The City of Fairfax School Board members and staff attended the 2020 Virginia School Board Association (VSBA) conference November 18-20, 2020. School governance leaders from across the state attended the convention, participating in more than 30 workshops, clinics and critical issues sessions focused on topics such as board governance, school law, workforce readiness, schools in challenging environments, advocacy, and educational trends.
Though the Board members were not able to gather together in person, the virtual VSBA Annual Convention presented the same caliber of sessions and information for school board members and school district staff members. The convention allows attendees to continue learning about nationwide and statewide trends, meet and learn from key policy officials, and bring back new best management practices for schools.
The virtual format allowed for Aashray Manchanda, the City of Fairfax School Board student representative to attend the conference. Student representatives have not traditionally made the trek to Williamsburg in the past due to missing school. Manchanda met with other student representatives and attended conferences with his peers.
“My experience at the VSBA conference was amazing," said Manchanda. "I had the opportunity to meet with and learn from some phenomenal students, and listen to some great presentations by guest speakers. I was able to share ideas with other student representatives, and hear what was and wasn’t going well in their school districts as well. It was great getting to see such a variety of perspectives and experiences together, and I was able to get a sense of some unique strategies I can implement to improve my own duties as the student representative in our city. The whole experience reinforced in me that our city has been doing an amazing job with virtual learning, and that our board has been very adaptable and versed in solving problems throughout this tough time.”
About the Virginia School Boards Association The Virginia School Boards Association, a voluntary, nonpartisan organization of Virginia school boards, promotes excellence in public education through advocacy, training and services. The Association offers conferences, information, training, and counseling designed to meet the needs of the Commonwealth’s educational leaders.