2026 Southern Region Leadership Conference

In today’s complex and often polarized educational landscape, school boards are increasingly called to make high-stakes decisions under pressure, making how boards navigate disagreement more important than ever. This session draws on Arkansas data examining school board voting patterns, including split votes, failed motions, and the issues most likely to produce division. Grounded in real-world practice, the session then moves beyond the data to focus on what effective board members can do in the moment. Attendees will leave with practical, actionable strategies to lead through disagreement in ways that strengthen governance, improve decision quality, and keep student success at the center.

The LSBA Board of Directors knew that it was time for our association to rebrand itself and really focus on what “Good Governance” is all about. In leading today’s and tomorrow’s school board members and superintendents, understanding their roles and responsibilities are key in increasing better student outcomes. The LSBA Team and the LSBA Board of Directors did a deep dive into what today’s standards and best practices are for school board members and superintendents. We aligned that work to LSBA’s Mission: Leadership, Service and Support for School Boards. The LSBA developed its’ rebranding standards/best practices into the “Keys to Good Governance.” Attendees will learn what governance is/is not and how it takes the governance leadership team, that is comprised of school board members and the superintendent, to understand the importance of an established framework to keep everyone focused on “THE KEYS.” Participants will also gain an understanding that when there is a clear road map that provides an understanding of how to achieve set goals, it is a WIN-WIN for ALL educational stakeholders!

Between August 2025 and December 2025 (4 months), our kindergarten students demonstrated a 28% increase in reading proficiency! School systems will hear how we implemented the ONCE program from the ground up for all kindergarten students in our district, including how we recruited and celebrated our Once instructors to build buy-in.