ASBA Connect E-News

The application to apply to become an officer candidate will open Tuesday, October 13, 2020. A member email will be sent to all school board members with details on position descriptions and application and selection process of candidates on Oct. 13 and posted to the website. Look for the email with specific details!

Five officers serve as the executive committee on the ASBA Board of Directors. They are the president, president-elect, treasurer, secretary and immediate past-president. Each position is held for a one-year term. The officers serve on the board alongside 17 county directors and ex officio voting members that include caucus and alliance presidents.

Questions regarding this application and the election process should be directed to Kristi Sisk, executive assistant to the executive director, at ksisk@azsba.org or 602-254-1100.

Annual Conference award nominations, deadline is Oct. 16

It’s your time to shine. We want to celebrate your district’s achievements! Participate in the ASBA Annual Awards Program.

This year, we will be celebrating the following awards:

• Lou Ella Kleinz Excellence in Governance Award
• All-Arizona School Board Member Award
• Honor Roll Award
• ASBA Golden Bell Promise Program Award
• ASBA Pillar Award for Advocacy

 Please note: Student awards have been moved to the spring of 2021.

All nominations and entries must be submitted using the online forms. Nominations are now open and close Friday, October 16.

School district governing board membership in the Arizona School Boards Association is required to nominate/apply for an award and to receive an award. Nominations and entries must be received by Friday, October 16.

Submit now

ASBA offers #WednesdayWebinars for 2020-21

We are excited to offer our members #WednesdayWebinars. Members will have the opportunity to dig deeper into areas of Equity, Governance and Communications. Webinars will be scheduled on Wednesdays with the goal of providing two webinars per month from 4-5 p.m.

View the list of upcoming webinar topics for 2020-21:

• Two-Part Webinar: Suicide Prevention and Black, Indigenous and Other Students of Color (BISOC)
• Wednesday Webinars: It’s YOUR Policy: Taking It from Model to Meaning
• Wednesday Webinars: Anti-racism to Xenophobia: Understanding the Language of Equity
• Wednesday Webinars: Focus on Communications: How to Introduce New District and School Leadership to the Community
• Wednesday Webinars: Focus on Communications: How to Use Storytelling as a Powerful Advocacy Tool
• Wednesday Webinars: How to Create and Use an Equity Lens to Shape District Decisions
• Wednesday Webinars: Focus on Communications: How to Engage Your Community to Overcome Barriers to Trust

Plus more! You can find all Wednesday webinars on the ASBA events webpage.

Can’t view the webinar live? No problem. Go ahead and register and you will receive the recording automatically by email so you can view it later. There is no cost to register for this webinar.  We encourage advance registration.

Did you take the member survey? We need to know what you think – and it will only take 12 minutes

All school board members received an email asking to participate in the ASBA survey. At ASBA we pride ourselves on continuously improving service and responsiveness to our members’ needs, but we know there is always room for improvement. That’s where you come in – and what we need from you will take only about 12 minutes of your time.

Right now, we are asking you and all other school board leaders in ASBA member districts statewide to complete a comprehensive member survey to share your thoughts and beliefs about how we’re doing as an association overall and in our key service areas. The survey should take no more than 10-12 minutes. There’s also space for you to add your own comments if you’d like. Be assured that your responses are anonymous. (We are not asking for your name and IP address tracking has been disabled.)

The survey closes on Oct. 21, 2020. It must be completed in a single sitting. (In other words, you can’t complete half of it, save it and return to it later.)

Please know that we consider survey data actionable information. That means what we learn from you and other board members around the state will be thoroughly reviewed and incorporated in our work at the staff and board level. Please invest the time to share what you think.

Please check your inbox for the email sent to all school board members.

Why I Serve  – Written by Torri Anderson, ASBA Treasurer

In all my years of teaching and serving on the Maricopa USD school board, this year has been the most challenging, gut wrenching and emotional year of my volunteer service.  I am often asked why do I do this? Is it worth all the worry and sleepless nights? This is the first year I have had to be concerned with the condition of my vehicle when leaving a late board meeting. Will my tires be slashed, or will I view a parents’ artwork keyed into the side of my car?

So, I come back to my first question: Why do I volunteer and serve as a board member?  Here are a few reasons I serve:

I choose to serve because I LOVE my community. This is my time to give back, to a community that provided me with an incredible foundation and drive to succeed. I remember all the adults that were selfless and did whatever it took to make sure each one of us, had a positive experience in school. Their volunteerism set the stage for my life- long drive to make a difference and give back. It makes me smile when I get the opportunity to see those adults in the grocery store, share stories and tell them “thank you.”

I choose to serve because I believe every child needs to feel like they belong and can succeed, regardless of their own challenges. Public education is a safe, unconditional environment where every child who walks through our doors has an equitable opportunity for excellence in education. As a board member, I have an incredible opportunity to strengthen our school budget and adjust our policies to meet the needs of every child in our schools. I can be their superhero advocate. As an elected board member, I have a duty to educate myself and strive for excellence through ongoing training opportunities.

ASBA’s vision statement is so relevant to why I serve: I want to be a part of the movement to create “The Best Schools in Every Arizona Community.” I challenge myself with this statement at every board meeting. Now let me ask you, why do you serve? Now, let us go make a difference.

Voices That Matter receives tremendous feedback among members

We wanted to thank all the ASBA members who reached out with positive comments on the ASBA Voices That Matter campaign we promoted in August. The campaign was created to help honor voices, emotions and experiences on racial injustice in the United States.

As this campaign was ending, we received a letter from board member Bruce Lunt, Duncan Unified School District. In the letter he states, “There is not a whole lot we can do to improve the behavior of others, but we can proactively be civil ourselves, even when there exist serious differences. That includes listening.” Thank you to Bruce and other members who contributed to this campaign.

We will continue to listen to our members and do our best to keep advocating for those students and families that do not have a voice. Together, we can do more. If you haven’t visited the Voices webpage, you can view videos and read testimonials here.

Members share the importance of celebrating culture and heritage!

Educational equity takes ongoing commitment, time and resources on the part of school boards and district personnel. Equity work is not something we do for or to our communities, but rather something we pursue alongside them. Part of that is celebrating the culture and backgrounds of the students in our classrooms.

Throughout this month, hear from board members Marissa Hernandez, Cartwright ESD, Tadeo De La Hoya, Gadsden ESD and ASBA Yuma County Director and Nicholas Nordgran-Tellez, Solomon ESD and ASBA Graham County Director on what Hispanic Heritage Month means to them and how we can better support and celebrate our Latinx students in our schools and communities. View their video testimonials as they roll out this month on the ASBA YouTube page or on Facebook and Twitter platforms.

Leading in challenging times – Written by Steve Chapman, ASBA President

As citizens we have seen the problems created when local, state and federal leaders are not coordinating efforts. Because of the patchwork response we have seen in Arizona it has forced school districts to make tough decisions in their communities, without the support they need. Decisions that are being driven emotionally, politically, scientifically and even counter to what the data tells us. This is where our elected governing board members come in, as it is our responsibility to hear all these points of view and make a decision that is best for students and staff.

It is a safe bet that no matter what a board decides that there will be people not happy with your decision and question you serving as an elected representative. Some will question whether you care for students for opening schools for in-person learning, some will question whether you understand the challenges that working families are dealing with by continuing distance learning for their kids.

If we continue our strong leadership as elected governing boards working with our district administrators, we can be a part of mitigating this crisis for our communities. The decisions you make will help determine the local outcomes of this pandemic and help shape the state for the future.

Whether you are in education as an elected leader, a district administrator, a teacher or the countless support staff members who work to keep our schools operating, I want to say thank you for adapting and rising to the challenge. Over a million children count on you for learning, for social and emotional support, and even for breakfast and lunch.

We will continue having tough conversations and making difficult decisions even after this pandemic because schools are directly connected to ever changing communities and national issues. My hope is this has encouraged my elected colleagues to be more involved in the decision-making process moving forward so that we can better serve our districts. And please also remember, that ASBA is always here to support you in any way we can.

Did you always want to attend an AASBO Annual Conference but never had the opportunity?

This is your year. The 67th AASBO Annual Conference is going to be a Virtual Conference. The best part is that you will be able to hear from great General Session Speakers and have a choice of attending a wide selection of outstanding and informative breakout sessions. Register by October 8 and get the early bird discount. Do not miss out on this great learning opportunity. Get more information and register by clicking here.

Learn more about ASBAIT

Learn more about the value of ASBAIT and the benefit plans available by clicking here.

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