BIBB COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENT AMONG 300 EDUCATION LEADERS ATTENDING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT CONFERENCE
MONTGOMERY, AL – (October 2019) – Mike Oakley, president of the Bibb County school board, joined more than 300 education leaders in Montgomery Oct. 6 and 7 for the Alabama Association of School Boards conference, Leadership for Academic Achievement, held at The Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa.
School board members earned six training hours for the course, which featured a variety of general and breakout sessions exploring topics such as curriculum alignment, testing, data-driven decision making, the school board’s role in academic achievement and more.
Keynote speakers included Dr. Phil Gore, leadership team services director for the Texas Association of School Boards, Dr. Jim Mahoney, executive in residence for Ohio University’s Voinovich School, and Patrick Briggs, northeast states director for AVID. The conference also included sessions led by Alabama school system leaders, including Phenix City Schools Superintendent Randy Wilkes, who delivered a presentation titled “Creating a Culture of Excellence,” and Pike County Schools Superintendent Mark Bazzell, who spoke about transforming schools. A group of educators from Winfield City Schools delivered a breakout session exploring the system’s journey to STEM certification.
“October’s leadership course provided an excellent opportunity for school boards to hear from some of the nation’s foremost thought leaders and practitioners regarding best practices for boosting academic achievement,” said AASB Executive Director Sally Smith. “This conference was designed to provide attendees with clear ideas and real-world examples of how effective leadership at the school board level can positively impact student achievement.”
The 2012 School Board Governance Improvement Act mandates orientation training and six continuing education hours – two of them earned as a whole board – for school board members in Alabama. The state already mandates that boards of education have a local policy on school board training.
The conference was presented by the AASB School Board Member Academy, the four-level “school” founded in 1986 for school board members and built around core courses: a two-part orientation; academic achievement; community engagement; financial accountability; highly effective staff; positive climate and culture; and policy and planning.
Board members who complete the Academy levels can continue their training to earn the Master School Board Member distinction and eventually be listed on AASB’s Masters Honor Roll. Completing all eight courses is a prerequisite for reaching the Academy’s fourth and master’s levels.
Oakley has achieved the master level in AASB’s School Board Member Academy, earning more than 400 training hours to date. Other Bibb County school board members attending the October conference included Terry McGee and Morris Moody.
About the Alabama Association of School Boards
The Alabama Association of School Boards represents all of the state’s public local school boards. Since 1949, AASB has served education leaders and the interests of local decision making in public education. Today the association serves more than 800 school board members statewide. The association’s mission is to develop excellent school board leaders through quality training, advocacy and services. Connect with us on Facebook or Twitter
For more information, contact:
Dana W. Vandiver
dvandiver@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org / 334-277-9700
