Engaging School Boards and Administration for Maximum Effect
The School Board Leadership Collective met in September at William Pitt Union
The relationship between a school board and its superintendent can feel a lot like siblings. While things can sometimes get chippy, they share a deeper bond that helps them sort out differences.
That dynamic, and its potential to affect student and community success, is the focus of the annual School Board Leadership Collective, held September 8, 2026, and jointly sponsored by the Forum for Western Pennsylvania School Superintendents and the Tri-State Area School Study Council. Both organizations are housed within the School of Education.
Attended by more than 50 school leaders, the event brought together superintendent and school board teams from across Western Pennsylvania for a day of community-building.
“Strong leadership among superintendents and school boards is integral for district effectiveness,” said Tom Ralston, assistant professor of practice at the School of Education and executive director of the Forum.
After the event, one superintendent said, “I appreciated being able to spend time with this team of administrators and board members to make meaning of the information in our context.”
In addition to interacting with school board and leadership colleagues at fellow districts, attendees heard from Jocelyn Kramer, a school solicitor at Weiss, Burkardt, & Kramer, and author Lee Pritzl, a former superintendent.
Leonard Fornella, a school board member of more than 40 years at South Fayette Township School District, also delivered remarks and insights about his longevity in public service.
One school board member in attendance remarked, “It’s really great to be in a shared conversation with so many people dealing with the somewhat unique challenges of the school board. Especially as a school board member, most of us didn’t train for this leadership challenge.”
The school board member continued: “We are all coming from varied backgrounds so this opportunity to come together and focus on the shared experiences and learn more strategies for taking our district to the next level is both helpful and inspiring.”
