AASB AT YOUR SERVICE

AASB members receive a wide variety of services, including training, legislative and legal information and support, timely publications, risk management services and financial services. Call 334/277-9700 to reach the AASB staff for assistance with any question related to public schools and public education.

Board Training

AASB offers many opportunities to boost your boardmanship skills with programs on timely issues and professional development.

Through our School Board Member Academy, an ongoing school for school board memers, we hold:

• Annual Convention - A three-day event that includes our annual business meeting, training via more than 20 different clinic sessions and a variety of keynote addresses that both inform and inspire.
• Summer Conference - A three-day session that focuses specifically on building board members' skills in an area vital to school board work.
• Academy Conferences - These two day training sessions focus on one of the eight core courses that make up the School Board Member Academy curriculum.
• District Meetings - Held twice a year, these dinner meetings feature a one-hour program on a timely topic and are held in AASB's nine geographic districts.
• Drive-In Conferences - Held periodically during the year, these half-day sessions provide crucial training on issues that board members need detailing information on a recurring basis, including sexual harassment, personnel practices and evaluation issues.

On-Site Training

We also can bring customized training to your local meetings, work sessions or retreats with programs on a variety of topics:

• School board roles, responsibilities and relationships
• School board self-evaluation
• Conducting tax referenda
• Developing policy
• Preparing for a superintendent search
• Legal issues
• Public relations
• Effective lobbying
  

As part of our field services, we can make presentations to local civic clubs and groups on education issues and offer assistance with local advisory committees and soliciting community input.

For more information, contact AASB Board Development Director LuAnn Bird at 334/277-9700 or lbird@alabamaschoolboards.org.

Alabama Risk Management for Schools

Operating under the auspices of AASB, Alabama Risk Management for Schools - or ARMS - is a self-funded risk management program that provides insurance coverage to Alabama school boards. By pooling boards' resources we keep costs low and provide rates that are among the most competitive available.

Awards & Recognition

School board service is a tough and often thankless job. But AASB works to recognize boards and board members who go above and beyond the call of duty with a variety of programs:

• All-State School Board Members - commends up to five past or present school board members across the state who have exhibited exemplary boardmanship. Nominations are accepted in the early fall, and winners are announced during AASB's convention in December.
• Master School Board Member - recognizes board members who have completed all four levels of the Schol Board Members Academy and conintue their training from year to year. Their accomplishment is recognized at AASB's summer conference in July.
• Master's Honor Roll - recognizes board members who have earned Master School Board Member Status five consecutive years. They also are honored during AASB's summer conference in July.
• President's Award - recognizes school boards that have 60 percent or more of their members attend at least three AASB conferences in an Academy year. Recipients are recognized at district meetings.
• School Board Member Recognition Month: School board members devote countless hours to making sure their local schools help every child learn at a higher level and to give citizens a voice in education decision making. To acknowledge boards’ hard work, public school systems across the state celebrate School Board Member Recognition Month each January and honor local board members with thank-you letters, certificates and events for their commitment to Alabama’s schoolchildren. For information, contact AASB Director of Public Relations Denise Berkhalter.

Legal Assistance Fund

Legal challenges are costly not only to the school board involved in the case, but potentially to other boards. When a board loses an important decision, case law can be established that impacts all boards. AASB's Legal Assistance Fund (LAF) supports school boards' common interests by assisting members who are involved in cases of statewide significance.

Typically, the LAF enters such cases by filing amicus curiae ("friend of the court") briefs or providing legal research. Governed by a board of trustees, the LAF seeks to influence the outcome of court challenges, but under no circumstances will it bear the full cost of a case.

LAF membership dues are minimal.

For information, contact AASB Executive Director Sally Howell at 334/277-9700 or showell@alabamaschoolboards.org.

Policy Services

Setting policy is the primary function of school boards. Policies must be fair and reasonable and must be developed in accordance with state and federal laws, case law and sound business practices. AASB assists school boards in developing legally sound, practical policies in many ways.

Policy Reference Guide CD - When writing or revising a school policy manual, the most difficult part is determining where to start. AASB’s Policy Reference Guide CD is a handy resource. It contains sample policies, references to Alabama statutes, regulations, state Board of Education resolutions and attorney general advisory opinions.

Policy Bank - AASB maintains a library of individual school board policies in use throughout the state. When you need ideas for policies dealing with a specific topic, AASB can send you sample policies upon request. The policies are free to AASB members.  

Policy Analysis - This policy-by-policy analysis of your manual results in a report that identifies the problems in your manual and provides a guide you can use to update your policy manual or that can be the basis of AASB’s Policy Update Service. The report will identify policies that do not comply with current law and regulations and those which are duplicative or inconsistent with other policies or current practice.

In addition, the analysis will note the absence of required policies and as well as make general suggestions related to format, presentation and organization.

Policy Update - The Policy Analysis service discussed above is included in the policy update and is the basis for revision of the board’s current policy manual. Based on the identified problems in your manual, AASB works with the board and staff to correct the deficiencies in the existing manual and to update the manual either through new or revised policies to ensure the manual coincides with current board operations and governance.

For information on policy services or to request sample policies, contact AASB Executive Director Sally Howell at 334/277-9700 or showell@alabamaschoolboards.org.