COSSBA Update for March
-
Date PostedMarch 26, 2025
-
CategoryCOSSBA
The Consortium of State School Boards Associations has announced the appointment of Kathy McFarland, Ed.D., as its new executive director, effective July 1, 2025.
McFarland is currently Chief Executive Officer of the Ohio School Boards Association, where she has demonstrated exceptional leadership in advancing public education and supporting school board members across the state. With experience as a principal, assistant principal, high school teacher, and adjunct professor, McFarland brings a wealth of knowledge and a strong commitment to serving students, families, and school board members.
“Kathy’s dedication to public education and her deep understanding of the needs of school boards make her the ideal choice to lead COSSBA into the future,” said COSSBA Board Chair Vernon Travis. “We are confident she will continue strengthening our organization and supporting our mission of empowering state school board associations.”
McFarland succeeds Thomas Bertrand, Ph.D., who is retiring after serving as COSSBA’s executive director since its founding in 2022. Under Bertrand’s leadership, the organization has grown to represent school board associations nationwide, fostering collaboration and sharing best practices to support student achievement. Prior to COSSBA, Bertrand was the Executive Director at the Illinois Association of School Boards.
“I am honored to join COSSBA in this role and look forward to building on the strong foundation established by Tom Bertrand,” McFarland said. “I am excited to work with my colleagues nationwide to promote the important work of school boards and support public education.”
National School Safety Symposium is June 25-27 in St. Louis
COSSBA is collaborating with the Missouri School Boards Association's Center for Education Safety and the Pennsylvania School Safety Institute to hold the National School Safety Symposium June 25-27 in St. Louis. This event is for school security teams, which can include superintendents, school board members, school resource officers, school communications professionals, and school district safety personnel. Visit the COSSBA website for more information.
Webinar Series
The next event in the COSSBA webinar series is on April 16 at 11 a.m. (Central Time). Building a Team to Foster Comprehensive Mental Health Support Services offers the opportunity to learn how to enhance the well-being of students, families, and school staff by building a comprehensive student support program that focuses on mental health issues. Registration is open and available on the COSSBA webinars webpage, at which you can also access past webinars for on-demand viewing.
2025 COSSBA Conference
Attendees at the 2025 COSSBA Conference explored the latest trends and best practices in conference tracks such as finance, governance, school safety, mental health, stakeholder engagement, student achievement, and artificial intelligence's transformative potential. Among the presenters were IASB staff members Lori Grant, Associate Executive Director for Outreach, Training & Events, speaking on student voice; and Katie Bulava, Director of Outreach & Training, with two sessions for administrative professionals. Also presenting from Illinois:
COSSBA is a nationwide alliance that serves state school boards associations by delivering comprehensive training, nonpartisan federal advocacy, and support necessary to achieve excellence in local school governance and high quality public education in local communities. COSSBA serves 25 state associations that represent 6,700 local school boards and over 24 million K-12 students.
McFarland is currently Chief Executive Officer of the Ohio School Boards Association, where she has demonstrated exceptional leadership in advancing public education and supporting school board members across the state. With experience as a principal, assistant principal, high school teacher, and adjunct professor, McFarland brings a wealth of knowledge and a strong commitment to serving students, families, and school board members.
“Kathy’s dedication to public education and her deep understanding of the needs of school boards make her the ideal choice to lead COSSBA into the future,” said COSSBA Board Chair Vernon Travis. “We are confident she will continue strengthening our organization and supporting our mission of empowering state school board associations.”
McFarland succeeds Thomas Bertrand, Ph.D., who is retiring after serving as COSSBA’s executive director since its founding in 2022. Under Bertrand’s leadership, the organization has grown to represent school board associations nationwide, fostering collaboration and sharing best practices to support student achievement. Prior to COSSBA, Bertrand was the Executive Director at the Illinois Association of School Boards.
“I am honored to join COSSBA in this role and look forward to building on the strong foundation established by Tom Bertrand,” McFarland said. “I am excited to work with my colleagues nationwide to promote the important work of school boards and support public education.”
National School Safety Symposium is June 25-27 in St. Louis
COSSBA is collaborating with the Missouri School Boards Association's Center for Education Safety and the Pennsylvania School Safety Institute to hold the National School Safety Symposium June 25-27 in St. Louis. This event is for school security teams, which can include superintendents, school board members, school resource officers, school communications professionals, and school district safety personnel. Visit the COSSBA website for more information.
Webinar Series
The next event in the COSSBA webinar series is on April 16 at 11 a.m. (Central Time). Building a Team to Foster Comprehensive Mental Health Support Services offers the opportunity to learn how to enhance the well-being of students, families, and school staff by building a comprehensive student support program that focuses on mental health issues. Registration is open and available on the COSSBA webinars webpage, at which you can also access past webinars for on-demand viewing.
2025 COSSBA Conference
Attendees at the 2025 COSSBA Conference explored the latest trends and best practices in conference tracks such as finance, governance, school safety, mental health, stakeholder engagement, student achievement, and artificial intelligence's transformative potential. Among the presenters were IASB staff members Lori Grant, Associate Executive Director for Outreach, Training & Events, speaking on student voice; and Katie Bulava, Director of Outreach & Training, with two sessions for administrative professionals. Also presenting from Illinois:
- Jim Batson, Board President, CHSD 128 (Vernon Hills): AI: Board Member Roles and Responsibilities. What Every Board Member Should Know
- Corrin Bennett-Kill and Jennifer Ciok, School Board Members at Mount Prospect SD 57: Building a Village: How Student Voice and Community Engagement Enhance Initiative Success
- David Hill, Superintendent, CCSD 93 (Bloomingdale): Fostering Governance Excellence: Effective Onboarding & Support for New Board Members
- Andrew Sharos, CSBO of Leyden CHSD 212: Leading with a Culture of Success in Your District
- Nicole Terrell-Smith, Superintendent, Pembroke CCSD 259: How Did We Get Here? Understanding the Challenges and Opportunities in Rural Education
COSSBA is a nationwide alliance that serves state school boards associations by delivering comprehensive training, nonpartisan federal advocacy, and support necessary to achieve excellence in local school governance and high quality public education in local communities. COSSBA serves 25 state associations that represent 6,700 local school boards and over 24 million K-12 students.
