Message from the Executive Director

Oct. 25, 2026

Dear Members and Stakeholders,

The NYSSBA leadership team, directors, staff and I were thrilled to connect with so many of you who attended the Annual Convention and Education Expo in Buffalo. Based on many of these conversations, you agree that the convention was a success!

More than 1,500 education stakeholders took advantage of the 100 sessions – either in person or through the online Digital Experience – offering professional development opportunities designed to enhance school board members’ knowledge across a wide spectrum of topics including board operations, cybersecurity, ex officio student leadership and workforce development among many others. Specifically, sessions offered the opportunity to learn more about artificial intelligence, NY Inspires implementation, how to drive continuous improvement in your district, effective collaboration at the board table and how to use data to drive decision-making.

Our new Braindate feature gave attendees the opportunity to engage with each other while discussing topics of interest, often walking away with new ideas to bring back to their board work and district. Education stakeholders had the opportunity to learn about the latest products and services from our Expo vendors, while we all took advantage of the time to network with each other each day.

Our keynote and featured speakers were both educational and inspiring. Steven Sharp Nelson helped us recharge and energize. New York State Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa introduced us to districts with programs aligned with the goals of NY Inspires. South Carolina Representative Brandon Guffey shared his powerful story of losing his son and his perspective on protecting minors from digital predators. We wrapped the convention up with David Allison, who showed us what people in our communities value and what it means for those that serve them. I’m confident attendees will use this data-driven portrait of our communities to inform their work.

We continued to deliver the excellent convention content to as many members as possible by offering the Digital Experience to those who could not join us in Buffalo. This version of the convention included the keynotes, many of the featured speakers, networking discussions and more. It continues to grow each year. This year, we added a second digital learning track, so that attendees could choose the programming of greatest interest to them, much like the live event.

The next edition of On Board will provide comprehensive coverage of the convention sessions.

I would remind all convention attendees that many session recordings will be available to you in approximately three weeks. Watch your email and my weekly message for details.

We’ll be back in Buffalo and online next October for the 2027 Annual Convention and Education Expo. We look forward to seeing you next year, either in person or online. Look for additional learning opportunities from NYSSBA throughout the year, and please remember we are always here to assist you with questions and concerns.

Help shape NYSSBA’s future by responding to our survey

You recently received a survey from NYSSBA inviting you to help shape what comes next. We want to better understand what board service feels like today, what matters most to you, and how NYSSBA can better support, equip and connect with you.

Whether you turn to NYSSBA often, occasionally, or hardly at all, your honest input matters. The survey takes about 8 to 10 minutes, and there are no right or wrong answers. We simply want to learn from your experience. Please take the time to complete the survey and help us better serve today’s school board members. Plus, members who complete the survey will be entered into a drawing for one of 10 Amazon gift cards worth $50.

40 by 40: Fulfill the IDEA Promise campaign

NYSSBA is one of 40 state school boards associations spearheading the 40 by 40 campaign, urging Congress to fulfill the promise they made in 1975 to fund 40% of special education costs as required by the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Today, Congress delivers roughly 10 percent nationally. Every dollar withheld doesn't disappear. It shifts to local school districts, which are legally required to provide every service that IDEA mandates, regardless of what the federal government sends. That money comes out of general education budgets, the same dollars that fund teachers, counselors, curriculum, and every other program that serves every student in the building.

Earlier this month, NYSSBA’s Deputy Director of Governmental and External Relations Caroline Bobick joined staff from the Connecticut and Illinois school boards associations for a meeting with Rep. Rosa DeLauro, ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, to update her office on the campaign’s intentions for next year’s appropriations cycle.

As locally elected boards of education, your voice will make a big difference. We encourage each board to participate by adopting its own formal board resolution urging Congress to take action. This sample can be used as a guide. Please also work with your school business official and/or superintendent to identify how much money your district spent on direct special education costs in the previous school year versus how much you received in federal IDEA funding. We ask that you send that information and a copy of your board’s resolution to your member(s) of Congress as well as to us via advocacy@nyssba.org, so we may collect resolutions and funding discrepancies statewide.

Thank you to the Franklin Square school board for being the first to submit their resolution!

Visit the 40 by 40 coalition website to learn more and access a toolkit that includes talking points, sample op-eds, sample letters to members of Congress and more. We will continue to keep you informed about this campaign and how your advocacy is helping to make a difference.

Weekly Updates and Reminders

NYSSBA’s Governance Leadership Program builds strong president-superintendent relationships

Board presidents and superintendents, if you have not already done so, I strongly encourage you to invest in your working partnership by registering for one of NYSSBA’s fall Governance Leadership Programs. Upcoming dates and locations include: Monroe One BOCES (Nov. 6) and Broome-Tioga BOCES (Nov. 9). There will also be a session hosted by Nassau BOCES in the spring. Hear what Dr. Turina Parker, district superintendent for the WSWHE BOCES, had to say about the benefits of the program.

Read the latest national association news

Here’s the latest national news from the National School Boards Association.

Be well and stay in touch.

Sincerely,

Robert S. Schneider CPA, CAE
Executive Director
New York State School Boards Association