As a school board member, you've probably been challenged about spending hard-earned taxpayer dollars on conventions, which, to some citizens are "boondoggles" and "junkets." 

Board members attend OSBA workshops to learn new information and skills as educational leaders just as physicians, teachers, CPAs and airline pilots attend training to sharpen their professional skills. At OSBA's annual convention, board members learn about programs, processes, grants and decisions in other districts that address needs in their own school communities. 

Don't be surprised to hear "They’re wasting our money to shop, eat and party in Portland!" And don't let it upset you; instead, anticipate a certain amount of criticism and counter it by planning a response and executing your plan:

1) When you seek board approval to attend a conference, enter into the minutes specific sessions that you believe will help with situations your school system is facing.

2) Decide with your board members who will attend which workshops. Five board members attending different sessions promise a better ROI than five folks from the same district hearing the same presentation.

3) At the conference, do what you were elected to do: listen, share and learn. You may have the answer a colleague from another district, ESD or community college is seeking, even though you’re not a presenter. Talking with others may help you find a solution that isn’t on the conference agenda. Sometimes, networking is the best way to learn, and conferences are the best place to do that.

4) Don’t give critics cause to make an issue of "extracurricular" social activities. Professional development sessions don't last 24 hours a day, but you’ll never satisfactorily justify shopping or nightclubbing when  taxpayer dollars paid for your conference attendance.

5) At the conference and during the trip home, review what you've learned with your colleagues and plan one or two brief reports at your next board meeting. Suggest further contact between your administrators and those who have more details about a program or process you want to adapt for your district or community college. Appoint committees as necessary.

6) Summarize the conference at your next board meeting. Don’t rely on the superintendent to tell folks what you learned. Remember that information that makes you a better board member is just as valuable as a money-saving program or process.

7) Double-check expenses to ensure that the district pays for board-approved costs and you pay for personal or family incidentals. Be sure no one can fault your accounting of travel, room and board.

OSBA’s workshops and conferences are carefully planned to meet board member needs for those who represent school districts, ESDs and community colleges.

A glance through any of our programs should convince skeptics that school board training is critical to leadership and student success. Our conventions are packed with education experts, success stories from districts of all sizes, networking opportunities and an intangible not to be sneezed at -- inspiration.

I challenge you to do more than attend and learn from our training sessions. Tell people at home why you’re going, what you discovered and how you’re going to use these sessions to be a more effective representative and to provide better learning opportunities for your students.

It's a message worth conveying.