COSSBA Federal Advocacy Conference 
We hope you will join IASB at the COSSBA Federal Advocacy Conference in Washington D.C., on September 21-23. With newly released House appropriations legislation that imposes deep cuts to Title I, and many other programs, we need your advocacy for the federal funding that supports Illinois public schools. IASB has planned several new activities for IASB members attending the conference to augment your experience. We hope to have all Illinois Congressional districts represented. Register soon as hotel space is close to capacity and early bird pricing ends July 20.

Webinars Cover National Issues
COSSBA has partnered with Safer Schools Together to provide quarterly webinars on student online behavior and how school districts can keep students safe. The webinars are available at no cost to members. The next webinar, on September 9, will cover trends in student behavior. Previous COSSBA webinars, covering federal advocacy and government relations, recruiting and retaining highly effective teachers, and many more topics, are available for on-demand viewing.

Quarterly Updates from COSSBA
Keep up with the Consortium by reading the COSSBA Connection Quarterly Newsletter for Spring 2026. COSSBA shared that Kathy McFarland, Executive Director and Julie Feasel, Director of Communications and Government Relations, represented COSSBA in meetings with congressional staff, sharing the voices of public education across the Hill, and elevating issues of importance: The importance of NAEP and federal data; the federal school choice tax credit, and continued federal funding, including IDEA funding. Also, learn about COSSBA’s progress on its first strategic plan, and the development of its next one, designed not only to sustain the association’s momentum but also to elevate its influence and service to members nationwide.

About COSSBA
Founded by state school boards associations in 2022, the Consortium of State School Boards Associations (COSSBA) is a nonpartisan, national alliance dedicated to sharing resources and information to support, promote, and strengthen state school boards associations as they serve their local school districts and board members.