Kentucky School Advocate

April 2025

By Kerri Schelling

KSBA Executive Director

This past month, I had the pleasure of attending the 2025 Annual Conference of the Consortium of State School Boards Associations (COSSBA) in Atlanta and I was pleased to see approximately a dozen Kentucky districts represented as attendees and/or presenters. We were among the nearly 1,500 school board members, administrators and state association staff from across the country who came together for a memorable weekend of learning and networking. 

In my 26 years at KSBA, I have participated in many conferences, but this one ranked toward the very top. As a founding COSSBA state association member, KSBA and its members have benefited from the consortium since its launch three years ago. With each year, COSSBA’s resources are more comprehensive and their conferences more expansive. 

As I reflect on my experience, I am reminded of the importance of seeking out such opportunities to learn and grow as leaders. A great big world of school board service is at your fingertips. Are you making effective use of it to benefit the students in your district?

New perspectives are powerful. State, regional and national conferences expose attendees to diverse perspectives, innovative ideas and best practices from across the country. Engaging peers from different backgrounds challenges assumptions, broadens our thinking as problem-solvers and fosters creativity. The same can be said of the webinars available to you from organizations like COSSBA that are committed to local district leadership. 

You’re not alone. There are 171 school districts in Kentucky and, chances are, other board teams are facing many of the same challenges as you. KSBA strives to help board teams learn from each other whenever possible, whether at our conferences, our regional meetings each fall or even through the stories in our publications. Keep this in mind: there are thousands of school districts across the nation, most of them governed by locally elected school boards. The wealth of knowledge and experience available to you is limitless, particularly with advancements in technology. 

Problems are actually solvable. Much like KSBA’s conferences, COSSBA was packed with presentations that showcased success stories. Board members and superintendents just like you, working closely with their state associations, found meaningful solutions to complex problems – solutions that can be borrowed, adapted and implemented! You don’t have to build something from scratch or go at it alone. Your peers in other states may possess a template, a toolkit or talking points that will give you the jumpstart you need. Hearing about successes (and challenges that precede them) provide fresh insights and inspire new strategies.

KSBA is better for it. You can bet that KSBA staff in attendance at #COSSBA2025 took copious notes, brought back plenty of materials and made lasting connections with our counterparts in other states. That positively impacts you, our members, in the long run. Trust me when I say that the brainstorming and planning has already begun as we look to find ways to apply what we learned. And, by strengthening our relationships with the school board associations in other states, we have more experts on speed dial who we can call upon for the benefit of our members here in Kentucky. 

Perhaps my favorite part of the 2025 COSSBA Annual Conference was the announcement that next year’s event will take place right here at home. That’s right. Louisville will serve as host of the 2026 conference, March 13-15. Mark your calendars! 

In the months ahead, KSBA will communicate special opportunities to be involved in #COSSBA2026 next year. As the host state, we challenge Kentucky school districts to show up and show off their Bluegrass pride. I can’t wait to see you there!