Top-quality keynotes and education sessions, opportunities for connection, and special features to inspire and delight were hallmarks of this year’s PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference. From the Western-themed exhibit hall to the roundtable discussions, the experience was designed to refresh and inform hundreds of school board directors, superintendents and administrators from across the commonwealth.
Awards and announcements
Highlights included the School Leader Awards Dinner and Student Showcase featuring student performances by Blue Mountain Choral Ensembles and Drama Club, East Stroudsburg High School North Chorale, and Pocono Mountain East Marching Band. The evening featured presentations of the Pennsylvania Education Innovation Awards to the following honorees:
The William Howard Day Medal, established in honor of the first African American school board president in the United States, was presented to Michael I. Levin, Esq.! Michael is one of Pennsylvania’s most respected voices in school law and has served for many years as PSBA’s general counsel.
Additionally, Dr. Michael Vuckovich from the Windber Area School District was honored by PASA as Pennsylvania’s 2026 Superintendent of the Year!
Video interviews with each of the award recipients will be available soon on psba.institute. The presentations and student performances were livestreamed on PSBA’s Facebook page.
Current PSBA President Sabrina S. Backer announced the recipients of the 2026 Student Leader Scholarships sponsored by the PSBA Institute. The 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 Vertras Foundation.
Additionally, Backer invited members to view reports from the PSBA Institute’s 2026 International Education Study Group in a special insert in the Summer 2026 Bulletin magazine. Learn more about the study group at psba.institute.
Backer also announced expanded member benefits from PSBA Health Services, including metabolic health programs, digital physical therapy, data-driven health management tools, and comprehensive primary and preventative care. Learn more about these new services on myPSBA.
To close out Sunday’s event, a drawing was held and these four individuals in attendance received $1,000 STEAM Scholarships for their districts.
Thank you to KSS, Marotta/Main Architects, First Student, and CM Regent, our STEAM Scholarship sponsors!
Learning and connection
Monday kicked off the first-ever New Director Mixer – a breakfast and networking opportunity for those in their first term of board service. At Monday’s General Session, author and professor Dr. Nido Qubein, shared insights from his inspiring journey of adversity to success, becoming an internally known author, consultant and the president of High Point University.
Emmy Award–winning television host, decorated military veteran, bestselling author and advocate Montel Williams closed conference on Tuesday, with insights on leadership and creating meaningful change. Congratulations to the winners of the Exhibit Hall Challenge and the raffle ticket drawing that were announced at the close of this session!
More than 25 education sessions were offered Sunday through Tuesday on a variety of topics, from community partnerships and career and technical education to district branding and data-driven decision-making. The Featured Session on Tuesday, presented by attorneys from PSBA’s Legal Services team, touched on major developments in school law landscape over the past year. New this year, five roundtable discussions were facilitated on topics such as board leadership, staffing shortages and legislative issues.
Exhibit hall extras
Over the three-day conference, the Western-themed exhibit hall attracted attendees with 140 booths offering products and services for education. In addition to musical performances by students on Monday and Tuesday, visitors enjoyed the GPS Learning Lab with hands-on experiences for school leaders, staff and students of all ages. For those feeling adventurous, lasso demonstrations were offered just outside the exhibit hall for some themed fun!
The PSBA Trading Post featured interactive booths showcasing our member services and collected stamps for their Traveler’s Journal to earn a spot at the Oxygen Bar. At the heart of the exhibit hall, the Featured Frontier, spotlighted some of the latest products and services for K-12 schools and served as the hub for exhibitor receptions, networking breaks and several meals. Special thanks to our Featured Frontier sponsors: CM Regent; Miller Sport Construction; Sapphire Software; Folim, Inc. (Laurel Life); Chartwells K-12; SitelogIQ; CM3 Building Solutions; Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates; Questeq; and Gilbert Architects.
To our keynotes, all of our education session presenters, student performers, attendees, exhibitors and sponsors – thank you for helping us make this conference a valuable and memorable experience for our members. We’re already looking ahead to next year! Plan to join us on October 17–19, 2027, at Kalahari Resorts & Conventions in the Poconos for another opportunity to learn and connect with school leaders statewide. #PASLC2027