OSBA Board President Chris Cronin spoke about advocacy to the Fall Regional meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 1, in Salem. (Photo by Dave Harvey, PACE)
Chris Cronin remembers her first OSBA Fall Regional meeting more than a decade ago as a new Grant School Board member. She was amazed that the OSBA Board president and OSBA staff had made the trip from the Willamette Valley to the remote eastern Oregon town of Monument.
“They meant what they said about showing up for us,” she said. “That was meaningful to me.”
OSBA’s annual tour of in-person meetings around the state kicked off Monday, Sept. 29, in Astoria. As OSBA Board president, Cronin was there, as well as at meetings in Clackamas and Salem this week.
Cronin said she would attend as many of the 20 Fall Regionals as she could, but this year many of the meetings are on the same night in widely separated parts of the state. This week, there were also meetings in Hillsboro and The Dalles on the same nights as the Clackamas and Salem meetings, respectively.
OSBA typically staffs Fall Regionals with representatives from the executive and legislative advocacy teams as well as assorted staff members. The meetings, hosted by education service districts, draw together board members and administrators from the area to talk about actions in the Capitol, local triumphs and challenges, and the direction for OSBA in the coming year.
This year’s agenda includes a legislative update on issues such as the State School Fund and accountability requirements and a look ahead to the 2026 short session, as well as a federal funding overview. It also offers a peek at the OSBA Board’s plan to review its governance model.
This year, OSBA is trying to help school board members maximize their time and resources by offering training opportunities the same day as the meetings. ESDs could request OSBA trainings before the meetings, and Property and Casualty Coverage for Education is holding some of its regional trainings the same day. PACE, a joint operation of OSBA and the Small Districts Association of Oregon, provides insurance for more than 300 public organizations.
Cronin said that first regional meeting she attended in Monument was eye-opening for her. She said she had no idea at the time that there was such a thing as board policies or that board members were also expected to be public education advocates.
“I was overwhelmed by all that I learned I didn’t know, but I’ve seen since that that is pretty common,” she said. “The regional meetings help members get a handle on it.”
Cronin said that even after all these years, the meetings remain interesting and rewarding for her, especially with so many changes at the state and federal level in the past year and expected in the coming year.
“We can trust OSBA to provide accurate information,” she said.
Cronin has made building community a theme for her presidency, and she especially values the rare opportunity Fall Regionals provide to gather with neighboring school district board members. She said districts share a lot of similar challenges, both in their regions and across the state.
This year’s format emphasizes tightly focused presentations from OSBA staff and more opportunities for board members to connect and to talk about their successes and challenges.
Stacy Michaelson, OSBA Government Relations and Communications director, is attending the Fall Regionals as a staff member for the first time this year. She was hired in January.
Michaelson said she has been impressed with the positive tone of the meetings despite some bleak future funding news.
“Our members want to understand the situation so they can make the best decisions for their students and districts,” Michaelson said. “Our members want to know how they can contribute to student-focused solutions, and we are trying to give them the information they need.”
– Jake Arnold, OSBA
[email protected]
