GSBA’s mission is to ensure excellence in the governance of local school systems by providing leadership, advocacy and services, and by representing the collective resolve of Georgia’s 180 elected boards of education. We offer numerous programs and services to assist board members in achieving excellence in governance.

Events, Training & Conferences 

Advocacy Events - GSBA holds numerous meetings and events to assist board members in keeping abreast of legislative news, ways to advocate for public education and more. Included are our annual INFOrums, Legislative Site Visits and District Meetings.

Training - GSBA’s training program includes pre-conference workshops, regional training opportunities on topics like school funding, effective meetings, chairing a board, board/superintendent evaluation, charter schools and more. These workshops provide school board members with their required annual training credit. GSBA also provides webinars, online training, custom board retreats and an opportunity for boards to learn from veteran board members. 

Strategic Planning - In 2009, GSBA launched its strategic planning service that offers a full service program to assist a district in developing its plan. GSBA’s service also provides a community engagement component. 

Conferences - There are two annual conferences:

• In December, GSBA co-sponsors with the superintendents association the GSBA/GSSA Annual Conference. The pre-conference workshops held prior to the Annual Conference and the School Law Workshop, New board Member Orientation and Student Achievement Workshop. The Annual Conference is held in Atlanta in December. 

• In June, GSBA holds its Summer Conference and Delegate Assembly. GSBA's annual business meeting, the Delegate Assembly, is held at the June Conference. At this meeting, delegates from member boards approve legislative positions for the coming year and elect officers. The pre-conference workshops presented in June include the Policy Workshop, New Board Member Orientation and the Communications Workshop. 

Services 

Risk Management Services - GSBA’s insurance program includes a Workers’ Compensation Fund and Risk Management Fund. The Department works with its members to provide information and programming to protect employees and property. 

eBOARDsolutions - GSBA’s technology subsidiary, eBOARDsolutions (EBS), offers innovative technology solutions to assist boards in achieving excellence in governance. The core solution is eBOARD, which has numerous modules to assist with managing meetings, policies, strategic plans, documents and communications. Go to the EBS website for more information. 

Standards for Local Boards of Education - Since 1996, GSBA has had a program of Standards for local boards to use as a mechanism to achieve higher levels of excellence. In 2001, the program was revised to include an evaluation component for the superintendent and a self-assessment instrument for the board. The 360˚ continuous improvement model has assisted boards in long-range planning and goal-setting. 

Boards of Distinction - Once a board achieves the Standards level, it can then apply for a higher designation and become a Board of Distinction. In addition to meeting all criteria for the Standards program, boards must also fulfill higher requirements to achieve this designation. 

Policy and Legal Services - Local school districts may choose from a number of services to keep their policy manuals up-to-date as legislation and state board rules and regulations change and affect current policies.

Superintendent Search Service - GSBA has conducted the vast majority of searches in Georgia for a number of years. Small, medium and large districts have chosen GSBA’s service.             

Resources and Publications 

Boardmanship Manual - The Manual is the resource to use when you have questions about a variety of issues surrounding board member service. From what the law says about the role of the board and taking the oath of office to student discipline and school finance. 

Newsroom - GSBA’s online newsroom is not just for the news media.  You can stay up-to-date with education news in Georgia by visiting the daily news clips, which are uploaded every morning. A section called “Issues and Answers” can provide information on timely issues affecting public school districts. Also, you will find a glossary of education terms and acronyms here. 

Publications - GSBA’s flagship publication, Agenda, is available for download and all issues are archived. The GSBA Ethics Brochure is a helpful resource is state mandated ethics rules, roles and responsibilities. GSBA also publishes other special purpose publications that may be found here.