COSSBA transparent, engaging

About 200 Arkansas participants, including some presenters, traveled to Tampa, Florida, this spring for COSSBA’s Inaugural National Conference, where we enjoyed the fellowship and welcomed a new state member.

Wisconsin will be joining the Consortium of State School Boards Associations on July 1, 2024, becoming state number 24. We are also in talks with several other states who may be joining us in the upcoming year.

If you attended the conference, you noticed that it was laid back and geared towards issues within our local states, with topics to which we could relate. The Urban Boards Alliance kicked off the national conference with topics of discussions and speakers who kept everyone from all district sizes engaged.

That was a welcome change. In the past when we attended an urban workshop with the National School Boards Association (NSBA), the topics and speakers really didn’t fit every district.

As has been well documented, ASBA’s Delegate Assembly voted to leave the NSBA in December 2021 because of concerns about that organization’s leadership and transparency.

On April 10, 2022, I had the pleasure of becoming one of 22 school board

by William Campbell ASBA President

members from across the nation who signed the Resolution to Form COSSBA in Raleigh, North Carolina. While serving on the Transitional Committee, I was appointed to the board of directors. On Jan. 20, 2023, we held our first official board meeting in Savannah, Georgia.

COSSBA is a non-partisan, national alliance dedicated to supporting, promoting, and strengthening state school boards associations as they serve their local school districts and board members.

It is focused on:

• Supporting the work of state school boards associations through effective staff collaboration, networking, and shared resources

• Networking opportunities for local school board members and association board members to enhance the effectiveness of their work

• Tracking and advocating for federal education issues and policies impacting local school boards and public education that is aligned with a statement of core values and beliefs of COSSBA

• Federal judicial advocacy impacting local control and public education

I have learned a lot and shared a lot as well with my fellow board members as we’ve grown and worked hard to put this organization together. Board members have input and can make decisions as a whole that will benefit not only the organization but also our state associations. One of the main concerns and topics of discussion from all board members as we formed it was “transparency.” We all agreed that if there wasn’t transparency, we wouldn’t support the organization.

As we prepare for our next national conference in Dallas in 2024, I encourage each of you to embrace the new organization. Be proud that Arkansas was one of the founding states who took a stand and became a part of this team that will be working nationally while still being able to relate to the local needs of our states as well.