AASB Membership Guide

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Develops and conducts services available to more than 1,000 members.

Offers online training hours through School Board U portal.

Advocate for public education and local school boards since 1949.

Awards thousands of school board member training hours annually.

Has conducted many local superintendent searches. Also conducts CSFO searches.

SECTION ONE Our history of excellence began June 16, 1949, when our 128 founders – representing 40 county and 13 city boards of education – dared to stand together. Today AASB enjoys 100 percent membership and has become the statewide voice for the interests of public school boards and quality public education.

To develop excellent school board leaders through quality training, advocacy and services.

Education empowers In unity, there is strength Learning is a lifelong process Family is the foundation for life A sense of purpose adds meaning to life Diversity enriches the human experience All human beings have equal inherent worth High expectations lead to higher achievement The community has a responsibility for the well-being of its children.

TOGETHER WE STAND

EXECUTIVE GENERAL COUNSEL & LEGAL ADVOCACY BUSINESS & OPERATIONS GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS PUBLIC RELATIONS LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AASB’s 1,000-strong membership includes not only city and county school boards but several special boards as well as associate, honorary and Professional Sustaining members.

Anyone interested in supporting education can join the AASB Network at no charge.

Also under the auspices of AASB are the Alabama Council of School Board Attorneys (ACSBA) and Alabama Association of Administrative Assistants (AAAA). Through these affiliate organizations, board attorneys and board secretaries share expertise and access professional development opportunities in order to better meet the changing needs of school boards.

You are able to stay abreast of the latest education information, tools and resources thanks to our business partner program.

Member firms and businesses connect with school board members and are able to share innovative ideas and discuss beneficial products and services. This program also helps support AASB programming, keeping fees low for school board members.

Perhaps the most prized benefits of the Professional Sustaining Membership Program are two annual Exhibitor Showcases, opportunities to sponsor/attend 18 district meetings each training year and an annual Education Learning Lab. The lab allows sustaining members to present mini-workshops for small groups of interested school board members.

PLATINUM ($5,000) GOLD ($4,000) SILVER ($2,000) BRONZE ($1,000) BASIC ($500)

105

8

23

1

1

18%

30%

5-YEAR TERM

4-YEAR TERM

CITY & COUNTY MEMBERS’ MONTHLY PAY

60%

36%

10%

46%

DID YOU KNOW? Alabama law allows board member pay of $600 per month unless set higher by local act and approved by a majority vote at the board’s annual meeting.

6-YEAR TERM

36%

73%

64%

27%

AASB MEMBERS 101

749 199 138 76 26 18 21 5

120

ALL BOARD MEMBERS 72%

27%

1%

Data shown do not reflect the race of 6 percent of Alabama’s school board members for whom AASB does not have that information.

EDUCATION LEVEL

46% 38% 6% 6% 4%

ADVANCED DEGREE

BACHELOR’S DEGREE

ASSOCIATE’S DEGREE

HIGH SCHOOL

SOME COLLEGE

Data shown do not reflect the education level of 28 percent of Alabama’s school board members for whom AASB does not have that information. NSBA.org reports that about 75 percent of school board members nationwide have a bachelor’s degree or higher.

ALL BOARD MEMBERS 66%

34%

SECTION TWO

HOW WE’RE GOVERNED

The 14-member AASB Board of Directors governs the association in accordance with its bylaws. Members also participate in association governance through various committees.

Delegate Assembly, which convenes during the annual convention, votes on bylaws and establishes AASB positions on major education issues. Delegates are selected by member school boards to represent their interests during the annual business meeting.

PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENT IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT* STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION LIAISON** SECRETARY (AASB EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR) ** 9 DISTRICT DIRECTORS *So long as he or she is a school board member ** Non-voting members

Baldwin, Brewton, Chickasaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia, Mobile, Monroe, Saraland, Satsuma, Thomasville, Washington and Alabama School of Math & Science Autauga, Bibb, Butler, Chilton, Choctaw, Dallas, Demopolis, Linden, Lowndes, Marengo, Perry, Selma and Wilcox Andalusia, Barbour, Coffee, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Daleville, Dothan, Elba, Enterprise, Eufaula, Geneva County, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Opp, Ozark, Pike and Troy Alexander City, Auburn, Bullock, Chambers, Clay, Coosa, Department of Youth Services, Elmore, Lanett, Lee, Macon, Montgomery, Opelika, Phenix City, Pike Road, Randolph, Roanoke, Russell, Tallapoosa and Tallassee Alabaster, Bessemer, Birmingham, Fairfield, Gardendale, Homewood, Hoover, Jefferson, Leeds, Midfield, Mountain Brook, Pelham, Shelby, Tarrant,

Trussville, Vestavia Hills and Alabama School of Fine Arts Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind, Anniston, Attalla, Calhoun, Cherokee, Cleburne, DeKalb, Etowah, Fort Payne, Gadsden, Jacksonville, Oxford, Pell City, Piedmont, St. Clair, Sylacauga, Talladega County and Talladega Fayette, Greene, Hale, Jasper, Lamar, Marion, Pickens, Sumter, Tuscaloosa County, Tuscaloosa, Walker and Winfield Athens, Colbert, Cullman County, Cullman, Decatur, Florence, Franklin, Haleyville, Hartselle, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Morgan, Muscle Shoals, Russellville, Sheffield, Tuscumbia and Winston Albertville, Arab, Blount, Boaz, Guntersville, Huntsville, Jackson, Madison, Madison County, Marshall, Oneonta and Scottsboro

SECTION THREE

WHEN YOU NEED US

Is your board navigating boardmanship and effective governance issues? You can feel confident about leading in ways that improve student achievement because when you need us, we’re right here and ready to help.

Financial support for AASB comes from our diverse offerings of custom services and programs, as well as member dues. School boards are authorized by legislative act to pay membership dues and reimburse board members for expenses incurred while participating in our programs.

“IN 1955, THE ALABAMA LEGISLATURE DESIGNATED AASB AS THE ‘ORGANIZATION AND REPRESENTATIVE AGENCY OF THE MEMBERS OF THE SCHOOL BOARDS OF ALABAMA.’ ” Pooling resources to support your association is a smart investment. Access an array of member benefits, not the least of which is the power of belonging, sharing and speaking with a united voice.

Action alerts & “insider” updates Collaborative partnerships

Governmental Relations

AASB Network (subscribers-only newsletter)

Grassroots Advocacy Support

Boardmanship Basics (informative booklets)

Informative Clearinghouses Interacts with State Board of Education Legal Advocacy Legal Assistance Fund Legal & Governmental Research & Data Legal Information***

Court Report (legal, court and law news) Facebook.com/Alabamaschoolboards For Your Information (state board of education and AASB news) Instagram.com/Alaschoolboards

Lobbying

Pinterest.com/Alschoolboards

Monitors State Policymaking

RSS news feeds

Strategic Relationships

Twitter.com/Alaschoolboards

Alabama School Board News Blog (on AL.com) & Board Business Blog (on AlabamaSchoolBoards.org) AlabamaSchoolBoards.org Alabama School Boards App (free in App Store & Android Market) Advocate for Schools & Legislative Insider (legislative and advocacy news)

Medicaid Administrative Claiming & Direct Billing In partnership with Fairbanks LLC, the Alabama Association of School Boards offers two distinct Medicaid reimbursement programs for school systems. Millions of dollars are reclaimed each year for Alabama’s boards of education, funding that is not earmarked and can be used to meet vital operational and academic needs.

AASB is part of the state’s only consortium for Medicaid billing and reimbursement. The modest administrative fee AASB receives to administer this program goes right back into your association.

Medicaid Administrative Claiming (MAC) allows for federal Medicaid reimbursement for coordination of medical and mental health related services covered by Medicaid, linking students to Medicaid services and other administrative activities.

Direct Billing (also called Fee for Service) enables local school boards to recapture funds for providing such services as speech therapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy directly to Medicaid-eligible students.

The process is easy to manage, and training is provided.

customized to keep your school board up to date. You get exclusive benefits such as expert webinars, timely research, money-saving resources, newsletters and more.

National Connection

Member Hub: Community.nsba.org/nationalconnection

Join: NSBA.org/nationalconnection

Council of School Attorneys Council of Urban Boards of Education Federal Relations Network National Black Council National Hispanic Council National Caucus of American Indian/Alaska Native School Board Leadership Services

AASB is among 49 state associations served by the National School Boards Association, which focuses on school law, federal legislation, public engagement and other issues that impact school boards.

AASB membership is your key to unlocking certain NSBA resources – some at no cost and others for a modest fee. NSBA National Connection, for example, is a premium service

Technology Leadership Network NSBAConnect

Expert Advice

Monitoring State Policymaking

Online Resources & Library

Research & Data

Publications & Information

Exhibitor Showcase

Legal Information ***

Links to School Systems’ Policies

Education Learning Lab

Legal Advocacy

Listservs for Work-alike Groups

Grassroots Advocacy Support

Board Self-evaluation Instrument

Governmental Relations

CSFO Evaluation Instruments

Access to National School Boards Association Resources

Superintendent Evaluation Instruments

Access to NSBA Affiliate Organizations

Superintendent Search Workshop

Occasional Free Webinars Collaborative Partnerships 6 Standards Poster & Wallet Card

Boardmanship 101 Workshop Tax Referendum Workshop

*** Legal information is not legal advice. Consult with your board attorney.

SECTION FOUR

TRAINING Learn how to successfully govern today’s public schools by taking courses through the AASB School Board Member Academy.

This school for school board members outlines your role and responsibilities and enhances your capabilities as a governance team member.

Board members, upon entry into AASB’s eMEMBERSHIP database, are automatically enrolled in the academy. The academy awards credit hours to board members who participate in eligible training. Academy hours count toward satisfying annual state training requirements for school boards.

Complete the academy’s four achievement levels and continue to develop your boardmanship skills to become a Master School Board Member and ultimately be listed on the Masters Honor Roll.

The AASB School Board Member Academy was founded Jan. 11, 1986.

Each academy year begins July 1 and ends June 30, which coincides with the training period for completing state requirements for school board member training.

School board members annually amass 15,000-plus training hours. About 400 of those hours are earned by whole boards.

AASB offers nearly 50 hours of online coursework through its School Board U portal. There is 24/7 access to these courses.

Each year 9 hours of webinar training and about 70 hours of face-to-face training are presented.

Numerous hours of whole board training are available as workshops, site visits and book studies.

Roles & Responsibilities Orientation Effective Boards & Relationships Orientation Academic Achievement Community Engagement Financial Accountability Highly Effective Staff Optimal Learning Environment Policy & Planning

Online School Board U Leadership Development Portal - Go to schoolboardu.org/AASB for our leadership development portal offering 24/7 access to self-paced courses, board training materials and related resources to improve school board effectiveness.

Conference Calls Teleconference/Webinar - Dial in to listen to an AASB

webinar via conference call. You may also view and listen to it online. Participate as a group or individual. Those who pre-registered but were unable to participate can earn credit by requesting and viewing a copy of the webinar DVD and returning the enclosed form.

Site Visits

Big-Group Training

Custom Whole Board Workshop

Annual Convention, Orientation & Delegate Assembly Spring and Fall Academy Conferences Spring and Fall Workshops (held pre- or post-conference) Annual Summer Conference & Orientation Fall and Winter District Meetings National School Boards Association Conference NSBA Federal Relations Network Advocacy Institute

Small Group Training Advocacy Day Board Presidents Round Table Book Studies

Standard Whole Board Workshop (for single boards or neighboring boards Training designed to address common issues boards face Training designed to address your board’s specific need

SECTION FIVE

SERVICES

AASB adjusts to meet the changing and expanding needs of school boards in the modern-day world. Your association provides, for modest fees, a variety of customizable services designed to address specific or distinctive needs.

Policy Review & Analysis Service It is the role of the school board to ensure the best policies are in place to guide the school system and school operations. Our cost-effective, comprehensive policy revisions and thorough policy analysis are conducted by experienced consultants who understand the unique challenges faced by Alabama’s school boards. The service includes a general review of policies as well as recommendations to delete, supplement or revise existing policies or add new policies. We’ll reorganize and/or reformat your policy manual and give a report to the board that identifies and explains any recommended changes. We will also meet with board representatives to discuss policy needs, areas of concern or to review recommended changes. policy@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org

Policy Pipeline & Annual Maintenance Call

Superintendent Evaluation Service

Subscribe to receive the annual Policy Pipeline publication containing information necessary to keep your policy manual up to date with a minimal investment of time and money. Editions include experts’ insights, draft policies and the latest legal and administrative developments. Each year, subscribers are treated to a free conference call to hear from our policy experts, ask questions and share experiences. This call could help reduce the amount of time your staff has to devote to reviewing your policies for state and federal compliance issues.

This AASB service removes the major headaches of conducting a superintendent evaluation. We handle administration of the evaluation process, explain how to best use our online instruments, tally results and deliver results to the board and superintendent at a board meeting. We can even facilitate a goal-setting discussion. Gain extra assurance from access to AASB’s guidance and expertise at each step. Boards that opt to use this service and take the Superintendent Evaluation Whole Board Workshop enjoy a discount.

policy@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org

superintendentevaluation@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org

CSFO|FINDER & CSFO Evaluation

Superintendent|FINDER

The chief school financial officer has a fiduciary responsibility to the school board. Though the CSFO works under the superintendent’s direct supervision, the board has the ability to hire or remove the CSFO. This crucial executive-level position helps facilitate effective board governance. AASB has the expertise and tools to assist you with your CSFO search or the evaluation of your existing CSFO.

Our three-tier search assistance service is designed to help local school boards fill a current or anticipated chief executive vacancy. Choose the tier that best meets your school system’s unique needs. The customizable service engages the staff and community and relieves the administrative hassle of advertising the position, processing applicant information, evaluating applicants and identifying finalists who best complement the school system. AASB’s consultants are skilled education leaders who understand the job of the superintendent. With deep education connections throughout Alabama, they are adept at

csfosearch@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org

matching executives with the right board, staff and community.

Stakeholder input is a key component of our superintendent search service, but you may purchase the Stakeholder Engagement service separately. superintendentsearch@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org

Persogenics|HIRE™ Don’t hire on a hunch or hire just to rehire months later. Use the Persogenics|HIRE™ system. This ground-breaking system uses a patented Persogenics communication assessment to determine which candidates would be your best options for a particular position. With the Persogenics|HIRE™ program, you gain valuable information about applicants’ decision-making and working styles that help you determine if they are the right fit for the culture of your organization. Reduce the likelihood of error and save time, effort and money. Our multi-step service uses a strategic hiring process tailored for boards of education. training@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org

Persogenics|COMMUNICATE AASB has partnered with Utah-based Persogenics, developers of a fully researched, proven, highly accurate communication style assessment and team training. The service identifies individuals’ communication and decision-making styles and, based on assessment results, offers custom training to strengthen team performance. Superintendents can learn how to better communicate with their board members. Board members can better interact with one another and the superintendent.

The same is true for any team within the school system, such as principals and their teachers, supervisors and their direct reports, members of divisions and departments and more. The assessment is cloud-based and produces detailed reports for the individual and team. AASB explains what it all means in fun, interactive sessions led by a Persogenics trained consultant. training@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org

Legal Assistance Fund The Alabama Association of School Boards’ Legal Assistance Fund, which has its own board of trustees, was established in 1980 to assist members involved in court cases of statewide significance and that are of common interest to school boards.

In addition to being a member in good standing with AASB, boards must pay dues to participate in the LAF. Every local school board benefits from each successful court case championed by the Legal Assistance Fund. Full participation by every school board ensures adequate resources are available for LAF to weigh in on signature court cases, and so you can rest assured that LAF assistance is available if you need it. legal@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org

Cloud-based Governance Management Tool Cut the clutter. Stay on strategy. Communicate in real time.

Get more done. AASB has partnered with the makers of the eBOARD governance management tool, to offer members a 10 percent discount on part or all of this integrated suite of cloud-based tools. The planning, evaluations, meetings, policies, communications and documents modules reinforce effective governance and continuous improvement and align the work of the school board and system.

Request a free demo | sales@eboardsolutions.com

Strategic Planning Effective school boards know the strategic planning process helps them gain community buy-in, improve student performance

and move toward organizational excellence. Gather your best thinkers to use our sustainable, systemic approach to strategic school system improvement. Our comprehensive strategic planning process engages stakeholders and is a positive step toward meeting AdvancED accreditation requirements. We can assist those at all levels of planning experience. Our service is transparent, inclusive, driven by you and may be what your system needs to boost achievement. strategicplan@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org

Risk Management (ATBE) When the commercial insurance industry abandoned boards of education in the liability insurance crisis of the 1980s, AASB established self-funded liability funds for its members. The member-owned, member-governed, self-funded Alabama Trust for Boards of Education has a General Liability/Errors and Omissions Liability Fund and an Automobile Liability Fund. ATBE is the diamond standard for funding select liability risks to which AASB member boards are exposed. It has a board of trustees but operates under the auspices of the Alabama Association of School Boards, which has, since 1976, provided its members a source of liability coverage. ATBE is consistently focused on four C’s: cost, coverage, claims and consistency.

Call 205.333.9090 | dah@dwighthester.com

AlabamaSchoolBoards.org info@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org 1.800.562.0601 Developing Excellent School Board Leaders Through Quality Training, Advocacy & Services