In this episode, Executive Director Don Wotruba, CAE and Director of Government Relations Jennifer Smith talk with Chip Slaven, Chief Advocacy Officer for the National School Boards Association, and get an in-depth view of what's happening policy- and legislation-wise in Washington, D.C. as well as the latest from NSBA, including details about this year's Advocacy Institute.

As students transition back to school buildings this spring and next fall there are many factors to take into consideration for their health and well-being. In this episode, we talk with Brandy Johnson, Education Workforce Policy Advisor for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and Kevin Polston, superintendent of Godfrey-Lee Public Schools and chair of the Student Recovery Advisory Council.

In this episode, we are joined by Beth Bullion, Director of the Office of Education for the Michigan State Budget Office and MASB's Director of Government Relations Jennifer Smith. We continue the dialogue around budget and what schools can expect from this perspective for the year ahead. 

We sit down and discuss Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's latest budget, how that might impact public education, our 2021-2022 Legislative Priorities and other predictions in this episode of MI SoundBoard with MASB Director of Government Relations Jennifer Smith.

Michigan State University Extension aims to help people improve their lives. The Children and Youth Institute within MSU Extension is focused on programming for those from birth to age 19, including Michigan 4-H. In this episode we sit down with two of CYI's leadership to discuss resources for students and schools in Michigan, whether they're in a hybrid or fully remote environment.

We kick off the New Year with leaders from the Michigan Education Leadership Group, which includes the Michigan Association of Superintendents & Administrators, Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals and Michigan School Business Officials for a roundtable discussion on trends, forecasts, the state of public education and much more. 

When Oak Park School District teacher Owen Bondono received the phone call letting him know that he was named 2020 Michigan Teacher of the Year, he was speechless. In this episode, Owen joins us to talk about the selection process, the school district in which he works, COVID-19 and much more.

Who is the Michigan Department of Education? What is the role of the State Board of Education? With many new board members taking their seats in January we speak with State Board of Education President Casandra Ulbrich, Ph.D., (D-Dearborn) to talk about all of this and more.

The federal regulations put in place by Title IX are about more than just sports. How do the changes that went into effect in August 2020 affect school districts? What are the steps that should be taken to protect students, employees and the district itself particularly when it comes to sexual harassment? We cover all of this and more in a conversation with MASB's veteran legal counsel.

MASB estimates that several hundred newly elected Michigan school board members will take their seats as a result of the November election. What does this look like for recruitment efforts—what worked and what didn't? How can districts onboard and orient these new additions to their governance team? We sit down with two veteran board members in this episode of MI SoundBoard to chat about all of this and more!