2026 MTSBA Leadership Summit: A Century of Leadership, A Future of Possibilities
Tuesday, June 9, 2026 – MTSBA Headquarters, 863 Great Northern Blvd., Helena
No fee for this training!
Join school trustees, superintendents, school business officials, district clerks, and other leadership team members from across Montana for a special gathering celebrating MTSBA’s 100 years of leadership in public education while preparing for the opportunities ahead.
9:00 – 9:20 AM: Welcome: A Century of Leadership: Lessons that Guide the Future
- Welcome and overview of the day
- Brief reflection on 100 years of school board leadership
- Live poll and discussion: “What is the biggest challenge facing your board today?”
9:20 – 10:05 AM: Strong Boards, Strong Schools: Governance that Works
- Small table groups review a short governance scenario (e.g., board micromanagement, unclear roles, or decision-making conflict).
- Groups discussion: What should the board do?
- Facilitator shares best practices and key governance principles.
10:05 – 10:50 AM: Leading Together: Building Effective Board – Superintendent Partnerships
- Roundtable Discussions: Participants identify the top qualities of strong board – superintendent relationships.
- Polling: “What is the most common challenge in board – superintendent relationships?”
- Facilitated discussion with examples
10:50 – 11:00 AM: (short break)
11:00 AM – Noon: Navigating Today’s Boardroom Challenges – Mock School Board Meeting
- Handling controversial issues
- Managing difficult public comment
- Board member disagreements
- Community trust and communication
12:00 – 1:15 PM: Lunch Provided
1:15 – 2:00 PM: Strategic Leadership for the Next Century
- Table Activity: Define a small set of district goalsTranslate goals into actions and reporting
- Understand your data: Budget and student achievement measuresConnecting ideas to effective strategic governance
2:00 – 2:45 PM: Community Engagement and Communications
- Stakeholder Mapping activity – Who matters and why?
- Communications Audit activity– What communications tools does your district use most often? Which reaches your community effectively? Where do communications breakdowns most occur?
- Messaging that builds trust and transparency
- Bond and levy communications strategies
- Handling media and crisis communication basics
2:45 – 3:00 PM (short break)
3:00 – 3:45 PM: From the Boardroom to the Capitol: Advocacy for Montana’s Students
- How School District voices influence policy
- Overview of the resolution process and upcoming agenda for the Wednesday membership meeting.
- Roundtable activity: Tables identify how they plan to engage and participate during the 2027 Session using MTSBA’s resolutions adopted at the Annual Membership Meeting.
3:45 – 4:15 PM: Looking Ahead: The Next Century of School Board Leadership
Roundtable discussion
- “What is one leadership practice you will take back to your board?”
- Tables share insights with the room.
Join us from 5:00 - 7:00 PM for MTSBA's 100th Anniversary Celebration reception at MTSBA Headquarters, fourth floor deck! RSVP to communications@mtsba.org.
Disclaimer: Montana School Boards Association (MTSBA) has designed these materials to provide helpful information regarding topics and best practices on issues concerning the administration and governance of Montana K-12 public schools. These materials are for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. MTSBA does not intend nor should these materials be construed to constitute the rendering of any legal advice. Should the recipient of these materials desire legal advice on any of the topics or information contained herein, MTSBA recommends that the recipient make a specific request for legal advice.