Services - Membership Development

Orientation: The West Virginia School Boards Association offers one of the most comprehensive orientation programs in the nation (only 14 states require school board member training). West Virginia maintains the distinction of being the only state requiring school board member orientation.

Fall Conference: This annual conference includes some of WVSBA's most premiere training sessions. Recent presenters include Rodney Paige, US Secretary of Education, Jonathan Kozol, renowned author and social critic, and Columbine High School officials (in wake of the 1999 tragedy). Recent topics discussed include regionalization of educational services, school consolidation/closures, board/superintendent relations and economic development.

Presidents Retreat: Funded through moneys from the West Virginia School Board Effectiveness Project (WVSBEP). This retreat concentrates on the roles and responsibilities of school board presidents. Governance issues, meeting management, and leadership are explored in detail.

Winter Conference: Held during the W.Va. Legislature's regular session, a primary training opportunitity is provided in the form of education-issue updates and includes visitations with legislators. This year's featured speaker was John O'Brien, author of the culture exploring At Home in the Heart of Appalachia.

County Retreats: Individually arranged with county boards, retreats can be effective for setting goals, mediating intra-board conflict or board/superintendent conflict, and working on effective decisionmaking strategies. Some retreats are underwritten by WVSBEP.

Specialized County Workshops: These programs are adapted based upon a county board's specific needs, providing a mean for developing effective board/superintendent assessment instruments, refining board effectiveness, and/or defining roles and responsibilities.

County Forums: Features customized format and programming; an excellent way to elicit community input for schools and schooling; an effective way to introduce a newly elected superintendent to the community. WVSBA has planed forums for the Marion, Harrison and Jackson County Boards of Education.

Mediation Workshop: Helps build effective working relationships between county board members and superintendents where differences exist. Emphasizing roles and responsibilities as its primary focus, this workshop is designed to create a better board/superintendent working relationship (or better intra-board relations).

The Effective School Board: This primary Association workshop, developed by the WVSBA executive director, focuses on maximizing a board's potential by exploring several best practices.

Contact WVSBA for more details on these service items.