Hundreds of Kentucky school board members, superintendents and their assistants, board attorneys and other school administrators – nearly 900 so far – are preparing to trek to Louisville next week for KSBA’s 80th annual conference. Here are several important highlights of the event, Feb. 26-28, at the Galt House Hotel and Conference Center.
Online registration: Conference – including individual session – registration remains open here. The registration covers access to all sessions of the three-day event. The onsite registration desk will be open briefly Thursday afternoon from 4-5:30 p.m. and opens daily Friday through Sunday at 7 a.m.
Food events: The conference registration fee includes the Friday afternoon President’s/Trade Show reception and Saturday morning continental breakfast. Tickets for the Saturday luncheon and Sunday morning brunch should be ordered as soon as possible to assure availability and may be purchased on site by 5:00 p.m. on Friday while they last. New this year is an option to order a boxed lunch (ham or turkey) Friday. Orders for the boxed lunch must be made in advance through the online registration portal.
Cancellations: In order to receive a full refund, cancellations must be received by fax (502-783-1182) or email to Tammie Conatser [email protected] no later than Feb. 22. Each cancellation after Feb. 22 will incur a $75 fee that covers the cost of food, beverages and materials incurred in anticipation of your attendance.
Lodging: The deadline for reduced rate lodging at the Galt House has passed. Lodging may still be available at the Galt House and other nearby hotels including the Hyatt Regency and the Louisville Marriott Downtown (both are connected to the Galt House via covered walkways). Inquiries should be made directly to the hotels.
Mobile app: The “KSBA Events” app will afford instant access to schedules, maps, session handouts, exhibitor locations, speaker contact information, a photo gallery and many more features. The app may be downloaded from Apple, Amazon, Blackberry, Google Play and other online app stores. And remember there will be free Internet Access in all meeting spaces of the KSBA conference. Instructions for downloading the app have been sent to the board secretary and will be included in participants’ conference packets. Social media users: The official hashtag for the conference is a simple #KSBA2016
Keynote addresses: The Friday Opening General Session will feature renowned speaker and visual artist Richard Hight. On Saturday morning, best-selling author and leadership strategist David Horsager will provide the session message. During the Saturday luncheon, first-year Kentucky Education Commissioner Stephen Pruitt will make his maiden address at a KSBA event. And Sunday morning, former NFL All-Pro Denver Broncos player-turned-motivational speaker Karl Mecklenburg will wrap up the closing brunch general session.
Awards presentations: The schedule for the annual honors of the KSBA conference are as follows: Friday Opening Session – Warren Proudfoot Outstanding School Board Member and KSBA Friend of Education awards; Saturday morning session – Dupree Outstanding Superintendent Award; and Saturday luncheon – KSBA First Degree College Scholarships.
Some clinics full: Advanced registrations have filled the fire marshal-set capacities of rooms where some clinic sessions will take place. There are plenty of open clinics in all five concurrent session times including several for all of the three mandated training areas of ethics, finance and superintendent evaluations.
Please remember that the purpose of preregistration is to locate the largest enrollment sessions in the largest rooms. However, seating in the clinic rooms is on a first-come, first-seated basis.
The following clinics are now full:
A7, C7 Evaluating the Superintendent – 2 other classes remain open
A9, B9, C9 Ethics and the Board Meeting - 2 other classes remain open
A 10 Fraud – Are you at risk? - 2 other classes remain open
A 17 Model Procurement versus Bid Law
B 2 Monitor the Budget by Asking the Right Questions
B 6 Finance II: Dollars and Sense
C 5 The Board’s role in District Personnel
Due to their popularity last year, conference planners again have included in the Friday morning preconference session an “All-in-one” three-hour seminar with ethics, finance and superintendent evaluations as well as a three-hour workshop on finance. All preconference sessions include a $35 fee.
Student Banners: Student-produced art banners featuring the conference theme – “From Chalkboards to Whiteboards: 8 Decades of Serving School Boards” – are still being accepted through Tuesday, Feb. 23. The banners will be on display throughout the conference meeting areas in the Galt House East. If you have any questions about the banner program, please contact Mary Davis at KSBA at 800-372-2962.
Student engagement: Five student groups will be enhancing this year’s KSBA conference. The Fort Thomas Independent Highlands High School Chamber Orchestra will perform at the Friday Opening General Session. The Warren County Schools’ Warren Central High School Advanced Chorus will provide music for the Saturday luncheon. For the Sunday morning brunch, the Woodford County High School Chamber Orchestra will offer background music. And the Sunday morning nondenominational devotional session will be led by the Kentwood Station Fellowship of Christian Athletes from Oldham County. And throughout the conference, students from Jefferson County Schools will be on site throughout the conference to serve as the “KSBA App Team” to assist attendees in downloading and using the new mobile app.
If you have questions about this year’s KSBA conference, please call 1-800-372-2962 or email conference manager and Board Team Development Director Kerri Schelling [email protected] or Board Team Development specialist Tammie Conatser [email protected].