At this year’s conference, attendees from across the commonwealth gathered for an opportunity to grow professionally, network with colleagues and be inspired. Sunday night’s PA Public Education Foundation Awards and Student Showcase started the three-day event, with lively student performances and a celebration of innovation and leadership. Watch a livestream of the event on PSBA’s Facebook page.  

Award presentations included the Pennsylvania Education Innovation Awards: 

• Innovative Teacher Award: Brett Wandler, electricity and electronics teacher, Allentown School District 
• Innovative School Leader Award: Dr. Randal Lutz, superintendent, Baldwin-Whitehall School District 
• Innovative School Board Award: Baldwin-Whitehall School District Board of Directors 
   

Barbara Bolas was this year’s recipient of the William Howard Day Award, established in honor of the first African American school board president in the United States. She is a current long-term board member at the Upper St. Clair School District and a former PSBA president. 

Student Showcase performances included those by Abington Heights Middle School Comet Choir (Abington Heights SD), Pennridge High School Orchestra (Pennridge SD), Emmaus High School Chorale (East Penn SD) and Pottstown High School Woodwind Ensembles (Pottstown SD).  

During the program, PSBA CEO Nathan Mains announced a new series of scholarships sponsored by the PSBA Trust that recognize outstanding students, as well as a new international study group. The Student Leader Scholarships provide a one-time award of up to $5,000 to graduating seniors from PSBA member districts who have demonstrated ongoing leadership and meet the criteria for one of four available scholarships. Each award is named to honor the first chair or president of the following: the Pennsylvania Public Education Foundation, the Pennsylvania School Safety Institute, PSBA and the PSBA Trust.  

• The Frerichs Scholarship recognizes a student planning to pursue a bachelor’s degree in education. 
• The Marcus Scholarship supports a student planning to pursue a bachelor’s degree in public safety, criminology, forensics, or other law enforcement or safety major. 
• The H.H. Quimby Scholarship honors a student who has served as a student representative to their local school board during their high school academic career. 
• The Swope Scholarship recognizes a student planning to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the arts. 
   

Additionally, Mains announced that the PSBA Trust Institute (PSBA-IN), in collaboration with PSBA, will host the first international study group in April 2024. The 15-member study group will focus on the educational system in Germany with the purpose of developing recommendations for Pennsylvania school districts to significantly enhance district academics, operations, facilities and culture. During the spring of 2024, the group will travel to Bonn, Cologne and Dortmund, Germany, to tour schools and conduct meetings with education and civic leaders. Learn more about the scholarships and the study group, including how to apply, at PSBATrust.org. 

To close out Sunday’s event, a drawing was held and these five individuals in attendance received $500 STEAM Scholarships for their districts, sponsored by CM Regent, Creative Learning Systems, Gilbert Architects, Lifetouch, Peoples Security Bank & Trust: 

• Janet Flisak, Souderton Area SD 
• Patrick Palmer, Allentown SD 
• Carol Facchiano, Parkland SD 
• Andrene Nowell, Allentown SD 
• Thomas Nutting, Charleroi Area SD

Starting Monday morning, more than 35 education sessions were offered over two days, on topics in five learning tracks: Employment and Engagement, The Effective School Board, Efficient District Operations, School Boards 101 and Hot Topics in Education. The morning’s highlights included the opening session at which 2023 Superintendent of the Year Dr. Brian Troop from Ephrata Area School District was honored, and author and professor Dr. Christine Porath delivered a timely keynote presentation on leadership and civility.  

At the featured session later that afternoon, two former members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Rep. Pamela DeLissio (D – 194th) and Rep. James Cox (R – 129th) discussed their experiences working with elected officials and shared best practices for advocacy and engagement strategies. The evening concluded with 5 O’Clock in the Park, an exhibitor-sponsored reception for attendees in Central Park, and additional exhibitor hospitalities. 

G. Terry Madonna, senior fellow in residence for political affairs at Millersville University, presented Tuesday’s featured session, “Politics in America and Pennsylvania: What Matters and Why,” exploring Pennsylvania’s role in the 2024 election – the impact of a closely divided state legislature, as well as the overall views of a closely divided electorate in the commonwealth during the election year.

To close conference, author, performer and speaker Gregory Offner inspired the audience with his presentation about engagement, retention and development of top talent. 

In the exhibit hall, more than 170 exhibitors were available to interact with school leaders throughout the conference. Special features included live demonstrations of the Pennsylvania School Safety Institute (PennSSI); the Krise ‘Bus Stop’ located just outside the hall, a mobile bus studio where attendees could participate in an interview to tell their story about being a public school director; and the Future of Education lounge sponsored by Tanner Furniture, where visitors could recharge their phones and put their feet up. At the EdPAC mini golf course, PSBA Alliance Partner DRAW Collective took home the ‘Hole in Won’ for Best Design trophy for the second year in a row, and attendee Joe Zupancic, a school board director from Canon-McMillan School District, was crowned Mini Golf Putting Champion! 

New this year, school leaders explored featured sponsors, and enjoyed food and beverages as well as student performances and artwork in Central Park – a spacious area located in the center of the exhibit hall. Special thanks to our Central Park sponsors: CM Regent, EI Associates, ICS, Keystone Purchasing Network (KPN)/PEPPM, Laurel Life, Lincoln Learning Solutions, SitelogIQ and Tanner Furniture as well as to these key exhibiting sponsors: 1st Recruiting Brigade, CDI Inc., Kooth, Krise Transportation, PSDLAF, Schneider Electric, Speizel and Tanium. 

Thanks all our education session speakers, presenters, performers, attendees and sponsors for another amazing learning and networking experience! Plan to join us for next year’s conference on October 6-8, 2024, at Kalahari Resorts & Conventions in the Poconos!