Did you know that all elected public school board members have had to attend either in-person workshops or watch online videos to receive credits for state-mandated trainings?
Furthermore, districts have had to cover the expenses of the trainings (in-person or online) and any necessary travel.
But moving forward, that is no longer the case.
Here at the Oklahoma Public School Resource Center, we believe schools should not be required to pay for mandated trainings. As a result, we have created free video content that board members can watch at their convenience and for which they will receive full credit with the Oklahoma State Department of Education. These videos are available online through an easy-to-use, platform created in Oklahoma called NextThought. Board members simply create their accounts at opsrc.nextthought.com and access the videos on their time.
School board members can access more than required
Our new Next Thought online platform includes all required board courses, including:
- Ethics
- Open Meetings Act
- Open Records
- Public School Finance
- Due Process
Additionally, school board members will also be able to choose from the following optional courses:
- Estimate of Needs
- Employing School Personnel
- Reduction in Force
- Revenue and State Aid
- Special Education
- Oklahoma School Report Cards
- Annual Legislative Updates
- District Websites and Social Media
OPSRC will continue to develop content to ensure board members have the expertise they need to make the best decisions possible for their districts. School board members may also request specific content be developed based on their district’s needs.
Currently, these courses are available only to member districts of OPSRC, which means more than 170 rural districts across the state have access. This number continues to grow as districts see the benefits of these online courses.
For more information about the online courses, school board members are asked to contact Andy Evans at andy.evans@opsrc.net. For information about OPSRC membership, contact Brent Bushey at brent.bushey@opsrc.net.
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