The meetings begin Thursday, March 2, and conclude Thursday, March 30.
A briefing for school board candidates, to be presented as a panel session or pre-dinner session, will be held at each of IASB’s 21 divisions. This will include an overview of the roles and responsibilities of an elected school board member.
School safety will be a topic at six division meetings. Brad Ware, community outreach specialist from the Federal Bureau of Investigation field office in Springfield, will share information about the FBI’s resources for schools and school security. Mia Ray Langheim, school intelligence officer for the Statewide Terrorism and Intelligence Center Office, will discuss improving school safety through lessons learned.
Student performance topics will highlight nine other divisions: Student assessments for all learners (Donna McCaw), How to win staff and influence school system success (Patrick Muhammad), Online learning: a successful alternative for meeting student course needs (Cindy Hamblin), The Illinois assessment and accountability picture (Jennifer Garrison), Redefining ready (David R. Schuler), and Meeting the needs of high ability and gifted students (Amanda Davey).
Other topics include collective bargaining, student discipline, school funding, and school referenda campaigns.
Each division dinner meeting also offers networking opportunities and updates from Association staff and division directors and chairpersons. Attendance at division dinner meetings earns participants five points in IASB’s Master Board Member Program.
While the candidates’ briefing is free, online registration and payment is required for any candidates attending the dinner. District superintendents or secretaries should update their district roster in the IASB member database to include candidates prior to registration.
![]() |
Event Profiles are available on the Events Calendar. |
Questions can be directed to the IASB field services support staff assigned to each division.
Presentations on school safety, student performance, and information for school board candidates are among the highlights.