NSBA Executive Director and CEO Verjeana McCotter-Jacobs
January 15, 2025
February’s Advocacy and Equity Institute, articles on ESSER funds’ impact on school districts, and NSBA’s new partnership with the Go Green Initiative are among the topics that NSBA Executive Director and CEO Verjeana McCotter-Jacobs highlights in this issue’s column.
We have lots of exciting events and changes coming in 2025. First, I’m eager to share an update to how you’ll receive ASBJ, enhancing our commitment to sustainability and convenience. Starting with this edition, all ASBJ issues will be provided as a digital-only benefit for CUBE and NatCon members. While we will continue to embrace a digital-first publication model, we understand the value of a printed edition, which is why we are ensuring that each member’s district office will still receive a mailed print copy. (See page 6 for more details.)
In our October issue, we featured stories on the ways artificial intelligence (AI) can be used in the classroom and beyond. I was honored to contribute an article on harnessing AI’s benefits to education for a Dec. 7 education insert into the Los Angeles Times. You can read it here: tinyurl.com/harnessingai4education.
This issue’s cover story by Contributing Editor Glenn Cook examines how three districts used their Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) pandemic relief funds from the federal government. Our senior research analyst at NSBA’s Center for Public Education, Jinghong Cai, writes in her research column about the Council of Chief State School Officers’ tracking of how states have been allocating the money.
In this issue, we also are proud to kick off our partnership with the Go Green Initiative. You will be reading much more about the partnership in the pages of this magazine and elsewhere. The goal of the partnership, funded by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is to improve indoor air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in low-income and Tribal school districts throughout the U.S.
I hope you’re joining us for NSBA’s Advocacy & Equity Institute in February. By merging NSBA’s Equity Symposium and Advocacy Institute, we recognize that advocacy work and equity work are intrinsically connected in impacting meaningful change in public education.
The Advocacy & Equity Institute will explore the latest developments in education policy and legislation, empowering school board members and education leaders with the knowledge, tools, and strategies needed to address barriers to equity in education. For more information, click here.
This year, we are celebrating NSBA's 85th anniversary and the 30th anniversary of the Magna Awards. Our April issue will feature the 2025 Magna Award-winning districts and their programs. You can celebrate with us in Atlanta at NSBA’s annual conference, April 4-6. Click here for more details.
I hope to see you there!
Verjeana McCotter-Jacobs (ceo@nsba.org) is NSBA’s executive director and CEO and the publisher of American School Board Journal.