Start Strong: Developing a District Onboarding Plan for New Directors

In December 2023, following the November elections, school boards across Pennsylvania will welcome new directors to their governance team. These directors often arrive full of ideas, energy and a desire to make an immediate impact. School districts that are strategically focused will be able to welcome these new members and provide them with the guidance, resources and conversations they need to become effective and well-informed officials.

During this event, we will discuss the need for onboarding, review guidance in policy on new member orientation, highlight the state’s school director training requirements, and talk through the most promising practices in welcoming and integrating new board directors. Each attendee will leave with a copy of PSBA's New School Director Onboarding Manual, Onboarding Leadership Guide, and New Director First Year-At-A-Glance to support the onboarding process in their districts.

Agenda:

• 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. – Registration and Networking – The program will begin promptly at 10:00 am. Arrive before this time to complete registration and network with district leaders from across the state.
• 9:00 – 9:45 a.m. – PennSSI Tour (optional) 
• 10:00 – 10:45 a.m. – Why Onboarding Matters – In this session we will discuss the importance of establishing a new director onboarding program for the development and maintenance of a high-functioning school board. We will review the common challenges boards face when onboarding is done poorly, or not at all, as well as the laws governing new school director orientation and training.
• 10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. – Effective Practices Panel Discussion – In this session we will discuss how to welcome and assimilate new school directors to a district's governance Team of 10 and hear from experienced board leaders about what works and what doesn’t when onboarding new members.
• 12:00 – 12:30 p.m. – Lunch
• 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. – Leveraging PSBA’s Onboarding Materials – In this session we will review the onboarding materials provided by PSBA and discuss how to incorporate these materials into an effective onboarding program for new directors.
• 1:30 – 1:45 p.m. – Break
• 1:45 – 2:45 p.m. – Mapping Your Own Plan – In this session we will go one step further and begin the process of mapping out an onboarding plan using PSBA’s materials as well as insights learned throughout the program.
• 2:45 – 3:00 p.m. Conclusion and Next Steps – Each attendee will leave with a binder of resources and tools for transferring their knowledge of school board service to newly elected directors.
• 3:00 – 3:45 p.m. – PennSSI Tour (optional)

Registration: Closed

Please note: Registration has closed on Monday, September 11, 2023, at 12:00 p.m. We are unable to accommodate walk-in registrations.