Thank you to the 194 members who participated in our 2025 Membership Survey, and congratulations to Larry Hicks of the Ozark City Board of Education for winning the drawing for a BOSE SoundLink Revolve speaker! Your insights are invaluable as we plan for the future of AASB. Here's what we learned and what we're considering as a result.

Key Survey Findings

• Overall Performance: Strong Foundation to Build Upon
  76.3% of members are very satisfied with AASB, exceeding national association benchmarks by 11 points. Additionally, 95.4% find our programs relevant to your needs, and those who use our fee-based services report 92-98% satisfaction. This strong foundation enables us to address the challenges you've identified.
• Teacher Recruitment and Retention
  57.7% of boards identify teacher recruitment and retention as their top challenge. This concern rises to 88.9% among younger board members (ages 30-44), compared to 53-55% for other age groups.
• Legislative Advocacy
  69.6% of members rate legislative advocacy as a top priority for AASB. However, only 17.4% regularly participate in advocacy activities, with 30.98% participating occasionally. Distance and travel time were cited as primary barriers by 60.6% of respondents.
• Board Member Experience
  Nearly 30% of respondents have less than five years of board experience. These newer members show 40-50% higher rates of being unaware of available services compared to veteran members. Additionally, 68% of new members prioritize board governance training compared to 53% overall.
• Service Awareness and Satisfaction
  While members who use AASB services report exceptional satisfaction (92-98%), 21% of respondents indicated they were unaware certain services existed. The most common reason for not using services (34.7%) was that boards had already utilized all services they needed.
• Communication and Training Preferences
  79.3% of members expressed interest in podcast content for training and updates
  82% prefer in-person training formats for large conferences
  73.6% report they never miss AASB communications
  Email remains the dominant communication preference at 82.5%

---

Demographics Snapshot

• District Representation
  • 61.3% Rural districts
  • 23.7% Suburban districts
  • 14.4% Urban districts
• System Size
  • 36.6% serve under 2,500 students
  • 35.1% serve 2,500-4,999 students
  • 17.5% serve 5,000-9,999 students
  • 10.8% serve 10,000+ students
• Generational Composition
  • 44.9% Baby Boomers (60-74)
  • 38.7% Generation X (45-59)
  • 9.3% Millennials (30-44)
  • 6.7% Silent Generation (75+)

---

Top Challenges Identified by Boards

• Teacher recruitment and retention - 57.7%
• State funding and budget constraints - 50.0%
• Student achievement and academic outcomes - 40.7%
• Infrastructure and facilities - 39.7%
• Mental health and student wellness - 28.4%
• School safety and security - 19.1%

---

Member Priorities for AASB

When asked about AASB's most important priorities for the next 3-5 years:

• 69.6% - Strengthening legislative advocacy
• 51.5% - Supporting rural/small school system needs
• 46.9% - Building community support for public education
• 33.0% - Expanding training and professional development
• 33.0% - Improving board governance effectiveness

---

Trust and Value Metrics

Members affirmed important aspects of AASB's work:

• 79.8% trust AASB as their primary resource for board governance
• 79.3% believe AASB has a strong reputation in education policy
• 71.7% agree AASB takes non-partisan positions based on what's best for public education
• 71.4% believe AASB demonstrates good stewardship of member dues
• 66.7% agree membership value justifies dues

---

What Members Value Most

When asked about the single most valuable benefit of AASB membership, the top themes from 145 responses were:

• Training and professional development (42 mentions)
• Legislative advocacy (28 mentions)
• Policy Pipeline and support (19 mentions)
• Networking with other board members (15 mentions)

As one member stated: "AASB equips us to be successful; not just our board, but all boards."

---

Thank You

Your participation in this survey provides valuable insights into the current state of school board governance in Alabama. The high response rate and thoughtful feedback demonstrate the engagement and commitment of our membership.

We will carefully review all feedback as we continue our work supporting Alabama's school boards and students.

Thank you for your participation, your membership, and your dedication to Alabama's students.

---

Questions about these results or want to provide additional input? Contact AASB Director of Public Relations Dana Vandiver
Full survey results and detailed analysis are available upon request.