Kentucky School Advocate

April 2024

More than 50 school board members, administrators and association staff from Kentucky attended the 2nd Annual Conference of the Consortium of State School Boards Associations (COSSBA) Feb. 23-25 in Dallas. COSSBA welcomed roughly 1,500 attendees from the federation’s 25 member states. This year’s theme was “Leading for the Future.”

The event kicked off on Feb. 22 for a special preconference day of learning hosted by the Urban Boards Alliance. This year’s lineup of keynote speakers included organizational expert Sam Glenn; business strategist Nancy Giordano; educational leadership expert Douglas Reeves; and “Encourager, Educator and Entertainer” Mickey Smith Jr. Attendees had the opportunity to participate in three days of breakout sessions, panel discussions, roundtables and networking events. The number of exhibitors that participated in this year’s trade show doubled that of last year’s conference. 

Board officers and executives from each participating state association took part in a business meeting to vote on COSSBA’s federal advocacy priorities, some of which included increased education funding, teacher training and recruitment, student mental health supports, child nutrition and broadband/e-rate access. #COSSBA2024 also hosted the consortium’s quarterly board of directors meeting. KSBA Executive Director Kerri Schelling currently sits on the board as a voting member.

Save the date: COSSBA’s 2025 Annual Conference will be held March 21-23, 2025 in Atlanta. Learn more at cossba.org.