Are you a leader in your district? Do you know how to properly ask governance questions?

You don’t want to miss this six-part on-demand Informed Governance webinar series designed to address questions each member of the district leadership team should be asking to promote effective governance.

This educational series provides essential knowledge and practical next steps you can apply in your district. Each part of the series will align with OSBA’s six leadership areas: accountability, advocacy, community engagement, policy, relationships and vision. This is continuing education for all school board members and builds on the information presented in the Board Member 101 series.

These webinars can purchased for $50 each and viewed at your own pace. Register for the entire series or just the ones that interest you. The Informed Governance series is sponsored by Sedgwick Managed Care Ohio. 

Advocacy in the Community and Advocacy for the Community
This session will provide insights on how best to advocate for legislation on behalf of your community interests. Also, we will tackle the issues facing our school communities that need to be advocated for on behalf of all students.

Key takeaways from this session include:

  • gain insight into how to be an effective, informed and collaborative advocate;
  • discuss the issues facing the communities your school board serves;
  • learn how to ensure the needs of all students are met.

Presenters: OSBA Director of Legislative Services Jennifer Hogue, Deputy Director of Legislative Services Will Schwartz and Membership Retention and Engagement Consultant Mark E. Bobo 
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Beyond ‘We Have to Get These Evaluations Done’
Strong board governance includes superintendent and treasurer evaluations. These have both legal and institutional components. This session focuses on these aspects of the evaluation process, which board members often overlook. This presentation will give you a fresh perspective on best practices related to the whys and hows of superintendent and treasurer evaluations.

Key takeaways from this session include:

  • understand the legal and administrative consequences of poorly executed superintendent and treasurer evaluations;
  • gain insight into a strong evaluation process that builds a stronger leadership team;
  • learn from experienced OSBA staff how best to implement a replicable evaluation.

Presenters: OSBA Senior Board and Management Services Consultant Steve Horton and Senior Staff Attorney Van D. Keating
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Budget and Fiscal Operations
Explore the importance of strong fiscal policies and management for district operations. Attendees will learn best practices for fiscal policy management and how to understand and use data to hold spending decisions accountable. This educational and practical session will provide essential knowledge and practical next steps you can apply for effective fiscal operations. 

Key takeaways from this session include:

  • learn how to effectively guide fiscal operations through strong policies and procedures;
  • understand the importance of data in fiscal operations, including the fundamentals necessary for credible expenditure benchmarking, and how to use this information in solid financial planning;
  • cover practical steps for implementing fiscal policy and data utilization best practices in your district.

Presenters: OSBA Senior Policy Consultant Kenna S. Haycox and Forecast5 Analytics Inc. Senior Analytics Advisor Mike Sobul and Senior Vice President Ernie Strawser 
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Governing With and Within a Visionary Framework
This webinar will define vision, mission, core values and goals to help your board understand the difference between accountability and responsibility as they relate to the district’s strategic plan and board governance. Learn how the relationship between the board and administrative team is crucial to success. This session provides simple ways strategic planning can immediately increase your board’s effectiveness. 

Key takeaways from this session include:

  • learn definitive steps that every board meeting should include to keep the vision moving forward;
  • recognize the benefits of discussion before decision-making and having a culture of trust to encourage open dialogue;
  • hear tips for regular review of the strategic plan progress.

Presenters: OSBA Director of Board and Management Services Cheryl W. Ryan, Senior Deputy Director of Board and Management Services Teri Morgan and Senior Board and Management Services Consultant Steve Horton
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Monitoring Progress Toward District Student Achievement Goals
Research suggests that effective school boards, in collaboration with district leadership, monitor progress toward achieving district goals and act when progress is not evident. Have you ever wondered how the board should ensure progress toward student achievement? The answer: Ask good questions.

Key takeaways from this session include:

  • learn the basic components of a program review so you can form good questions for monitoring student achievement;
  • learn the specific roles of board members and the superintendent in the process of monitoring achievement;
  • identify and evaluate spending areas most likely to impact student achievement and the metrics most likely to indicate student engagement in the remote-learning world.

Presenters: OSBA Senior Student Achievement Consultant Kim Miller-Smith and Forecast5 Analytics Inc. Senior Analytics Advisor Mike Sobul and Senior Vice President Ernie Strawser
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What Everyone Should Know About the Yellow Bus and Transportation Safety
This session will cover five things all leadership team members should know about transportation. In addition, we will answer the most commonly asked transportation questions and discuss transportation laws that are imperative to know and understand.

Key takeaways from this session include:

  • gain an understanding of the costs and community benefits of transportation;
  • learn how to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of your transportation plan and keep students safe;
  • gain insight on how to have a compliant and safe operation.

Presenters: OSBA Senior Transportation Consultant Pete Japikse and Transportation Consultant Doug Palmer
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