The Wisconsin Association of School Boards today issued the following statement to its members:
“The Board of Directors of the Wisconsin Association of School Boards voted on Nov. 5 to withdraw the association’s participation in the National School Boards Association’s programs and activities. The board did not take this action lightly.
“A core responsibility of local school boards is to promote community engagement and foster relationships.
“Unfortunately, the NSBA needlessly caused substantial controversy this fall, which has negatively impacted relationships among school boards, parents and community members.
“Those actions do not align with WASB policies and programs nor its mission to support, promote and advance public education.
“In the coming months, the Board of Directors will closely monitor the actions and conduct of the NSBA as it searches for a new executive director for its association, restructures its leadership to rebuild a culture of trust and transparency, and takes steps to ensure that it is supporting the core mission of state school board associations and their local school boards.
“The Board of Directors will be particularly focused on ensuring quality federal representation for Wisconsin school boards with congressional representatives, federal agencies and the judicial system.
“This board’s decision does not impact the ability of any Wisconsin public school board to interact directly with the NSBA if it chooses to do so. As always, the WASB supports local control and seeks to provide the support and resources needed to enable every Wisconsin school board to make decisions in the best interests of their students and communities.”
