<h3><span style="color: #e11a3b;"><strong>From the President's Desk</strong></span></h3>

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[caption id="attachment_139" align="alignleft" width="240"]<img class="wp-image-139 size-medium" src="https://www.vsba.org/wp-content/uploads/Martin_2019-240x300.jpg" alt="Teddy D. Martin, II, President" width="240" height="300"> Teddy D. Martin, II, President[/caption]

Dear Fellow School Board Members,

The VSBA has been quite active this past month. The April Hot Topic Conference focused on Cybersecurity was timely and important to all our divisions with experts and first-hand experiences that we all can learn from. If you were unable to attend, I encourage you to check out the recording. It was also a treat to be able to address our School Board Clerks at the Spring Clerks Conference and emphasize their importance to each of us. As we communicated earlier, we also became a founding member of the Consortium of State School Boards Associations (COSSBA), along with 21 other states, enhancing collaboration across the states with a full complement of training and networking opportunities forthcoming. You may expect more information in June.

As usual, I must thank our Executive Director Gina Patterson and staff for their dedication in supporting our board and membership, keeping us updated on the latest developments, particularly as the General Assembly’s session continues and we work to keep public education at the forefront. We are blessed to have Gina and staff that go above and beyond for us.

Thank you to each regional chair for leading their respective regional meetings. There were many excellent and informative presentations, and it is always great to recognize the exceptional talent we have in the students of our divisions throughout the Commonwealth. Thanks to each of you who attended. Thank you to Kajeet for the excellent Education Broadband Grant program, awarding up to $30,000 each to a division in each of our 9 regions. Congratulations to all the winners. Thank you, as always, to Benefit Plan Administrators (BPA) for sponsoring the meetings.

I hope to see many of you at the School Law Conference on June 3<sup>rd</sup> and the Conference on Education on July 19th. I have always been impressed by these two conferences for their vital information as well as the opportunity to learn from our fellow divisions and members. I also encourage you to attend our upcoming webinars and workshops throughout the next couple of months on various topics critical to the success of our divisions and our development as board members.

Please remember that the VSBA’s staff and our Board are here to support you. Please feel free to reach out to me if I may be of assistance. As always, thank you for the opportunity and honor of serving as your President.

Thank you again for all you do,

-Teddy Martin