Founded in 1963, the VSBA is a private, nonprofit membership association dedicated to serving Vermont’s elected school boards. We provide our members with services, support and counsel as they lead their districts, navigate relationships and promote public education across Vermont.
Join us on Thursday, October 24, 2024 and Friday, October 25, 2024 at Lake Morey Resort for a new training and conference format for the Annual VSBA/VSA Fall Conference.
Pre-conference Workshop: Navigating Finance, Policy, and Partnerships for School Board Officers and Superintendents
Thursday, October 24, 2:00 - 4:00 pm
A strong collaborative partnership between school board officers and superintendents has never been more important. Participants in this workshop will:
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Gain a deeper understanding of recent changes to education finance law and the impact on the budgeting process.
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Discuss strategies for contending with the political and fiscal pressures facing school boards.
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Consider how to build positive relationships between school districts and local municipalities.
A Celebration of Public Education in Vermont
Thursday, October 24, 2024, 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Join us for an inspiring evening dedicated to honoring the achievements of public education in Vermont. Begin your evening by exploring a vibrant array of student and educator exhibits scattered throughout the conference venue. This is a perfect opportunity to network with fellow attendees while enjoying light refreshments.
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2024 VSBA Business Meeting
The VSBA will be holding the 2024 business meeting via Zoom on October 17 at 6:00pm. The business meeting is being decoupled from the annual conference this year in order to allow more time for board members to network at the conference.REGISTER HERE
Business Meeting Draft Agenda
I. Call to order
II. Approval of the 2023 Minutes (Action)
III. President’s Report (Accept)
IV. Executive Director’s Report (Accept)
V. Treasurer’s Report (Accept)
VI. VSBA Bylaws - Proposed Bylaw Changes (Action)
VII. Resolutions Report (Action)
VIII. Report of the Task Force on Collaboration to Benefit All Students
IX. Other Business
X. Adjournment (Action)
The VT AOE's District Quality Standards, which include governance standards for school boards, go into effect on July 1, 2025. The standards are general principles of good governance and provide boards guidance on their essential work. The first step in ensuring compliance with these standards is to find out where your board currently is. To help you with this, the VSBA has created a self-evaluation tool for boards to see where the gaps are between your current practices and the new governance standards. (See webinar below)
Joint Training for Chairs and Superintendents
In 2013, the legislature adopted 16 V.S.A. § 561(b) requring at least eight hours of joint training for the superintendent and board chair annually. In 2023, the VSBA and the VSA adapted their annual fall conference to fulfill the requirements of the law if the superintendent and board chair attended the conference together. This will be an option again at the 2024 Annual VSBA/VSA Conference at which all eight hours of training can be obtained. (See below under Save the Date for information about the annual conference.) New this year is a self-guided opportunity, Leadership Expedition. Similar to a self-paced course, the chair and superintendent may select what, when, and how they learn together. In addition to providing more flexibility, this self-guided option offers differentiated learning to meet the needs of governance teams with varying degrees of knowledge and experience. Please let us know if you have any questions about this resource by contacting Debbie Singiser at dsingiser@vtvsba.org.
Implementation & Quality Review Process of
DQS Governance Standards
The VT AOE’s District Quality Standards, which include governance standards for school boards, have been adopted and go into effect on July 1, 2025. The standards are general principles of good governance and provide boards guidance on their essential work. There are fourteen standards organized into three core areas:Governance Priorities, Governance Protocols, and Governance Processes. The VSBA will offer a self-evaluation for individual boards to determine where the gaps are between its current practices and the new standards.
Becoming an Effective Board Member:
A Guide to Roles & Responsibilities
Effective and high-functioning boards can have a positive impact on student achievement. A key characteristic of an effective board is meeting its responsibilities by understanding its roles. In school board governance in VT we organize our work into six different pillars: 1) Establish a Vision & Engage the Community, 2) Establish Policy, 3) Board/Superintendent Partnership, 4) Effective & Ethical Operations, 5) Monitoring Progress & Performance, 6) Budget & Financial Oversight. What are the school board’s roles and responsibilities in each of these? Knowing our focus is on governance, what does that look like for each of these pillars and how can we ensure we maintain that focus without migrating into operations and management? What are some tools that can help?