IASB Convention 2024

Join Simbli for an insightful breakout session focused on enhancing leadership and operational efficiency within your governance team and organization. Whether you're looking to refine your strategic planning process, strengthen policy implementation, enhance your board meetings, or streamline superintendent evaluations, this session offers invaluable insights. Simbli, developed by the Georgia School Board Association and offered as a service through IASB, will share tips and insights for how you can use your Simbli modules to increase effectiveness and efficiency at your board table!

Do you feel lost trying to navigate through Iowa’s “sunshine laws” related to open meetings and open records? Do you feel like whenever you are presented with an issue related to properly handling school board meetings or releasing school district records, you have more questions than answers? Join attorneys from Ahlers & Cooney, P.C. for this interactive session covering everything from explaining the general applicability of Iowa’s open meetings and open records laws to navigating frequently asked questions and scenarios that commonly arise. Come prepared to ask questions and evaluate hypothetical examples.

In recent years, public attendance and participation in school board meetings has increased significantly. In addition, Iowa law provides new ways for community members to participate in board meetings beyond the public comment process. During this session, attorneys from Ahlers & Cooney, P.C. will focus on new laws ranging from petitions to place an item on the board’s agenda to challenges to curriculum and library books to good old-fashioned public comment procedures. Board members will also gain a better understanding of legal requirements and best practices as they navigate a tricky topic during a public meeting.

Danielle Haindfield, seasoned school board attorney from Ahlers & Cooney, P.C., will discuss tips and lessons learned on how to navigate the always difficult ending of the board/superintendent relationship. It will include a discussion of why the relationship may need to end, when is the best time to do it and the options at the board’s disposal on how to make it happen. This session will focus not only on legal timelines and requirements to know, but also practical considerations to think about when deciding what is best for the district when parting ways with your superintendent.

Teacher termination hearings can be challenging, uncomfortable and contentious. During this session, join attorneys from Ahlers & Cooney, P.C., who will lead attendees through a mock teacher termination hearing, focusing on the who, what, when, and how of the termination process under Iowa Code Chapter 279. Names, places, and events are products of the presenters’ imaginations and a combined 30+ years of experience handling termination hearings throughout Iowa.

Need help streamlining and strengthening the superintendent evaluation in your district? Look no further! This interactive session will include processes and tools to ensure the superintendent performance review process is ongoing, practical, and aligned with district priorities. Plus, you'll hear from a second-year superintendent and board team members who used these tools during their first year together, which helped to provide a strong board-team partnership from the start. Join this interactive discussion and network with colleagues to discuss advantages of whole board participation in evaluations and learn benefits of conducting several mid-year progress check ins rather than just one annual summary evaluation.

What do you get when you bring together experienced school attorneys from two major firms in one room? A rapid fire Q&A session with legal eagles! Join Peter Fagen of F3 Law and Melissa Schilling from Dickinson Bradshaw for a chance to get answers to your most pressing legal questions. Come prepared with tough questions, and you'll leave with answers and insights about timely school law topics.