverty Schools into High-Performing Schools: How Boards Can Support and Accomplish This Goal
  This session provides compelling insight into what it takes to successfully combat inequity and turn a high-poverty district/school around, particularly in this time of moving froward from the pandemic. It will highlight the authors' two recent studies and best-selling books, revealing the roadmap to transform any district/school into high performance for all students. Participants will explore five specific practices essential to this work and common pitfalls to avoid. They will emerge inspired and equipped to take immediate action.
  
  Setting a Vision for Equity: Creating a Resolution to Enact Change
  This session will discuss the background and actions that led to the reform of Washington's Spokane Public School's adoption of a comprehensive equity resolution. In June of 2020, the Spokane school board drafted and adopted a resolution that established a vision for equity and outlined specific actions steps to be accomplished.
  
  Strong New Teacher Induction Program to Support Teachers of Color
  Once a district's recruitment measures are successful in hiring more teachers of color, the next step is to provide a welcoming and supportive environment. Pre-K-12 leadership will have the opportunity to understand and implement ongoing and job-embedded professional development as a key component of their new teacher induction programs. Effective and collaborative professional development with a focus on teaching and learning of cultural competence will impact student achievement. Effectively supporting new teachers is a critical component of retention.
  
  Community Partnerships for Greater Equity
  Discover how the Cape Henlopen School District (DE, enr. 6,000) and Board of Education worked with a variety of diverse community groups, including a Community Minority Liaison Committee and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) Community Outreach Committee, to improve discipline practices, minority hiring, and cultural awareness, and address the opportunity gap. Participants will learn how to work with outside community groups to understand and improve district practices through collaboration and establishing trust.
  
  Himdag: An Indigenous Community Rebrands Its Schools and Shows Progress
  Learn how an Indigenous community transformed its school environment and climate by embracing values, customs, traditions, history, and language.
  
  Launching and Sustaining Future-Focused Schools Through Community Engagement
  Find out how to support high academic standards and performance while simultaneously encouraging innovation in teaching and learning for students and teachers. Learn how two districts leverage in-house and inter-district talent to partner with community resources and local businesses to prepare educators and students for the future. District leaders will share how Board of Education members supported the future-focused district work. Discover concrete examples of what this work looks like in small K-12 public school systems. Presenters will share successes and struggles alike.

  Equity for Rural Students: An Urgent Need to Fix the Digital Divide
  Providing quality education to all rural students is a daunting task and needs the support of policy and research. The COVID-19 pandemic also highlighted several issues related to educational equity that were exacerbated by the pandemic, with one of the most pressing being the urgency of building equal access to internet services in rural areas.

  With these challenges in mind, NSBA's Center for Public Education released a new report: Out of the Pandemic, but Still Out of the Loop. The report examines the relevant data about the education conditions of rural students.

  This session will feature a panel of experts from NSBA's Center for Public Education and AT&T, as well as national education leaders, who will discuss how the persistent digital divide ― often referred to as the homework gap ― causes underserved rural students to face more challenges and disadvantages, and what strategies education leaders may take to close the gap.
  

  Leveling the Field to Ensure an Inclusive School Community
  How do you ensure that your students with special needs are truly integrated into your school community? Learn how our district's Best Buddies K-12 Chapter, specialized physical education class offerings, Challenger Sports, and our unified sports teams have added to the all-encompassing integration for our students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Find out how we have amassed countless peer leaders throughout the district to volunteer their time to form life-long bonds and friendships that are mutually beneficial to all involved.

• Governance & Executive Leadership

  Master Class: 2023 Magna Awards
  The grand prize-winning districts of the 2023 Magna Awards will discuss their award-winning programs. Representatives from New York's Buffalo Public Schools and Windsor Central School District and Kansas' Lawrence Public Schools will tell you about how they were able to improve the outcomes and lives of their students. Buffalo's Our Story Project is an after-school and Saturday academy program for high school students of color at risk of dropping out. Lawrence's College & Career Academy is a nontraditional high school supporting students who don't perform well in traditional classrooms. Windsor's Agriculture Pathway is a K-12 agricultural curriculum.

  The Power of Student Voice: Welcoming Students to the Dais
  Representative democracy is only as good as those who serve. Students have the power and ability to be more than just stakeholders and children. They have the potential to be members of the board of education. Student members of the board represent their peers directly — and are the only board members who can provide student perspectives. Join Maryland student members of the board Alvaro Ceron-Ruiz, Roah Hassan, and Arvin Kim as they dive into the importance of a student seat at the table.
  
  From Conflict and Controversy to Collaboration: One School Board's Journey to Success
  In 2018 and 2019, New York's Lake George Central School Board faced a community lawsuit, a national scandal, extreme discord in executive leadership, and crippling dysfunction on the governance team. Then the pandemic hit. By the time the culture wars of 2021 rolled in, the board was a renewed and successful team. In this highly engaging and interactive session, Lake George board members will share with you how they used protocols, policies, and interpersonal approaches to overcome challenges and build a high-performing, collaborative, and effective governance team for its 710-student enrollment district.
  
  Robert's Rules of Order at School Board Meetings
  Most Monopoly players have never read the rules. Most school board members have never read the over 800 pages in Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised. Participants will learn the Robert's Rules that are adapted for small boards. They will find out how to eliminate unnecessary procedures that waste time, learn the role of agendas, and gain a better appreciation for the practical application of Robert's Rules during their meetings.
  
  Parents' Rights in Education
  Boards across the country are being pressured to adopt policies and resolutions regarding parental rights in education. Presenters from the Oregon School Boards Association will discuss some of the general themes of these proposals, as well as existing laws and practices in these areas. They also will discuss how districts can reduce the controversy over parental rights.
  
  Partnering for Success: Using Network Improvement Communities to Build Capacity and Improve Student Outcomes
  District partnerships with higher education institutions can maximize opportunities for students. Hearne ISD and the Hearne Education Foundation share lessons learned from their rural 1882 partnership in Texas. This network improvement community partnership is grounded in an innovative culture of shared responsibility from the boardroom to the classroom to the living room. The session provides a roadmap that districts can use to develop their own shared beliefs and commitments. Attendees will learn the critical touchpoints necessary to develop successful network improvement communities from the ground up.
  
  Ten Best Practices to Avoid Liability
  Board of education members often face challenging issues that could lead to your board becoming part of a lawsuit. Presenters from the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education will explore the common legal pitfalls school boards face, the best ways to deal with these pitfalls, and the best ways to avoid them.
  
  Modeling Civility in Your School District
  This session will help school board members put into practice NSBA's Policy and Belief calling on public officials and levels of government to model civil discourse in their deliberations. The board room, the classroom, and social media provide opportunities for board members to demonstrate civility. They can serve as role models to help communities build relationships and consensus.
  
  All Students Are Not Created Equal: Effective Boardsmanship with Poverty and Ethnicity in Mind
  Attendees will better understand how board decisions work their way through the system and eventually affect not only overall student achievement scores, but also achievement scores when disaggregated into seven categories of ethnicity, as well as by socioeconomic status (i.e., poverty). Board actions matter because boards, when addressing factors within their control, can create environments where social injustices are overcome, and every student achieves at high levels. This is the first research look into boardsmanship when targeted at poverty and ethnicity.
  
  Trust, Collaboration, and Deep Commitment: Building a Unified Executive Leadership Team for Your District
  From a culture of mistrust and chaos, Michigan's Farmington Public School board members together with their superintendent spent the past year working to develop new relationships with one another. These relationships are based upon mutual trust, collaboration, and a deep commitment to meeting the needs of their students. Learn about the tools they developed and implemented that resulted in this metamorphosis, then use these tools as springboards to begin crafting plans to increase trust, collaboration, and deep commitment in your own school district.
  
  Educator Engagement and Retention: The Critical Role of the Board of Education
  In 2021, 50% of Kansas educators (20,000 teachers) participated in the Inaugural Kansas Teacher Retention Survey. The survey focused on educator engagement, satisfaction, and future intentions. The success of this initiative was due in large part to the collaboration of state stakeholders. Data from the survey was analyzed to identify statistical drivers of educator engagement and retention. The survey data showed that the role of the board of education is a statistically significant driver of teacher engagement and retention. During this session, we will discuss findings of the research and consider how it informs next steps in addressing the national educator shortage.
  
  Running an Effective Meeting
  What is a good meeting to you? How does your board evaluate effective meetings? A good meeting should have the right amount of time to discuss issues in front of the board and make decisions for the district. What is done in preparation of the meeting to ensure it is successful? Attend this session to learn about key components that can help your meeting be not only efficient and effective, but also provide information to the community.
  
  Effective Board Communication
  Discover how Delaware's Cape Henlopen Board of Education, with a district enrollment of 6,000, improved communication within the board and with the stakeholder groups in the district and community. Participants will learn easy strategies to keep the flow of information moving in effective and efficient ways. Keep everyone in the loop, from board member to staff member, to parent and community member.
  
  Boardsmanship Is Not Enough: We Need to BE, KNOW, and DO More to Reach Our Full Governing Potential
  We can learn a lot about boardsmanship by attending new board member professional development (PD). But that only scratches the surface. We need complex governance skills, deeper knowledge, and the right mindset and approach to help our boards (and the districts they govern) become what they can and should become. Rethink what you have learned about boardsmanship, governance, and district leadership. Understand five sets of skills every board member should learn for their own PD, and to contribute to the board, the board-superintendent team, and the district.
  
  Where Did All the Coaches and Officials Go?
  Who is leading your athletic teams and officiating your games? This session will focus on the future of high school athletics in the wake of declining interest in pursuing a career as a coach or referee. This presentation will focus on the issues behind the shortage and strategies for creating a work environment that will help recruit and retain coaches and officials.
  
  From Chaos to Quality: Building a Cohesive Team-Based Board
  This engaging presentation is designed to identify, address, and remediate issues that keep boards from functioning at their highest levels. Every board member experiences challenging issues that are related to political influences, personnel decisions, or overall district performance. The key differentiator is individual team member relationships and how well they work together through all the issues. Each attendee will be able to locate their board's performance on the scale of functionality outlined in the newly released and highly anticipated book The School Board Playbook: Winning Strategies to Champion Functionality. You will leave this presentation with an understanding of where your board lands on the functionality scale, and you will gain tools to increase your functionality.
  
  Reestablishing Trust With Your Community in the Midst of Turmoil and Hardship: A Case Study in Action
  The global pandemic wreaked havoc upon communities throughout the globe. Local school districts faced challenges that have not transpired in a lifetime or more. Throughout and after the pandemic, the Huron Valley Schools took a somewhat unique approach designed to engage community stakeholders by remaining transparent, available, and communicative. This session is designed to provide board of education members with tools they might consider when emerging from difficult community circumstances, dispelling misinformation, and continuing to build a relationship in a time of uncertainty.

  National School Law News Every Public School Leader Should Know
  In this popular session, NSBA's legal team updates you on the key national legal trends affecting public schools now. The panel will cover crucial developments in areas like employee religious speech, special education disputes, diversity policies, sexual harassment investigations, and the rights of transgender students and employees. Learn how federal courts — including the Supreme Court — and federal agencies are changing legal standards in these areas, and how your school district' policies may be affected. Find out how NSBA's legal advocacy work is informing the courts and federal agencies shaping law and policy affecting public schools.

• Innovation in District Management

  Master Class: FUEL for Success
  How do you accomplish your goals and get results as a school board member and for yourself personally? Learn the techniques to change your behavior that result in increased effectiveness and efficiency. FUEL stands for Focus, Urgency, Energy, and Learning from what works. Based on his book, FUEL for Learning, Raymond Lauk draws on his past experiences as a stand-up comic and storyteller trained at Chicago's Second City Theater, along with his experience as a superintendent for 17 years and his corporate experience as a marketing manager at GE to help you improve your leadership skills and your personal efficacy. Come prepared to be up out of your seat, being fully engaged with a smile on your face, laughing, and actively learning in a way that makes integrating these behaviors into your daily routine memorable and enjoyable.
  

  How to Pass a Bond Election Focused on Innovation, Opportunity, and Excellence
  Learn how the Auburn-Washburn School District with 6,000 students in Topeka, Kansas, passed a $145 million bond election. Participants will discover how to collect school community feedback and how school boards can strategically market and promote a bond election. Other information includes using the service of an owner's representative to reduce overall expenses and increase staff time during design and construction.
  
  Empower All Schools through the Continuous Improvement Process
  The Lincoln County School District, Newport, Oregon, uses the continuous improvement process to evaluate systems, programs, and structures to provide a more well-rounded education working to meet the needs of all learners while evaluating the historical impact of educational practices on underserved and marginalized groups. Participants will learn about the 100 Day Plan process used to integrate instruction, behavior and attendance, teacher feedback, and assessment throughout the year. Communication and accountability processes used to support alignment have allowed the district to focus on graduation and attendance goals.
  
  Turning a Student-Initiated Sustainability Resolution into a Budget Neutral Multi-Million-Dollar Performance Contract and Place-Based Learning Opportunity
  Students from Utah's Salt Lake City School District's three high schools presented during a school board meeting, which led to unanimous adoption of a Sustainability Resolution, calling for the district to obtain 100% clean energy by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2040. The executive director of auxiliary services was assigned to create and chair a task force that was charged with delivering an action plan within one year. See how, through an inclusive student driven process, a budget neutral performance contract was created, expecting to reduce the district's CO2 footprint by 30%, and how sustainability was integrated into curriculum, instruction, and learning.
  
  How to Plan a School Board Revolution: Tools to Help a School Board Focus on Strategy and Planning
  Struggling to keep up with legislation changes? Wishing you had a stronger long-term facility plan? A small New Hampshire school district revolutionized its policy and planning efforts with zero increase in cost to the district, and created a reliable, repeatable year-to-year process. Winner of the New Hampshire School Boards Association's 2022 School Board of the Year award, Monadnock Regional School District's 13-member board did just that by redefining the roles and responsibilities of its superintendent, administrators, and board members. Come see demonstrations of the web-based tools and procedures built by this amazing team!
  
  Magnify Your Board Message Using the "Power of Podcasting"
  Are your constituents, busy moms, dads, and members of the community, missing your message? Is critical information not shared due to a lack of communication? Don't let that happen! School boards can magnify their messages and enhance parent and community engagement like never before using the power of podcasting. As board members, you need to reach people where they are today - carpooling kids, at home cleaning, during a quick lunch break, or on a walk. There is nothing more accessible than a podcast message from the board that can reach tens of thousands of people per episode. Learn from Utah's Jordan School District leaders on how to produce school board podcasts.
  
  Increase Student Voice with a Superintendent/Board of Education Student Advisory Council and a Strategic Plan of Action
  This session will focus on how the superintendent and board of education can engage and develop relationships with students through the implementation of the Superintendent's Student Advisory Council with representation at board meetings, a strong presence on social media, school visits, and visibility within the community. Dearborn Public Schools is the third largest district in Michigan with 20,000 students.
  
  Flash Mobs, Culture Budgets, and Employee Engagement
  In June 2020, California's Cajon Valley Union School District deployed its annual Gallup employee engagement survey to more than 2,000 staff members. The result of the survey revealed an 11% increase in staff participation and a meaningful positive change in overall employee engagement, achieving a "best practice" designation by Gallup. Those same employees became the first in California to offer daycare services for the children of essential workers and summer camp for more than 6,000 students. They also were the first to open 28 schools for face-to-face instruction. Investing in happiness is a strategy for success.

  Early Childhood Child Care and Preschool in a School District Setting
  Kansas' USD 252 Southern Lyon County serves roughly 100 children ages birth through age 5 and their families in the rural communities of Neosho Rapids, Hartford, and Olpe. Services provided include Head Start, half-day preschool for 3- and 4-year-old children, kindergarten transition services, special education services, after-school care for school-age children, as well as full-day care services for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years old. Find out how our district implemented preschool and child care services that impacted our community and brought quality care to our families.

  Master Class: Crisis Communications: Because the Court of Public Opinion is Always in Session
  From sexual misconduct, accusations of fiscal mismanagement, labor issues and board chair-superintendent disputes to DEI controversies, community outrage, cyberattacks, and active shooter situations, we live in a 24-minute news cycle, where everyone is instantly capable of posting their problem or complaint directly to Facebook, which can result in a story in the media. It's a simple fact: Controversies today are tried in the Court of Public Opinion more often than in the Court of Law. "Reputation" is a school district's largest uninsured asset. Since it takes a lifetime to build a reputation and only a few seconds to destroy one, crisis communications are necessary skills for senior education leaders and the attorneys serving their districts.

  AAAstound: Magical Secrets of Improving the Customer Experience in Your Schools
  Discover how school districts can implement some simple, no-cost, yet powerful strategies to improve the customer experience in schools. During this workshop, participants will actively engage in an inquiry process, taking a deep dive into customer experience best practices in schools and premier companies. Participants will also be introduced to the impact of how improving the customer experience can move the needle on student achievement.
  
  Student Success? It's As Easy As T.L.C!
  WARNING: This session features evidence-based strategies that will improve student behavior and educator morale. Find out how Geary Public Schools (OK, enr. 300) transformed from a district that struggled with climate issues to one that was named a 2022 Innovative District by Houghton Mifflin Harcourts' International Center for Educational Leadership. Superintendent Buchanan explores specific alternatives to common consequences and explains the role of internal motivation of adults in the education process. Finally, he explains how T.L.C. is the glue that holds it all together!

  
  

• Personal Development

  Civility: How to Keep the Conversation Productive When Feelings Are Strong
  It's easy to see that tempers are running high across the U.S., and school districts are no exception. Essential Partners has been working to help facilitate productive dialogue on difficult issues for more than 30 years. From the classroom to the boardroom, we will share tools to strengthen relationships, discuss explosive topics, and renew connection in your district. Join members of Park County School District 6 in Cody, Wyoming (enrollment 1,974), and Essential Partners in this interactive session to see how you can restore your district climate to civility, mutual respect, and hope.
  
  A Delicate Balance: The Relationship Between the Superintendent and School Board Members
  The relationship between the superintendent and the school board is so important to the overall well-being of the district and its community. Open, honest communication is at the heart of this relationship, but it is often easy to say but challenging to implement. Learn how a school district of 21,000 students in northern Los Angeles County uses cognitive coaching, core governance values, and a comprehensive strategic plan to forge transformational relationships between its school board members and superintendent.
  
  Practical Strategies for Helping Students Develop Resilience
  How do you help students bounce back from the tough situations they've experienced? From trauma, isolation, and poverty to mental health challenges, our students have faced many obstacles over the last two years. Come see a formula to help you guide students through the challenges that destroy motivation and make it difficult to find success.

• Safe & Supportive Schools

  Master Class: Proactive School Security and Emergency Preparedness Planning: Managing School Safety Best Practices in the Schoolhouse, Courthouse, and Court of Public Opinion
  Discover school safety lessons learned over the past 30 years. Learn the difference between security fads and best practices. Avoid policy and practice based upon emotions and knee-jerk reactions. Identify common themes from school safety civil litigation. Find out if your school security efforts are balanced or skewed in the wrong direction.

  School Safety and You: Tools to Address Emerging Threats in the K-12 Community
  Learn the latest evidence-based practices and research about social media threat management, school recovery, cybersecurity, and school security personnel. Presenters will share new products about threat reporting and physical security. The presentation by officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will cover relevant SchoolSafety.gov tools, guides, best practices, and grant opportunities for school administrators and board members. The session is highly interactive and provides actionable takeaways for school board members, district administrators, and policymakers.
  
  Finding a New Normal: Using Trauma-Informed Care Practices to Support Diverse Student Populations in Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic
  The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on all aspects of life as we experienced a collective trauma. We continue to see the death toll far exceed 1.3 million people, tens of millions who experienced illness (and continue to experience long-haul COVID), and an economy and education system deeply impacted. We need to address the impact of this trauma (and others) on students. This session will explore the use of trauma-informed practices to help provide tools for educators and leaders to support students as we move forward.
  
  Rural Communities: Supporting Youth Mental Health
  The suicide rate is nearly twice as high in rural areas compared to urban areas. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported that 65% of rural counties do not have practicing psychiatrists and 47% do not have practicing psychologists. This session will introduce strategies to increase mental health access in rural districts like ours in Fairfield, Ohio, with an enrollment of 9,708. These services equip parents, improve human connections, and build protective factors for students.
  
  Accessing Funding for School Safety after Uvalde
  Join former Acting Secretary of Education General Mick Zais, and former Council of School Attorneys Chair and Federal Commission on School Safety Senior Advisor Tom Wheeler for a discussion of resources available to educational institutions that can be used to fund school safety improvements after the mass school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. The session will focus on federal funding sources that are currently available and will address both the use of general funding sources such as Title IV, as well as school safety specific additional grant and other funding sources. In addition to identifying potential streams of revenue, this presentation will discuss the uses of those funds as well as efforts to limit the use of these school safety funds.
  
  Mental Health Resources for Spanish Speakers
  Hispanic teens are the most likely of all racial and ethnic groups to experience poor mental health, yet there is a lack of Spanish language mental health resources. Learn how Utah's Park City School District (enrollment 5,000) is offering free mental health resources to families in Spanish to better meet the needs of Spanish speakers. These resources empower Hispanic families to support their children's mental health and prevent youth suicide.
  
  It Takes a Village: Developing a Community Master Plan for Youth Development
  Research shows that youth need key supports and opportunities to become healthy adults. Come hear about how California's Western Placer Unified School District, enrollment 7,500, brought key members of their community together to develop a single, comprehensive plan for youth development that is used by all entities that serve youth throughout their community. As a result of this plan, the efforts of parent groups, parks and recreation, fire, police, volunteer organizations, civic leaders, and the school district are aligned, collaborative, and measurable to their single vision for youth.
  
  The Pros and Cons of Operating a School Police Force After Uvalde: Funding, Training, and Liability
  Join a panel of national experts led by former NSBA Board Member and Council of School Attorneys (COSA) Chair Tom Wheeler, who also served as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice, and former Acting U.S. Secretary of Education General Mick Zais, for an in-depth discussion of the pros and cons of schools operating their own police forces when looking through the prism of recent school shootings including the Oxford, Michigan, and Uvalde, Texas, school shootings. The panel will look at issues such as the funding, training, and liability of using law enforcement officers through memorandums of understanding (MOUs).
  
  The Role of Local School Boards in Promoting Students' Social and Emotional Well-Being: Lessons from Across the Country
  Research demonstrates that district-wide approaches to promoting students' social and emotional well-being improve their academic performance, strengthen their mental health, and set them up for college and career success. Local school board play a critical role in leading districts towards a systemic social and emotional learning (SEL) approach-setting the vision, investing funds, and monitoring data to measure impact. Hear from three school board members from across the country discuss how their districts created SEL systems and the impact these systems had on their students.
  
  Retaining Teachers in a Competitive Market
  Galena Park Independent School District is a 21,500-student school system on the east side of Houston, Texas. We know that having excellent teachers is a key to student success, but there is a shortage of teachers in the Houston area. In addition to competitive pay, we have put quite a few things in place to retain our teachers. Come learn about the variety of things we implemented to attract and retain teachers.
  
  'It's All Fun and Games Until....' (Learning from Crisis Communications in Charlottesville City Schools)
  Join us for some fun and games (literally, we'll be playing Jeopardy) as we talk about an unfunny topic: Crisis Communications. Beth Cheuk, communications supervisor at Charlottesville City Schools (VA, enr. 4,300), will help School Board Members learn how to support their schools in good times and bad. From everyday headaches like a water outage to national headlines like the neo-Nazi rallies in Charlottesville in August 2017, we'll use real-life examples to explore how we can discuss serious topics without being anxious.
  
  Beyond the Alarm – Youth Mental Health Solutions
  The U.S. Surgeon General has deemed the current state of youth mental health a national crisis. The Teton County School District (WY, enr. 2,749) is providing solutions by engaging parents in the process. Together, administration, parents, schools, and practitioners can remove barriers to care in rural and low-income areas and reduce stigma to improve the mental health of all students.
  
  Survival Strategies for Active Shooter Events
  This presentation will demonstrate strategies based on real-life experiences of past events. This will be accomplished through hands-on activities, practice, and collaboration. Participants will gain an understanding of how to utilize best practices for developing a protection plan for classrooms and work areas.

  Title IX and Public Schools – What Exactly Is Sex-Based Discrimination?
  In this session, you'll get a broad understanding of the landmark Title IX law and its current requirements as interpreted by federal courts and Department of Education regulations. As the administration prepares to release the second set of new Title IX regulations in three years, and courts issue rulings on the meaning of "biological sex," our understanding of how Title IX applies in local K-12 public schools continues to evolve. Join members of NSBA's legal team as they distill the current federal requirements and discuss how you can consider them as you develop local policy.

  Multi-Tiered System of Support: Providing Equitable Outcomes Through a System of Interventions
  This session will discuss the background and actions that led to Washington's Spokane Public Schools' implementation of a district-wide MTSS model. The district developed staffing, professional, development, team structures, and a data monitoring system to ensure all students receive appropriate interventions. This included school board engagement and the allocation of resources.

• School Board/Superintendent Relationships

  Master Class: School Boards & Superintendents: A Leadership Conversation
  Join NSBA Executive Director and CEO Dr. John Heim and AASA, The Superintendent's Association's new Executive Director David Schuler for an engaging and dynamic conversation about the future of public school leadership, the importance of parental engagement, and what the future holds for local control, student achievement, and superintendent/board relations.
  
  Superintendent Selection: The Right Process and the Right Fit
  Selecting a new superintendent is the single most important decision the school board will make. When boards are seeking a superintendent who will fit their district and whose professional skills are outstanding, it is prudent to secure outside assistance. Superintendent searchers representing the National Affiliation of Superintendent Searchers (NASS) will outline key steps boards must take to find the right fit and have a smooth transition with their new superintendent. NASS represents over 35 state school board associations from across the nation.
  
  School Board and Superintendent Relationships for Student Success: Tools You Can Use to Increase Functionality
  This presentation is designed to give your board tools that can be used immediately by learning about our journey in creating and sustaining a successful partnership between the school board and superintendent during challenging times. Wisconsin's St Croix Central School District is a medium sized metro-edge, growing district. School leaders will share the story of their effective partnership and how it impacts learning. Communication, evaluation, succession-planning, and expectations for each role will be discussed.
  
  Maintaining Healthy Board-Superintendent Relationships During Difficult Times
  Illinois' Bellwood School District 88 school board and superintendent have managed to more than maintain a healthy relationship during tough times over the past two years. The COVID19 pandemic, national social unrest, and political strife have placed an unprecedented stress, strain, and division upon many board-superintendent relationships throughout public education. The leadership team relationship at Bellwood 88 is healthy and intact because of a system of board agreements, communication expectations, and annual planning. Come learn their story of resilience and strength.
  
  Special Education 101: A Crash Course for School Board Members
  Special education directors joke about the alphabet soup used to discuss student services. From IDEA to Section 504, school board members need to understand aspects of special education during discussions concerning settlement agreements and due process updates. With parents seeking compensatory education following the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important that school board members take an active role as they approve actions to fight or remedy parent complaints on behalf of their student with disabilities. Zee and Sharp will review the two federal laws that govern the student services world.
  
  A Delicate Balance: The Relationship Between the Superintendent and School Board Members
  The relationship between the superintendent and the school board is so important to the overall well-being of the district and its community. Open, honest communication is at the heart of this relationship, but it is often easy to say but challenging to implement. Learn how a school district of 21,000 students in northern Los Angeles County uses cognitive coaching, core governance values, and a comprehensive strategic plan to forge transformational relationships between its school board members and superintendent.
  
  Harnessing the Superintendent Evaluation: Transformational Growth for the Superintendent and the District
  Walk away from this presentation with superintendent evaluation guidelines and documents to use within your district. A superintendent and a school board president will share their collaborative development of an evaluation process and tools that incorporate the district strategic plan, superintendent goals, and Research Proven Benchmarks from Marzano's "District Leadership that Works" and the McREL study. Formatives, a summative, and a 360 self-evaluation are included in this annual plan for superintendent evaluation.

• Student Achievement, Assessment, & Accountability

  Curriculum Adoption and the Science of Reading
  This session will provide guidance for board members and superintendents when evaluating their elementary school literacy curricula. Specifically, attendees will learn the critical components of research and evidence-based curricula, and what questions they should ask. The session will address why having high-quality curriculum expands opportunities for students, as well as how it gives teachers the tools needed to maximize student achievement.
  

  Personal Learning Program
  Lawton Public Schools, a 14,000-student district in Southwest Oklahoma with 27 school sites, created a multi-layered flexible learning program that maximizes personalized learning opportunities. Students can take classes in a variety of learning platforms to meet their individual learning needs. Lawton offers traditional in-person, virtual, hybrid, and even self-paced learning opportunities for its elementary and secondary students.
  
  Life Ready Graduates
  Oklahoma's Lawton Public Schools integrates a multitude of programs from PreK-12 to provide opportunities for students to graduate life ready. Makerspaces, STEM labs, technical applications, career pathways, Advanced Placement courses, concurrent enrollment, and internships contribute to the 14,000 students in 27 school sites having equitable opportunity to achieve their postsecondary educational goals.
  
  Starting Postsecondary Success While in High School
  Reaching the goal of having every student graduate high school with postsecondary credits or an industry certification means you must develop multiple pathways for success. Wisconsin's Pewaukee High School, enrollment 825 students, has developed unique programs, partnerships, and pathways for every child to graduate high school with credentials for future success. Learn how college partnerships have shifted courses away from Advanced Placement without compromising rigor and student admissions into universities. Learn about a unique program called Insight that has led to capstone experiences for students to earn industry certifications.
  
  Maximizing Opportunities in the Primary Grades (PK-2) to Lead to High Student Achievement in Grades 3-6
  School districts are held accountable based on the results of standardized testing in grades three to 12, so what about primary school grades? Is your district capitalizing on all that can be done at the primary level to impact student achievement? Find out how Georgia's Rabun County Schools (enrollment 2,253) moved their district from the bottom of their region to the top by implementing practices in their primary school that impacted student achievement in grades three to six as well as the high school graduation rate.
  
  Building Positive Conditions for Learning
  For students to learn, they must feel safe, engaged, connected, and supported in their classrooms and schools. These "conditions for learning" are the elements of a school's climate that students experience personally. Find out how the Association of Alaska School Boards is supporting school districts to develop these positive conditions for learning. This includes supporting districts to build trauma-engaged and restorative environments, expanding family-school partnerships, and elevating youth voices.
  
  Dual Enrollment Strategies for Successful Collaborations between Districts and Higher Education
  An exciting innovation for students is the option to engage in dual enrollment with community colleges and other undergraduate institutions. When qualified high schoolers can elect courses for college credit with participating institutions, they may obtain advance credits towards associate and bachelor's degrees. Students have a pathway to college and careers by exposure to wide range of curricula before they matriculate. The collaboration between high school and undergraduate programs offers a real chance to get a head start.
  
  Teachers and Technology: A Blended Approach for Developing the Whole Child
  Whole-child development spans multiple domains of learning, including social and emotional development, identity development, cognitive development, and academic development. Technology alone can only account for a portion of a child's developmental needs, but technology integrated with a robust, blended-learning model by teachers provides an effective, district-wide approach for nurturing the learner as well as the learning. Over the past 10 years, California's Cajon Valley Union School District has advanced its blended model with tools and strategies to integrate a whole-child focus across every grade.
  
  Community Partnerships that Bridge SEL Gaps
  As districts are faced with meeting a diverse set of student social-emotional needs in a post-COVID society, community partnerships can provide a sustainable bridge between school and community mental health resources. Find out how Missouri's Grandview C-4 School District, enrollment 4,000, leveraged community partnerships to fill social and emotional gaps and provide mental health support within each of its schools. Grandview C-4 will provide a roadmap for how it acquired partnerships and integrated these partnerships into tiered supports for students in grades EC to 12.
  
  Empowering Excellence and Success through Student Leadership
  Arizona's Pendergast Elementary School District's Eighth Grade Superintendent's Student Council builds strong connections to schools and the district. Student members strive to be influential leaders and play an integral role in spreading positive messages about the district. The goal of the council is to help prepare for students for the future and learn about opportunities available beyond high school. The students also gain leadership, presentation, and teamwork skills. Session participants will learn how to build leadership capacity in students so they can engage in governance while working closely with the school board and superintendent.
  
  First Class
  First Class is an entry year teacher mentor and support program designed to help new to the profession teachers succeed in the classroom. Lawton Public Schools, a 14,000-student district in Southwest Oklahoma, uses this exceptional program to recruit and retain 94% of the district's first year teachers. As the nationwide teacher shortage continues to negatively impact school districts, the district has implemented a highly successful recruitment and retention program that benefits new teachers, the students, and the district. This program provides a professional environment that fosters growth and communication between teachers, administration, parents, students, and community members. We will discuss all aspects of the program, which promotes entry-level teachers to first-class educators.
  
  Better Together: Partnering with Students to Advance Achievement, Agency, and Accountability
  Learn how student and adult leaders from Texas' Cedar Hill Independent School District, enrollment 7,250, work together to make data-driven decisions that advance student achievement, agency, and accountability. This includes school climate surveys, a Teen Superintendent, and focus groups. Attendees will participate in a data driven protocol activity that board members and educators can replicate in their own districts. Using national aggregate data gathered by the nonprofit YouthTruth, attendees will better understand the experiences of our youth across the country.
  
  Building Sustainable Structures to Calibrate Curriculum
  Find out how Massachusetts' Scituate Public Schools, enrollment 2,772, set a foundation for high expectations and enhance transparency with teaching and learning. This workshop is geared toward individuals responsible for curriculum and instruction. It will ask participants to think about how their districts document curriculum and provide access to that curriculum to educators. Do parents understand the learning goals for each grade level? Together, we will explore some simple actions that districts can take to ensure that all students and teachers have access to the same high-quality curriculum.
  
  Everyone Has a Story: Personalizing Learning for Each and Every Student
  Are students learning? Is the content students are learning in schools and classrooms going to help them in the future? If you have asked yourself these or similar questions, come join students and staff from Iowa's Bellevue Community School District as they explain how the Bellevue BIG program is allowing students to explore their passions for learning. In addition, the program allows student engagement and student empowerment to guide their learning. The Bellevue BIG program focuses on student passions in allowing students to design learning situations that expand into deep understanding.
  
  Reimagine Richfield: How One School Transformed Education and Eliminated the Graduation Gap Through Authentically Engaging Students
  Learn how Richfield High School (MN, enr.1,200) transformed its school and eliminated the graduation gap between white students and students of color by incorporating authentic student voice. Dr. Latanya Daniels, principal at the time, started with a program called Reimagine Richfield, a day-long event where students took the lead and shared all their ideas for improving the school. She then led her team through the process of implementing the student suggestions, as well as creating ways for students to provide regular input throughout the year. You won't believe the lasting impact!
  
  Innovation That is Leading the Way in Transformational Learning
  Innovation spurs creativity and success, but what spurs innovation? Join three innovation centers from across the country (Cherry Creek Innovation Campus, Denver, CO; Missouri Innovation Campus, Lee's Summit, MO; and the Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency, Kalamazoo, MI) that have crafted a unique vision that matches their educational aspirations. This is a hands-on session with an activity on how innovation stems from a district, design firm, community, and industry partners joining forces with a laser focus on better preparing students for the changing workforce they will soon enter.
  
  Using a Data Matrix to Raise Student Achievement and Calculate Academic Return on Investment
  Learn how Kerkstra Elementary School (IL, enr. 1700), went from low performing to being recognized by the National Department of Education as an Exemplary High Performing Blue Ribbon School. This presentation will address the process of collating individual student data into a matrix in order to analyze student achievement to determine interventions and enrichment activities and measure their impact. The presenters will cover the development of the data matrix, the agenda for data meetings, and the process for using the matrix to determine academic return on investment (A-RoI).
  
  Districtwide Implementation and Successful Expansion of Spanish Immersion
  Discover how the Cape Henlopen School District (DE, enr. 6,000) successfully implemented a districtwide Spanish Immersion program with 100 students in 2016 and expanded the program annually to over 1,600 students for the 2022-2023 school year.

• Technology & Digital Learning Solutions

  Using Social Media to Strategically Promote Your School District
  The strategic use of social media creates a greater sense of connection and transparency within the school community and with its students. Participants will learn how Michigan's Dearborn Public Schools, enrollment 20,000, uses social media to promote the school district in a positive manner. We platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc., to complement our community engagement plan with an emphasis on visibility in the schools and community.
  
  Leveraging E-Rate Budgets to Maximize Learning and Security in Schools
  How can districts create a school environment that sustains post-pandemic learning modalities? Find out how Canutillo Independent School District, a small West Texas district with an enrollment of 6,100 students, leveraged funding to create an atmosphere of learning during the pandemic's remote schooling time and how its strategic spending plan using E-Rate allotment will create a more intuitive network backbone to provide for better learning environments and provide for safe and secure schools.
  
  Technology Is Changing the Way It's Changing Everything: Understanding the Growing Generational Divide Powered by Technology
  Welcome to the age of hyper-innovation where information has almost no value and data insight is the next gold rush. Let's discuss why technology is making it almost impossible to relate to young people and how to fix it. For 15 years, I have worked in technology. I see where we are and where we are headed. I have made it my personal mission help mentors connect with young people and it starts with talking about why it is so hard to relate to them. There are huge opportunities here. Let's not miss them.

  Digitalizing EdCamps: Connecting to Innovate and Professionally Develop
  How does your district become more innovative? Develop in-house faculty professional development. Learn how to create a robust Teachers Center to bring together preK-12 teachers simultaneously to learn innovative teaching techniques using digital tools. Our district in Long Island, New York, has 3,000 students. Technology allows us to create EdCamps where all teachers collaborate and provide board members opportunities to participate virtually during staff development meetings and PLCs. We elicit teachers' needs digitally to create meaningful learning experiences across all grade levels.

New School Board Member Training: Ready. Set. Govern.

This new school board member bootcamp provides essential training to help new board members hone their leadership skills and gives others a chance to refresh their knowledge while networking with colleagues from across the country.

• Ready Set Govern: Roles and Responsibilities

  Once you are elected as a board member, the real learning begins. What does it mean to govern vs. manage the district? How does do board members work to develop mutual trust with their superintendent and have a clear understanding of their respective roles? Based on NSBA's manual, Becoming a Better Board Member, participants will engage in discussions around "who does what" to gain a better understanding your new role and the role of the superintendent.

• Ready Set Govern: Governing and Leadership through Policy

  Policy is the foundational element upon which school board leadership and governance rests. Policy establishes a clear vision of what is to be accomplished and creates an intentional accountability system. Board policy provides the opportunity to share leadership with superintendents while communicating to staff, students, and the community the expectations of operating a complex system focused on educating children. Based on NSBA's manual, Becoming A Better Board Member, this session will look at how policy facilitates the board's vision and establishes an accountability system for itself and the community.

• Ready Set Govern: Running an Effective Meeting (Parliamentary Procedure)

  Following parliamentary procedure can go a long way toward providing order in your decision-making process as a school board. Ethical and appropriate behavior for school board members is expected and community engagement is embraced. Based on NSBA's manual, Becoming A Better Board Member, and Robert's Rules of Order, this session will provide an overview of parliamentary procedure and how it can help maintain order during your school board meeting.

• Ready Set Govern: Board Self-Evaluation

  Just as boards evaluate the superintendent, so should they assess their own effectiveness. How well does your board work together, and how effectively do you govern your school district? Do you have a collective sense of the board's strengths and gaps as a leadership team? Are your communication processes clear? Based on NSBA's manual, Becoming A Better Board Member, this session will discuss components of successful evaluations, review sample instruments, and identify ways to set board goals.

• Ready Set Govern: Self Care & Conflict Management

  Busy people are the first to say yes and add more on their plate. School board members often put everyone else before themselves and that is when burnout can occur. As leaders, we need to keep our own gas tank filled so we can fill others up. In this session, we will think about our own well-being and receive ideas and tools for practicing self-care during late night meetings, weekend retreats, and stressful times.

Conference Information

• Who Can Attend

  NSBA’s new governance model allows ALL school districts—from non-member state associations—to attend NSBA Signature Events.

  Districts in member state associations that are in good standing with their state association are eligible to attend at a discounted rate. Districts who do not currently maintain membership in a member state association are NOT eligible to attend NSBA events or participate in NSBA programs.

  To confirm the membership status of your state school board association, or for more information, please email info@nsba.org.

• Cancellations & Refunds

  Cancellations and refunds for registration will be accepted until Feb. 16, 2023, with a full refund, less a $150 processing fee.
  
  Registration cancellations received on or after Feb. 17, 2023, will not be refunded. No-shows will not receive a refund.
  
  All cancellation requests must be submitted in writing via the NSBA Registration & Hotel Support Center or via Fax: (415) 216-2535. Refunds will be processed within one week of the request. NSBA is not responsible for airfare, hotel, or other costs incurred by participants in the event of program or registration cancellation.

• Hotels & Rates

  You must be registered for the conference before you can reserve housing. All reservations should be made prior to March 17, 2023. Room availability and conference rates cannot be guaranteed after this date.

  View the Orlando hotel map and rates.

• Air Travel Discounts

  NSBA has negotiated special travel discounts with Delta Airlines for up to 10% off applicable tickets. Restrictions apply and not all classes of service apply for the discount.
  
  Orlando International Airport (MCO)
  (Distance from the Orange County Convention Center, 11.8 miles)
  
  Delta Airlines
  1.800.328.1111
  Meeting Event Code: NY23D
  Monday–Friday, 7 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. (CT)

  Click here to book your flight.

  *Please note there is not a service fee for reservations booked and ticketed via our reservation 800 number.

• Destination Orlando

  Looking to relax and have some fun after a long day of learning? Continue the fun while in Orlando by visiting some of the local tourist attractions like City Walk, Disney Springs, The Pointe, or the Premier Outlets. If you want more adventure, add a day or two to outside of the conference to enjoy Universal Orlando or Walt Disney World. Show your badge and save. Click here for more information.

  Orlando City SC and the NSBA 2023 Annual Conference and Exposition welcome fans to Exploria Stadium and upcoming Orlando City matches. Click here to receive exclusive discounts on seats to select home matches in 2023!

• Safety Protocols & Requirements

  Proof of vaccination status or a negative test result is not required to attend NSBA events. Attendees who are not vaccinated are asked to take an at-home COVID-19 rapid antigen test before traveling to the event and should not attend if they test positive or have COVID-19 symptoms. NSBA does not require proof of these measures but encourages attendees to act responsibly and with consideration for the health and safety of others. Mask wearing is not required but strongly encouraged.
  
  Please note that these requirements are subject to change and may be modified at any time. We will continue to monitor and communicate COVID-19 developments as needed.