Announcing the 2023 Boards of Distinction

The Washington State School Directors’ Association (WSSDA) is proud to announce the distinguished winners of the 2023 WSSDA Boards of Distinction program. This prestigious recognition celebrates school boards across the state that have demonstrated exceptional leadership and commitment to student success. In this year’s…

Get the Fall Issue of WSSDA’s Quarterly Magazine

In this issue you’ll find a great story about one of last year’s Boards of the Year, North Thurston and their use of a Policy Governance approach; a fond farewell to WSSDA’s longest-serving staffer; insights about what a “balanced” school calendar is; and insights…

Districts Explore Balanced School Calendars to Improve Outcomes for Students

White Swan FFA

Across Washington, more than 45 school districts have studies or implementations underway for new balanced calendars that spread school breaks more evenly across the school year.  The primary aims of a balanced calendar are to reduce the number of consecutive days or weeks in…

Voting for SBE, ESD, and WSSDA elections runs October 1-16

Voting window for 2023

October 1 marks the opening of voting by school directors in elections for the boards of Educational Service Districts (ESDs), the State Board of Education (SBE), and the Washington State School Directors’ Association (WSSDA). Elected positions on some WSSDA committees are also up for…

Belonging, engagement, and student success — Learn more on Sept 12

On September 12, the Washington State School Directors’ Association (WSSDA) is offering a virtual learning experience for school directors titled Advancing Inclusion through Belonging. But act fast, because registration closes Sunday night. “Advancing Inclusion is one of my favorite OnBoard workshops to facilitate,” said…

Declare your candidacy by September 16

Candidate filing window

The candidate filing window is open for the State Board of Education, Educational Service District, and Washington State School Directors’ Association elections! The window will close at 5 p.m. on September 16. The filing form can be found on all of the elections pages,…

Call for Elections — SBE, ESD, and WSSDA

Elections

The candidate filing window for State Board of Education, Educational Service Districts, and Washington State School Directors’ Association elections opens September 1, 2023, and closes at 5 p.m. on September 16. Voting Electronic voting will take place from October 1, 2023 through October 16….

Partners by Design—School Directors Help Hone their Training

Test pilot Iesha Kidd of Fife School District

“I felt a little nervous at first, but after we got going, it felt natural,” said Vanessa Edwards, leadership consultant for the Washington State School Directors’ Association (WSSDA). Last week, Edwards and OnBoard curriculum co-designer Scott Dolquist practiced delivering one of WSSDA’s newest learning experiences titled…

Energized communities and (not so) simple rules for board success

Summer issue of Direct Magazine

Read the Summer 2023 issue of Direct, the quarterly newsmagazine of the Washington State School Directors’ Association. There’s a lot to enjoy, but here are some highlights:

Free School Board Candidate Workshops in June

By the May 19 deadline, over 1300 people filed to run for a position on their local school board. Of those, the Washington State School Directors’ Association (WSSDA) was able to contact 911 of them by email to invite them to a free candidate workshop….