IASA Annual Report 2020-21

After an incredibly challenging school year, I hope everyone can take some time off and recharge your batteries. Superintendents endured an incredible amount of stress, and it’s imperative for your physical, mental and emotional health to

provided school leaders professional development on how to implement more culturally responsive practices in their districts. Other workshops and academies—Mindfulness Matters, PERA/Evaluations and SB7/RIF, Health Life Safety Compliance, Budgeting Basics, Tax Levy Basics, Coaching Leaders and Moving from Good to Great—were well received and provided members with support and guidance. IASA also held its first-ever virtual conference in April, bringing together superintendents across the state. Women in Leadership continued to grow, with five webinars aimed at helping female principals and administrators prepare for the transition into the superintendency. Other highlights included sharing 91 stories with the General Assembly and governor’s office on how Evidence-Based Funding is Making a Difference in schools. The expansion of Legal Services—via articles in Leadership Matters, the IASA Podcast and legal seminars—also improved IASA’s support to members. Lastly, I want to conclude by recognizing the IASA Board of Directors and thank them for their support, strength and vision. FY 2021 was a challenging year, but we stayed together and remained committed to the IASA vision of maximizing educational success for all students. Our resolve will be tested again in FY 2022, but I have no doubt the same passion and commitment will remain. Yours for better schools,

take some time off. Your school districts and communities are once again going to need the strong leadership each of you provides to address the immense challenges that lie ahead. Meanwhile, IASA remains committed to providing members support and resources to navigate these unparalleled times. We plan to continue to offer timely workshops to help superintendents get centered and refocused. In addition, counseling services are still available to IASA Active members via a private provider, ComPsych ® . Information about how to access the service was emailed to active members and can be resent upon request. IASA evolved and changed in FY 2021. Most notably, the IASA COVID-19 Transition Team provided school leaders with actionable tools, timely messaging, positive encouragement and unwavering support. The Transition Team remains committed to helping school leaders during the 2021–22 school year. Furthermore, IASA’s professional development offerings significantly expanded this past year. IASA launched three rounds of our Remote Learning Rescue Series, attracting more than 1,000 educators over three sessions. The two-part workshop series, What’s Race Got to Do With It,

Dr. Brent Clark IASA Executive Director

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