If you’re thinking of running for a school board, Friday, May 19 is the last day to file for the next round of elections. The Washington Secretary of State website provides all the information you’ll need. Why run? But why run for school board in the…
WSSDA’s OnBoard training has grown substantially since it was introduced in 2019. Several learning experiences covering school finance, district budgets, and educational equity are available. And more topics are on the way. Being responsive to the needs of school directors has always been a high…
What do you get when you gather 1,477 school board directors from around Washington state? Answer: 1,477 different perspectives. So how does WSSDA go from 1477 viewpoints down to a single advocacy platform? It’s simple: democracy. Basically, it’s a year-round process with three phases:…
Last year’s Annual Conference in Spokane offered more than 50 breakout sessions on topics important for school district leaders. Call for presenters! Ever attend a WSSDA Annual Conference and think, “Hey! I wish someone would present on this topic…”? Well, maybe that someone could…
School directors, do you want to help shape WSSDA’s advocacy? Now is the time to meet with your board, discuss any potential changes you would like to suggest for the WSSDA platform, and put any proposals to a vote. Local school boards have the…
Learning & advocating Share the spring issue of WSSDA Direct with your friends and colleagues, or peruse back issues on a Sunday afternoon. In this edition, Shankar Vedantam, author of The Hidden Brain, offers advice in “The Art of Persuasion”. Drawn from the Legislative…
Student Perspective What is the one thing that only a student can provide to a school board? Perspective. The forces that shape a generation, such as radio, television, the internet, cell phones, social media, change over time. Only a K-12 student can tell you…
Early in the year is a great time for school boards to assess their performance with WSSDA’s free online Board Self-Assessment Survey. The benefits of the survey include: Post-survey, WSSDA also has an excellent process to help board-superintendent teams unpack the results and make sense of…
Yesterday, WSSDA Executive Director Tim Garchow signed on to a joint statement published by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). The statement calls for the Legislature to invest in special education, meals, transportation, and school staffing. The leaders who signed the…
School boards select a president or vice president, but did you know they also select a legislative representative or “leg rep”? School board leg reps monitor legislation that could impact public schools and inform their board of emerging issues and advocacy opportunities. They also…