Julie James of Lovejoy ISD was among a group of school board members gathering in Austin November 20-21 to focus on their roles as advocates for public schools with state and national policymakers. Trustees, who met for the second of five training sessions of Leadership TASB, began their activities by touring the state Capitol and participating in in-depth advocacy training.

Speakers on Friday were Jackie Lain, associate executive director of governmental relations, Texas Association of School Boards (TASB), and Debra Fine, bestselling author of The Fine Art of Small Talk and regular guest on NBC’s Today. Fine’s presentation taught trustees the art of using small talk to become an expert communicator. The group also toured Austin ISD’s Green Tech High and Global Tech High, formally known as Eastside Memorial High Schools.

Saturday speakers included Glenna Hodge, director of governmental affairs, Linebarger Goggan Sampson & Blair, LLP. Hodge presented an overview of what to expect when the Texas Legislature convenes in 2011 and possible legislative priorities related to public schools. Also on Saturday, the class heard from Arch Lustberg, a nationally recognized trainer in effective communication. Lustberg’s client list includes numerous political candidates, corporate executives, and university classes.

Selected by TASB, the group of 36 trustees is participating in a year-long education leadership study program. The Leadership TASB class of 2010 represents Texas school districts of all sizes, with student
populations of 275 to 62,000, and reflects the range of property wealth. Participants who complete all required elements of the study will graduate next year with a unique graduation designation recognized by TASB.
Each session has a specific theme that builds on the previous session and features state and nationally recognized experts in the fields of leadership development and education. Teams also work on extended learning
assignments between meetings throughout the year. Created in 1993, Leadership TASB has more than 550 graduates to date.

TASB is a voluntary, nonprofit association established in 1949 to serve local Texas school districts.  School board members are the largest group of publicly elected officials in the state. The districts they represent
serve approximately 4.7 million public school students.