Returning from the National School Boards Association (NSBA) Conference in New Orleans, LA the day before, the Humboldt County School District (HCSD) Board of Trustees met for their regular meeting on April 10 (with Trustee Abe Swensen absent and Trustee Ron Moser present via web-call) and discussed some of their takeaways.
“By attending national conferences, we are able to attend sessions on a variety of topics of interest (AI, Education Law, Sustainable Change, etc) that provide key insights and ideas on how we can strengthen our opportunities for students. Said HCSD Superintendent Dr. Dave Jensen in an email. “In addition, we are provided the opportunity to provide insight to other districts and to inform national policy on topics. Maintaining a rural presence and voice is essential in the changing national and educational landscape. Our values are essential to maintain, and the absence of small rural school districts removes a key voice in critical discussions and decisions.”
The NSBA Conference takes place in different locations each year, gathering together school board members from around the nation to discuss public policy, Congressional activity, advocate for students and highlight the significance of local government and school boards, utilizing keynote speakers, panels and various other resources for school board members.
Dr. Dave Jensen, Trustees Ron Moser, Lori Woodland, Sabrina Uhlmann attended the three day-long conference together, April 6-8, each participating in different forums offered, as did representatives from other Northern Nevada districts such as Churchill, Elko, Lincoln, Pershing, Storey and White Pine.
Trustee Uhlmann explained that she felt that the conference had topics that were social-justice motivated, with less of an emphasis on appropriate education material.
“I am definitely really concerned with the direction NSBA is going right now because it feels like they’re really moving away from education and more towards politics,” she said.
The Board agreed that being present in opportunities to understand the new educational landscape is more important than ever. The significance of attending the conference can play a big part in combating challenges and being aware of the goals and values of other communities and school districts across the nation, as well as being perceptive to future changes in legislation.
“We believe having a presence and voice in state and national discussions is essential to ensuring the best possible education for the students of Humboldt. In addition, our board strongly believes in the value of Professional Development (PD) for all members of our staff, and also see that PD is a critical component of a board member. Understanding national trends, issues and challenges better prepares our board to respond in a manner that is consistent with our goals and values,” Dr. Jensen explained in an email.
Staying informed on topics sweeping through public education helps the Board to make informed decisions and keep the best interests of students in mind, and most importantly, their future.
“With a growing swell legislatively to reduce education spending and divert from Public Schools to Private enterprise only reduces opportunities for our students," Jensen said. "A united voice seeking a commitment that public dollars support public schools will be essential in the long run.
"As we learn about additional opportunities/ideas/programs that can better support our students to be prepared to enter post-graduation experiences, be they college, military or the workforce, we have an obligation to ensure our programming and instruction modalities evolve to best meet the needs of every student. National conferences help to provide ideas to support this opportunity, such as the growing conversation around Artificial Intelligence.”
Trustee Woodland explained one of her biggest takeaways from the Conference was the emphasis on student voice and the significance of student input and involvement in education opportunities.
Woodland stated that there was a student panel present from rural schools that interacted in the conference and that discussions centered around career pathway programs and how they should be built around what students want to learn and finding an instructor suited for those desires rather than teaching solely what adults want.
Dr. Jensen said later that “Schools reflect the community. As we prepare our future leaders to enter the workforce, having a strong generation of innovative and critical thinkers will be essential to our longstanding well-being. We understand that our youth will be the ones providing essential services (Police, Fire, EMT, Legal, Medical, Leadership, Teachers, Administrators, Nurses, etc) we need to ensure that our educational system is providing every possible opportunity to our students. As our students become better prepared (based on the growth of the school district), our community will directly receive those benefits.”