School Board Partners

School Board Partners is a U.S. nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering elected school board leaders to transform education in America. Founded by Carrie Douglass and Ethan Ashley, both current school board members, the organization focuses on enhancing the effectiveness of diverse school board members in creating equitable and excellent educational environments.

Mission and Activities

The mission of School Board Partners is to support and train school board members to become effective governance leaders, enabling them to drive policy changes that benefit students. They achieve this by providing comprehensive training, mentorship, and resources to equip board members with the necessary skills and knowledge to navigate the complexities of school governance.

School Board Partners operates on several fronts:

• Field-building and Research: They engage in research and field-building efforts to develop a robust school board ecosystem both locally and nationally. Notably, their "Empty Seats Report" has been widely cited and has contributed to policy changes in states like Oregon and Chicago[1].
• City and Regional Ecosystem Development: Through strategic partnerships, they support the growth of city and regional ecosystems for school board governance, helping board members to become more effective leaders[1].
• Whole Board Work: The organization provides comprehensive support to individual school districts and superintendents, using their Empowered Governance Model. This model equips boards with exemplar policies to ensure equitable environments for students[1][4].
• Supporting and Developing School Board Members: They offer best-in-class training and support services to develop diverse school board leaders. Since 2019, they have trained over 250 board members, with 77% being leaders of color impacting over 6 million students[1].

Governance and Leadership

The leadership team includes Ethan Ashley as CEO and Co-Founder, along with a diverse Board of Directors. The board members include Gregory Hatcher, Marisa B. Pérez-Díaz, Ed Williams, Jonathan Klein, Kayla Tibbals, and Debbie Veney, bringing expertise in various fields such as education and policy[2].

Financial Overview

School Board Partners is classified as a 501(c)(3) organization for educational purposes. Their funding primarily comes from contributions, with no income from other sources like program services or investments. In recent years, the organization has reported significant financial assets and liabilities, with executive compensation making up a portion of their expenses[3].

Impact

School Board Partners has made a notable impact by training a significant number of school board members who have gone on to assume leadership roles and pass policies benefiting students. Their fellows have higher re-election rates compared to their peers and are more likely to create policies that improve student outcomes[1]. The organization aims to reach 2,500 school board members in the future, creating a tipping point for more equitable and effective schools[1].