Better local schools begin with better local school boards. A new training for school-board members, based on conservative principles, was recently accredited by the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE). Make sure your school-board members know about this new option.

Only 27 percent of students in Oklahoma were grade-level proficient in 2023. Of course, some local schools are better and some are not. Though school officials often blame this poor performance on funding levels, funding has in fact increased exponentially in the past several years. 

State Superintendent Ryan Walters and the Legislature have had some success at putting new policies in place that will improve outcomes. However, local elected leaders holding local administrators accountable is the most effective way to improve your local school. This is why training local school-board members is so critical. 

Oklahoma law requires newly elected school-board members to complete 12 hours of training, and currently serving members to complete six hours of training, each year. The training is primarily provided by the Oklahoma State School Boards Association (OSSBA). 

A Conservative Alternative

Founded in 1979 by Morton C. Blackwell, the Leadership Institute is the gold standard when it comes to seminars and leadership training based on conservative principles. OSDE recently accredited the Leadership Institute to provide the required school-board member training. Conservative board members who prefer an alternative to the OSSBA courses now have a reliable option.   

This fall, school-board members can attend Leadership Institute trainings in Enid, Tulsa, Lawton, or Oklahoma City. There is no cost to the participants. In fact, Leadership Institute is covering all of the costs, including lodging if a board member has to travel a distance to the session. Topics include all of the mandatory updates and ethics, plus electives. 

Most importantly, Leadership Institute is going to teach school-board members how to ask the right questions. Local school-board members need to understand how to use their authority to drive better education outcomes. This includes setting district policies, determining education priorities, understanding budgets, and holding administrators accountable. With the right training, conservative school-board members can be much more effective—and your local schools can improve. 

The two things you can do in your local district that will make the most difference are recruiting strong candidates to run for school board and helping them find the necessary training to stand up for their principles. Please share with them this new opportunity to complete the state’s required training. More information is available here.