Customized Workshops & Retreats

Heather Curl and WSSDA Consultants.

Tailored to Your Board-Superintendent Team

Prioritizing professional development for your board-superintendent team is essential to aligning goals across the district and driving positive student outcomes. WSSDA offers customized coaching, training, and team development designed to meet your board’s unique needs—all delivered directly in your district.

Informed by academic research on education, adult learning, and school board service, WSSDA’s workshops are facilitated by trained, experienced WSSDA leadership consultants. The board workshops are designed to support school boards and superintendents in building skills, competencies, and establishing high levels of professional and personal conduct and performance.

We offer a variety of standard workshops, but all can be customized to match the needs of your local board or school district. Workshops range from two to four hours in length and can be combined into a full day, if desired.

Having a WSSDA facilitator allows all members of the team to participate, while providing expertise in navigating important conversations.

Why Choose our Workshops?

  • Informed by research
  • Customized to your board
  • No travel; delivered in your district
  • Led by trained facilitators
  • Flexible length and format
  • Builds skills, knowledge, and team alignment
  • Leads to improved student outcomes

Board Workshop Catalog

In-District Workshops
In-District Workshops
Foundational Board Self-Assessment Workshop A workshop designed to review the outcomes of a district’s Board Self-Assessment Survey. Find themes, areas of strength, opportunities for growth as well as opportunities for increased cohesiveness as a board.
Focused Board Self-Assessment Workshop Designed for boards who have experience with the foundational board self-assessment workshop. The focused workshop combines the results of the Board Self-Assessment Survey with a look at contextual student needs, with all discussions supported by research-based high leverage indicators from the Washington School Board Standards.
Board Roles and Responsibilities A workshop specifically designed for a board with newly elected/appointed board members or for a board that might benefit from a refresher on their roles and responsibilies. This workshop combines information on board roles and responsibilities from WSSDA’s Board Boot Camp with contextual information on a district’s status and goals for their students. Also included are team building and communication supporting protocols (such as the creation of community agreements.)
Board Operating Protocol Policy Development Work together to develop a board operating protocol that supports alignment and efficiencies as a leadership team. Includes study of operating protocol examples, analysis of which elements are needed to support the board, then finishes with the creation of an outline of a custom written protocol policy.
Governance Framework Development Learn more about different board governance structures, including Policy Governance, Coherent Governance, or Balanced Governance. Explore the similarities and differences, or update your team’s current structure.
Creating or Revising your District’s Strategic Plan Undertaking a strategic planning process is a complex endeavor that incorporates all five of the Washington State Board Standards and provides a road map for decision-making, budget allocations, and superintendent evaluation. It which entails understanding your district’s mission, goals, core values, strengths and areas for growth. It also involves community stakeholder involvement and analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data. This workshop explores the various components of strategic planning and the role of the board in the process.*
Superintendent Evaluation Workshop Learn the best practices around superintendent evaluation that support student growth. Includes a review of requirements, leadership competencies, and goal setting for the board.
Board – Superintendent Relationship The relationship between the Board and Superintendent is the most important in the district, and a well-functioning leadership team is proven to support strong student outcomes. With this interactive workshop, gain a deep, contextualized understanding of how to best align the work of the board and the Superintendent.
Research Article Review Review a series of four articles that capture the leadership skills and practices proven to boost student outcomes – or drag them down – in a district. This interactive workshop allows for a deep dive into important elements, then brings the theoretical into context for the board.
District-Sponsored OnBoard Trainings Details TBD

Pricing

2025 District Fee
Virtual (2-3 hours) $800
In-Person (2-4 hours) $1,100
In-Person (5-8 hours) $1,650

* Strategic planning services can be delivered as a half- or full-day workshop or charged hourly as a start-to-finish project.

Testimonials

Luckisha Phillips“We had a WSSDA leadership consultant come to facilitate a retreat on roles and responsibilities and policy governance. It was impactful and supported us to better understand how to create the conditions for student success in our district through strengthening the board-supe team. The chance to work with an experienced school board director and seasoned facilitator was a perfect balance of experience, education, and compassion”
— Luckisha Phillips, Board Vice President, Federal Way
School District

Amy Cast“When I started on my own school board several years ago, I was introduced to Tricia Lubach and the work of the WSSDA leadership consulting team during one of my first board retreats. I saw first-hand how a facilitated retreat helped my board not only improve our practice, but also find new ways to collaborate and communicate. As I’m now a leadership consultant myself, it’s my honor to “pay it forward” and support other boards as they serve the children of their community.”
— Amy Cast, Board President, Northshore School District

Contact us to customize your workshop!

Heather Curl
Director of Leadership Development
360-890-5781

Rassamy Smith
Learning and Development Specialist
360-252-3003