The Kansas School Board Resource Center (KSBRC) will offer a free online training workshop for school board members on Wednesday, January 24th at 7:00 PM.
Important First Steps to Becoming an Effective School Board Member is the first session of the 2024 online series and will be especially helpful to recently elected new members just settling into their duties. Topics to be discussed include:
- Board Members’ Legal Responsibilities
- Building Needs Assessments
- District Proficiency Scores and where to find them
- A Review of Important District Policies
A Q&A session will be available at the end of the presentations.
Presenters at the workshop will be:
Ward Cassidy, Executive Director of KSBRC
Ward’s long career in education and public service includes as a teacher, coach, counselor, and principal. He was also an outreach instructor at Fort Hays State, teaching School and Community Relations. He served on the Board of Directors of the Kansas State High School Activities Association, the Secondary School Principals, and as an assistant vice president for the Northwest Kansas Technical College, where he oversaw the successful completion of accreditation for the Ag Tech program. Additionally, he served in the Kansas Legislature where he chaired the House Education Budget Committee. Ward holds a Specialist in Education degree from Fort Hays State.
Mike O’Neal, CEO of O’Neal Consulting, LLC
An attorney with over 35 years of litigation experience, Mike also served in the Kansas Legislature for 28 years with two terms as House Speaker. He was President and CEO of the Kansas Chamber of Commerce before opening his own legal consulting and government relations firm. Mike earned his J.D. from the University of Kansas School of Law and has over four decades of legal, legislative and governmental relations experience.
Other issues to be covered in future online events this year:
- State Funding and School Board Budget Prioritization to Improve Academic Outcomes
- Labor Negotiations
- Goal Setting, Evaluations, and Accountability to Improve Academic Outcomes
- Setting a Board Agenda Focused on Improving Academic Outcomes
Executive Director Cassidy looks ahead to 2024 at KSBRC:
“The Kansas School Board Resource Center will be providing webinars each month to help support board members in their efforts to improve student achievement. All the webinars will be based on questions asked by board members. It is no secret that student achievement needs major changes in the way things are being done. I am excited that so many are using our service.”
Registration for the online event is available at ksbrc.org.
