Now in its 86th year, NSBA continues to be the nation's "front-line federal defender of public education," writes NSBA Board of Directors President Leonard Lockhart. Among the 2026-27 Board's key goals, he says, is to pursue transformative shifts to enhance the organization's communications and advocacy.
July 20, 2026
Enhancing professional development for board members, surveying all states and territories to assess the impacts of federal policy and funding on school districts, and unifying boards of education and state associations into a single federal advocacy voice are among the key goals of the 2026-27 NSBA Board of Directors, according to new Board President Leonard Lockhart.
A member of Connecticut’s Windsor Board of Education, Lockhart was elected NSBA President in April at NSBA’s Annual Conference in San Antonio. In response to written questions from ASBJ, Lockhart said that implementing the Board’s goals and “working on transformative shifts that lead to more communications, advocacy, and amicus briefs” are among other priorities he hopes to advance during his presidency: “I wish to maximize our financial resources to serve our membership, starting with board operations, ensuring they align with the mission and the actions of NSBA’s Delegate Assembly.”
In its 86th year, NSBA continues to be the nation’s “front-line federal defender of public education,” and its relaunched Stand Up 4 Public Schools campaign reminds us of that responsibility, Lockhart said. He recalls that in an 1875 speech, President Ulysses S. Grant said, “The free school is the promoter of that intelligence which is to preserve us as a free nation. If we are to have another contest in the near future of our national existence, I predict that the dividing line will not be Mason and Dixon’s, but between patriotism and intelligence on the one side, and superstition, ambition, and ignorance on the other.”
Lockhart emphasized the importance of civility and collaboration in successful board service: “We are servants of our communities and shall be role models for state and federal governments. Remember, you can’t serve the people if you don’t love the people. It won’t be easy, but I promise you: It will be fulfilling.”