Lead with Confidence: Finance and Advocacy for Board Members

Jump-start your leadership in 2026 with an engaging half-day workshop from NCSBA!

The Advanced Leadership Series:  Finance & Advocacy for Board Members half-day training will equip school board members with vital skills to strengthen your role.

This hands on interactive session will explore:

• Tips for reviewing your school district’s budget

Gain practical guidance on how to navigate and interpret your district’s budget with confidence. Learn what to look for in key financial documents, how to spot trends that matter, and how to connect numbers to district priorities, strategic plans, and student outcomes. Participants will walk away with a clearer understanding of how to focus their time and attention during the budget cycle.

• Insight on budget questions to ask of administration

Develop a strong framework for asking informed, impactful questions that support accountability and transparency. This segment highlights the “must-ask” questions around revenue assumptions, staffing costs, fund balance, capital needs, and program effectiveness, along with how to ask them in a productive, non-adversarial way. You’ll learn how good questions lead to better decisions.

• Practical skills for strengthening your advocacy

Explore the tools and techniques every school board member needs to communicate, cultivate relationships, and be an effective advocate. Participants will leave with strategies they can apply immediately.

Cost is $89 per person and includes lunch.

Agenda available here

Hotel suggestion:

• Hampton Inn: 1229 Wake Towne Dr, Raleigh, NC 27609, (919) 831-4700

Registration